The Insect Plain

Let us dig our furrow in the fields of the commonplace.

Jean-Henri Fabre

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail hanging from Milkweed

Signal flies courting on a slender leaf

Yellow-striped army worm crawling into the center of a fading coneflower

Despite its hardworking (and destructive) reputation, the carpenter ant takes a moment to walk on the soft petals of Queen Anne’s Lace

Even the biting stable fly can be still in the presence of a pretty flower

A Banded Longhorn Beetle climbs over the Wild Yarrow - is he as surprised as I am to see the little flecks of violet there

a tiny grasshopper hugs a blade of grass with his sticky feet

A dragonfly lands on the sharp dry leaves of grass

Bugs are not going to inherit the earth. They own it now. So we might as well make peace with the landlord.

Thomas Eisner

Abundance

Things are hopping in the field-

hopping and flying

and crawling around

worming through

buzzing about

chewing and biting

slithering

darting back and forth

eating

gathering pollen

mating

laying eggs

waiting…

so many

little

beautiful

intricate

terrifying things…

flourishing

in one little field.

If you follow me on Instagram (@random_rho), you may have noticed me turning my eye to the very small recently: drops of water, blades of grass, bees, flowers and insects. This was partly because I broke a telephoto lens and am still figuring out how to replace or repair it and partly because I’ve been trying to grow some vegetables this year and have realized how much insects can either help or hinder my efforts. So I picked up my macro lens, which can pick up very small details, and started working on my skill with closer, smaller subjects. There’s a lot to learn.

Coincidentally, in the bookbinding group I belong to, The Handmade Book Club, we were creating a Spider Binding, which is a sewn and taped binding with an unusual folding pattern for the pages that makes the finished book look a little spider-like… so I thought it seemed appropriate to fill mine with pictures of insects. Little did I know how easy it would be to find subjects. I mean, I know there are a lot of insects out there, but when you start really looking on purpose, it’s shocking how many you can see in just a few minutes. They’re everywhere. They don’t stick around posing for the camera, of course. Big grasshoppers and most moths and butterflies flit around so much that it’s stressful to chase after them. But I found that if I stayed in one place in the field long enough, they would come to me. Sometimes this meant they would land on me. Some of them bite, so I had to be careful. I don’t love all of these creatures. Some are scary and some eat plants and trees that I would prefer they didn’t, but I am still so amazed by the variety and abundance existing in such a small area. It will be an ongoing project this summer. At the end, I’ll share pictures of the books I’ve made (There will have to be more than one!).

Also, I am still developing a bookbinding workshop for late September. I’ll send a special announcement when I have the date and time arranged.

Thank you so much for being here! I will see you next month!

P.S. The blog title is loosely taken from a quote by Henry David Thoreau:

"Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain." ~ Henry David Thoreau

An Andrena Bee bathing itself in pollen on a wild chicory flower

Lizard Happiness

Travel too fast, and you miss all you are traveling for.

Louis L'Amour

Iguana crawling

slowly over sunlit stone -

nowhere else to be.

With a curious little head tilt

alert and content.

You make me understand how wonderful it is for little lizards when they find that one special rock that's perfect for sunning themselves on. You make me lizard-happy.

R. K. Milholland

The days are warmer and more lizards are out basking in the sun. I especially love watching them at the marina - some crawling openly, some hiding behind rocks and foliage, all keeping their heads high and alert; enjoying the warmth. I hope you are lizard-happy this week! It makes me happy to think so.

Thank you so much for being here.

Iguanas were not the only lizards I saw this week - these two little ones were a little more discrete, but still basking in sunlight.

A Party of Parrots

The parrots of heaven will be cracking sugar as we laugh together, you and I.

Rumi

For weeks I have heard them laughing and chattering in the alley and on the street

They seem the happiest of birds

never lacking for something to say

striking a pose for the admiring human on the ground

If you have discovered a truth, tell it first to a parrot! Every new truth needs an insistent repetition!

Mehmet Murat Ildan

A Party of Parrots

It’s 6:30 am -

and it’s a party.

You weren’t invited -

But it really doesn’t matter,

When the green parrots gather

you are welcome

and expected.

It will be noisy

and rowdy -

There will be shouting.

and singing.

There will be hopping around

from foot to foot.

When you leave,

they’ll be laughing

and nattering on

behind your back.

But still;

You’ll look for them

tomorrow.

Parrots are not native to Florida, but they are flourishing here. (Technically, these are Psittacara Leucophtalmus, a species of parakeet.) They are loud and lovely. This time of year, they are everywhere, but specifically, they are in the alley behind my apartment every morning between 6:00-7:00 am, and they are having a party. (If you want to hear the sound, click here. This doesn’t completely do it justice, but you get a little idea.) For me, this is fantastic. They help me start my morning off feeling a little lighter, a little happier. Hope you like them too!

Thank you so much for being here. See you next week.

glorious in green on a grey morning