Discuss: The Adored, Buzzing Around Us

One of my fondest, earliest memories is of the year we moved to southern California when I was a child. I became entranced with the ivy snails and, belly to the ground, would follow their silver papery trails through the undergrowth.  Decades later, on our ranch in Wyoming, I became enthralled with the scouring nature of maggots and how quickly they could clean up the carcass of a lightning killed cow.  Sharman brings these memories to life and make me glad that I’ve befriended a few of the spiders that drink from my bathroom faucet.

Hello, Sharman,

Thank you for the lovely piece. I once had a cosmic epiphany while sitting on a bench, doing nothing. A black beetle landed on my left wrist. The outer edges of its hard wing covers—its elytra—were perfectly shaped, as if they had been carved and honed out of ebony by a wiry Egyptian craftsman. They looked like the hinged ebony lids to an Egyptian coffin, crafted to last through eternity.

The occasion for this epiphany? Simple. I had stopped what I was working on and decided to sit and do nothing. Thus, my left wrist became a landing strip for the beetle, and the beetle a launch pad for my Egyptian epiphany.

The key, as you pointed out in your excellent piece, is to STOP. As you put it:

“They say: stop! look at how beautiful I am, how different from you. They make us feel grateful for being on such an interesting planet.”

Thank you.

Paco Mitchell

I couldn’t agree more.l

ONE MORNING

two domed spiderwebs made visible by dew
something, invisible, shakes a stalk of miner’s lettuce,
then a blade of grass
the dew also defines
the texture of leaves—drops on some
a sheen on the others—
and the superstructure engineered to hold the domed shapes
airy but sufficient
the webs—asymetrically perfect—must be new this morning
unless they are stronger than they look
and survived yesterday’s rain

THIS CATERPILLAR

this caterpillar, twisty as spaghetti
will soon starch itself up
and wait
rigid
glistening
for spring

AN ELONGATE GAIT

clop-clop goes the horse
the millipede
if our ears were sharp enough
would clop
for
several
pages

What a delight to read an article from someone who observes and thinks about the natural world, and can embody their love of life in what they write about the experience.

Thanks, and thanks again.

Bryan

Insects are indeed everyday, everywhere marvels. What mysteries they are. How can something so small, with such a tiny brain, be so good at getting about, feeding, mating? How beautiful these natural gems are, especially if viewed with magnification. Liberace had nothing on these guys.

Much appreciating your big, wide embrace of nature and humanity, Sharman.

Geoff, in Vancouver where spring is reluctantly but ineluctably springing…

Thank you very much for a story which praises our fellow nonhumans. If we truly believe in nonviolence and peace, then we must consider, protect and not harm insects. They love life as we do.

I do my best to relocate ants, spiders, mosquitoes and do my best not to harm them. We live in the country, and there are thousands of species. I am vegan as well so I do not eat any animal flesh or products and protecting insects is in keeping with vegan principles.

If you look closely at a cockroach, and put one’s prejudices aside, one can see how complex and beautiful they are and what survivalists they are as well.

Thanks again for this. There needs to be more articles like this.

I couldn’t agree more about the beauty and intrigue of creepy-crawlies. But, LiveVegan, you seem lucky to have never lived in an old farmhouse overrun by flies!

Hi Krista,

The reasons farmhouses probably have so many flies is because of animal dung laying around. Flies love it. So if we ceased exploiting animals, there would probably be less flies. Additionally if we ceased creating and leaving so much rubbish around, that would also reduce flies. Some farmhouses are in very rural areas where there is no garbage pickup, and so they have their own little garbage dump on site.

Flyscreens are also very helpful ;)