Female Northern Cardinals wear warm, pale-brown and olive-tan plumage, accented with subtle dusty-reds on their crest, wings, and tail. When pressed against the textured, earthy grays and browns of an old-growth tree bark, this rich earth-tone colouration serves as highly effective natural camouflage.
Camouflage
A shadow carved of root and wood,
Where time’s slow, textured bark is good,
She rests against the ancient grain,
Unsung, without the male’s bright stain.
Her plumage dipped in olive-tan,
A shade that mocks the gaze of man,
With crimson dust upon her crest,
And tail in rusted autumn dressed.
The deep brown bark, the dusky brown,
A whispered gem in nature’s gown.
She turns her back to meet the light,
And melts into the wood from sight.
A near-illusion, soft and still,
She climbs the trunk with quiet skill.
Concealed by bark, embraced by wood,
The forest’s finest sisterhood.
’Til next time, y’all…
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