Bitten by Wilderness

I have never liked bugs, so it very difficult for me to admire them. Except of screaming and trying to get far from them, there is nothing much I do when I see them. I wonder if I would have behaved differently if I was introduced to them in a different way. I learnt there are museums for insects. Of course, with zoos and national parks being there for animals and birds, this seems to be pretty natural. However I wondered who would bother to visit them till my own flesh and blood of 5 years old made a field trip and was pretty ecstatic about it. I see all the kids are pretty excited with bugs. Perhaps they are able to relate to a world where everything else looks big and to the fact that they can be mischievous and still come out of a situation.

Of all the bugs, the only I have admired are ants and butterflies. In my younger days, I have spent hours seeing ants transport food grain. It is amazing how hardworking and disciplined they are. As all kids, I have tried to catch butterfly. Once I did catch but let it free the next moment. I did not like it flutter in my hands. I have seen some of my classmates having butterflies between books. They must be the only creatures who are taken care of well when they are dead.

Once on my way back from school, I got stung by a bee. I had a swollen head for few days but otherwise I don’t think anything else went into my head. Of course lizards are no way bugs but they have bugged my life enough. I would never be in the same room as them. In my school days, once I could hardly concentrate in my school prayer as I was distracted by two lizards chasing each other in the wall.

No talk of bugs would be complete without mentioning cockroaches. These are the only creatures that can compete with humans. As man is making this world more difficult for others to live, cockroaches are the only ones who can survive. So it was no surprise when a cockroach happened to be friend of WALL-E. One of the things I used to dislike was to catch cockroaches for Biology practical. I was surprised when I read recently that there is dearth of these creatures and now they need to be bought for Biology classes.

I never kept track of bug evolution and my knowledge regarding them is less than that of a 5th grader. I didn’t know there are bugs that have invisible wings to help them fly. The only mysterious one in that category that I am aware of is fireflies. But there are lots of its cousins who do not glow and cannot be seen. I got bit by one of these. Now my arms are red and itchy. This did not happen while I was hiking but happened in my own room. I have no clue how these came inside. All I can think is they are smarter and much evolved, why they even know how to become invisible.