A closer look at the visibly invisibly world…in the garden

Being a Gerald Durrell fan has changed me as a person. Even if I want, I can’t ignore the life throbbing and creatures scurrying around me.

Gerald Durrell was a naturalist who wrote many books on every living creature on the Earth. He later established a zoological park and a wildlife conservation park in Jersey.

In a garden, you would notice a flower blooming. You would look at its colour and appreciate the beauty it adds to its surroundings…right? You walk away and I enter the arena. I look at the flower, I then take a closer look at the same flower…and what do I notice…there are numerous insects at work. The flower is pulsating with life and energy.

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Some of the insects like the honey bee, are taking in the nectar from the flower. On second thoughts, you might say that you too had noticed the honey bee…we’ve all studied about it and identify it with a blooming flower.

But I look more closely and I see the minuscule ants scurrying around to gather the honeydew and the remains of other insects that were lured into submission to the blooming flower. A Chinese grasshopper was perched on the leaves, merging impeccably with the colour. Though I needed a second glance to notice that a sentient creature was there…it wasn’t so for the grass spider who was eyeing it as the next delicacy to munch on.

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As I moved further in the garden, I noticed the red cucumber beetles on the flowers, sucking the nectar and munching the crispy leaves, oblivious to the fact that they were annoying humans by this act. The aphids brought about the same reaction from the humans while they were leisurely sap sucking from the plants. The ladybug caught my eye. It feeds on the aphids so humans’ love for ladybugs is but natural. There were Asian lady beetles, melon flies and thripse in this foliage of plants and grasses. These are those creatures who caught my eye. I am sure there are many more species taking cover and thriving in these ecosystems.

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I bent down to check on the life on a marshy patch in the garden. It had so many more bugs and insects constantly at work. I peered at the few pond snails hanging upside down on the blades of grass, trying to shove off the heavy burden they carry on their backs. The bagworm moths were silently placed like a statue amongst the blades of grass, watching the drama unfold in their daily lives. A bold jumper on the other had was running around to do its errands, in a hurry to do them lest he invite the wrath of his wife…hehehe! The jumping spider and the wheel bug were in equal hurry to complete their chores before the day ended.

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The insects, worms and bugs might not look as attractive as the butterflies and the honeybees and that’s the reason why God hid them behind the curtain of leaves and flowers but this invisible world is always at work, teeming with energy, working in the background, scavenging, cleaning or helping in pollination. Whether we are aware of their existence or not, but this seemingly invisible ecosystem is important for our sustenance. I have learnt to appreciate it and thus sharing their it with you! You need not to love them…just appreciate them for their importance in our lives.

A few more insects and worms…around us!

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