chilly wind, black squirrel

chilly wind, black squirrel,

tail covering its back, gnawing

black locust seed pods

I don’t remember ever seeing a black squirrel when I was growing up in the Midwest, but now they are fairly common in southeast Iowa. This one, busily gnawing on a black locust pod to get at the seeds, is using its tail as an overcoat against the cold wind. The calligraphy of black tree branches and the curving lines of the black squirrel and black locust pod look like a Japanese sumi-e painting.