Writing & Wining

I’m not a big fan of bugs, but I understand and respect that they have their role in the ecosystem. Among bugs, I have a theory that any in the beetle family are somehow smarter and more evolved than other bugs and here’s why:

• Their hard crusty shells give them added protection and make them harder to eat if you are a bird or another creature so inclined.

• Most can fly, although they don’t appear to be aerodynamic enough.

• They can also run fast and squeeze into small spaces.

In the beetle family you have the dreaded cockroaches. I think we can all agree those creepy critters will rule the world one day. Can’t kill ‘em. They’re crazy fast! They can survive in the most dismal environments. They scare the crap out of me and if I found one in my house I’d probably have to move.

On the happier side of the beetle spectrum we have Lady bugs-darling, sweet, let them land on you, make a wish…lady bugs. In the late Spring here in VA we get an invasion of lady bugs. I assume they’re on their way somewhere else but they come here for a spell. I say spell because it does feel a little bit magical. Even while I’m collecting and releasing them outdoors and making wishes, I wonder where on earth they all came from.

Cicadas are another mysterious beetle with their odd shedding and bizarre dormant habits. Their creepy exoskeletons cling to everything…mailboxes, porch furniture, and siding. Their song is either incredibly annoying or surprisingly summer soothing depending on your perspective.

Then there’s the June bug! On the one hand I have great summer memories June bugs battering the screen door, desperate to get in, like a moth to the flame of our house lights burning. Somehow they’d survive the self imposed beating of flailing their silly selves around and pop up and fly off to who knows where? Some other screen door maybe?

But my favorite of the beetles is the fire fly. I only recently learned there are several different species of fire fly and they live at different levels of the forest.

Hats off to the beauty, the magic, the splendor of the firefly! May they outlast the dreaded cockroach!