The Nature of Symbiosis

A biologist named Lynn margulis had a revolutionary revision of evolution, positing that symbiotic relationships, rather than competitive ones, explained what we know as life both in ourselves and all around us.

This isn't to say that nature isn't "red in tooth and claw." Gods knows that seeing this is one the more painful human experiences. However, there are also instances in nature all the time that demonstrate that mammals, birds, etc. do sometimes work together, we see interspecies collaboration all the time if we just pay attention.

The images below are of an Angus sire named Flash, which is actually hilarious given his size and the posture in these images. I was driving home from work in town one day and saw something unusual, a cattle egret. I've only seen them once or twice in all my years in central Illinois. And as I'm sure you know, the cattle egret loves to groom cattle who greatly appreciate their removal and consumption of parasites.

But in the images below, I have a strong sense of presence, consiousness, awareness on the part of both Flash and the egret. They know and understand their roles and each other.