darters

I like to read the book "Fishes of Arkansas". It's a giant reference tome, with pictures of all the different native species of fish in the Arkansas region. Virtually every creek in Arkansas seems to have its own native darter species. Darters, which are related to killifish, are incredibly colorful. Because many of these fish are endemic only to a stream or two, most are not preserved in aquaria or other places in which they may be readily seen. As industry evolves, sometimes an individual river or creek might be lost, along with the darter fish species in that river or creek.

Today I'm feeling as though I travel in a bit of a haze, populated only by dull colored bass and catfish, with a few pumpkin-seed and green sunfish swimming about. I want to keep an eye out, though, for the darter fish in my life--bright, elusive, and so very colorful. I suspect I do not see all the darters around me, as they occupy their own niches. In the wild, I do not believe I have ever seen a literal darter fish at a time when I knew that it was a darter fish. In my metaphor, though, I imagine that I can spot a darter once in a while, and watch the darter shimmer.

darters

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