This past weekend my wife and I went to a presentation at Ijams Nature Center that included an introduction to some of the Animal Ambassadors used by the center for visits to schools, etc. The naturalist, a very knowledgable young woman, brought out a grey rat snake, a kestrel, and a screech owl, and told us a little about each one.
Screech owls can see UV light, which I didn’t know, and, more surprising, the underside of their wings glows pink when illuminated by UV light. We humans can’t see it, of course, but other owls can.
Evidently there’s a lot that goes on all around us all the time that we can’t see. Or hear, or feel. It’s a humbling thought, and a reminder that the world is a much more wonderful, magical place than we know.