Looking out our picture window this afternoon, I saw a killer perched in the magnolia, less than five feet from the glass. Tiger stripes adorned his thorax, appropriate for a predator and especially for one here in Columbia (home of the MU Tigers).
Waiting to pounce, he remained perfectly still except for a chewing motion of his jaws. Watching closely, I saw potential prey cross his path but he was apparently satiated and content to lounge in the bright summer sun.
We naturalists often gaze out our windows, searching for unusual birds or wandering mammals. If we look close enough, we may also see some of nature's smaller species, like the colorful dragonfly that I encountered today.
