Salmon Spawning III and Fall Colors

Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Psalm 111:2 NIV

Leaves aren’t the only thing changing colors this time of year around my home. It’s time for the annual salmon spawning to take place in the nearby rivers.

I know I’ve written about these remarkable fish before, but each year they just invigorate me to appreciate where I live, and marvel once again at the amazing Creator who fashioned all this life around us.

As I’ve noted earlier, in the summer these fish are a bright silvery color with a tint of blue in them. As they begin the spawning cycle, their heads turn green and their bodies an obvious blaze-orange in color. The surrounding eagles and osprey have their choice for dinner as many thousands of these salmon congregate over their spawning beds.

The vast majority of these fish return right back to where their parents spawned a few years earlier. Whether it is a short distance or hundreds of miles, still they return to the same place from which they were hatched to begin their life. As long as something major doesn’t block their migration, or disturb the water or their spawning habitat, they’ll continue coming back long after I’m gone.

From their color and physiological changes, to their upstream migration, to their entire life cycle, what a remarkable sample of creation these fish are.

What a remarkable Creator.

As the above Scripture says, I hope you will ponder on some of His amazing handiwork outside your door this fall season.

Have a great day.