When I was a child and we used to drive across the Colorado plains and fields, we would find our front grill and many times our front windshield covered in bugs when we got home. That no longer happens anywhere we drive. Scientists discovered several years ago that not only pollinators, but all the other important insects were in serious decline. Some say as much as 70%! If you are not a "buggy" person I am sorry. A decline in any and all insects threatens our very existence as well as many of the birds and that whole tapestry of living beings on this planet. We are all connected.
So, I took a stroll in my garden and photographed the more lovely of these flying and crawling creatures hoping it will lift your spirits. (The next time there is a bug in your house, please scrap it up gently with paper and take it outside.)
That Zebra Swallowtail above is on my oregano.
Oh my! Your bugs are beautiful! I have only seen a solitary Western Swallowtail here so far.
ReplyDeleteA daddy longlegs is loose in the living room.
ReplyDeletehe brings changes and challenges.
DeleteI argue with someone in my house about the value of insects. She can't stand spiders.
ReplyDeleteWe do rescue bugs when we can, except the roaches. Those have to be disposed.
ReplyDeleteWhat outstanding photos these are! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great selection of butterflies to have in your backyard. Kudos to you for advocating for insects. I am quite sure that many people have no idea of the state of collapse of the entire ecosystem were insects to disappear. I think it's time for humans to disappear and to press the reset button and start all over again - sans Homo sapiens.
ReplyDeleteSo True!
ReplyDeleteThis year there is a marked decline in mosquitoes, worms and slugs in my Vermont yard. I have yet to see a butterfly this summer. I have seen grasshoppers, white moths, very few bees, and a toad.
Yep, when we poison the earth and air, when we clear cut the land we are contributing to our own demise.
ReplyDeleteI miss you.
ReplyDelete