A Shelter for a Beetle

I stepped outside into the afternoon air to see what lay beyond the patio step. While padding carefully along the gravel path, I noticed a tiny bronze ground beetle struggling across a sunny, dry patch of flagstone. It kept pausing under the bright glare. Looking around, I spotted a wide, curved piece of dried pine bark wedged near the birdbath post. I pushed the bark forward with both front paws, angling its hollow arch right over the warm stone. The beetle slipped gratefully into the cool shadow, resting safe under its miniature wooden roof.