Discovering depth in nature

SOURCE: ROSEMARIE MONNERJAHN

The Ritten, above Bolzano, is a wonderful place for young and old alike for hiking and exploration. Much of it is designed to appeal to children, yet it also makes us adults pause time and again, sometimes with a smile, or simply letting our minds wander. In doing so, stories may come to mind that we heard or read at some point, revealing a wisdom we never even suspected. That’s exactly what happened when I saw this woodpecker. Read for yourself where the story took us:

The Woodpecker

While eating breakfast with her grandfather, the young girl noticed that he was gazing out the window, frowning slightly. She followed his gaze. A black and white spotted bird clung to the trunk of the nearest tree; as she watched, it began to hammer on the bark. The strokes were loud and quick, almost like a drum beat. She wondered why its head didn't split. She had never seen anything like it, though she had heard that sound before without knowing its source. Bark chips flew from the tree.

»It is a woodpecker«, said the grandfather, answering her unspoken thought. »It seeks out insects under the bark and eats them. A forest without woodpeckers would be eaten by the little ones devouring the trees.«

His granddaughter looked at him and asked, »Are there more than one kind?«

The grandfather smiled. »Oh yes. Most of them are speckled and spotted, but some are brown and white or gray and white, instead of black and white. There are little ones and big ones - bigger than this - and many of them have bright colour at the head. This one has a yellow stripe, but it is hard to see from so far away.«

The granddaughter looked at him and asked, »How can they pound the tree like that without hurting themselves?«

Your grandfather shrugged. »They are made for it; it is their nature. Creatures are not harmed by following their natures.«

Rosemarie Monnerjahn

Vallendar, October 1st, 2026