Today’s the last day of winter here in 2013. Not a bad opportunity to go outside and look around, if I can carve out some time in between helping the kids with homework after school, running errands, grading papers, and making dinner. But it’s worth trying!

Here’s a short essay, my second contribution to the City Creatures blog project, that riffs on the value of kids, urban nature, and everyday encounters with the wild in our yards, alleys, and neighborhoods. I like the ending the best, for it features a poem by my 5th-grade daughter, Lily.