08/10/2026
This shell was an unexpected find off the coast of Lake Pueblo reservoir yesterday evening. Was this mussel, clam, or what have you living in the lake or was it left by a human after their recreational visit to this place? Is the aquatic life of Lake Pueblo more diverse and mysterious than I may have thought possible?
These are sincere questions that I do not have answers to. I do know that there IS great diversity in many places we might not expect, and despite recent reports of the supposed decline of species and biodiversity in many places around the world there is still great beauty and possibility for greater natural beauty still.
To some extent the old saying is true: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, it also is true that beauty itself isn't entirely subjective. Beauty is tied to love, and love is tied to care. While there is beauty in creation and creativity, there is also paradoxically some beauty in destruction, dissolution, and decomposition—an example shown in this photo.
Not everything can or ought to be sustained as it is or was indefinitely, but neither ought we make massive changes with haste because somehow we believe it to be "beautiful."
