praying mantis

Praying Mantis

/ Rebecca / 21 Comments

It’s impossible not to be fascinated by this alien-looking insect.  I spotted it crawling along the handrail of the lake’s boardwalk.  Busy on its prowl for prey, it paused long enough to give the human observer a curious glance.

From whence arrived the praying mantis? 
From outer space, or lost Atlantis?
glimpse the grin, green metal mug
at masks the pseudo-saintly bug,
Orthropterous, also carnivorous,
And faintly whisper, Lord deliver us. 
~Ogden Nash

Nature’s Background Sounds

/ Rebecca / 15 Comments

With the arrival of cooler autumn weather, the familiar chirps, rattles, ticks, clicks and buzzes of the insects have grown quiet.  For some, the sound lacked harmony, but for others, it struck a peaceful chord.

“Music is in all growing things;
And underneath the silky wings
Of smallest insects there is stirred
A pulse of air that must be heard;
Earth’s silence lives, and throbs, and sings.”
~George Parsons Lathrop