It is incredibly liberating to be freed of fear. This occurred to me today as I was staring at a tree in my backyard that had ants swarming all over it. I am not afraid of ants, but I used to have a rather typical fear and revulsion of insects in general that for a long time kept me from appreciating them or even really looking at them. There was a time in my life that I probably would have recoiled from a tree with ants crawling all over it. And why? They won't hurt me. They're not in my house, they're not swarming over my picnic, they are just crawling on a tree, feeding on the sap that is leaking out of holes made by woodpeckers. They're quite interesting, really, but twenty years ago I would not have watched them with interest, I would have made sure not to brush up against the tree, because I would most certainly not have wanted insects crawling on me. It's too bad that it took me so long to figure out that insects are fascinating, often beautiful, and often so beneficial to humans. It is probably a good thing that back then I was also not aware of how many of them were around me at all times. I would never have gone outside. And how many other things in life are we closing ourselves off from because of a prejudice that we simply learn and accept, without finding out anything about those we are prejudiced against? But back to the question of fear; the other thing I was thinking about today was how it is too bad that people who are afraid of spiders don't actually observe spiders more closely, because they might figure out what I have figured out, and what I observed from all of the spiders I saw today. Spiders are terrified of us. That is probably smart o them, since the vast majority of the people I know would rather smash them on sight than have a close look at them. Every spider I saw today reacted with fear toward me when I approached. They ran, they hid, the leaped off of trees to get away from the giant who just wanted to get a closer look at them. I wasn't even leaning in close with my camera, they ran while I was several feet away. It was sort of cute and endearing, but I wish that they knew that they didn't have to be afraid of me. And I wish that the people who are afraid of them knew that they don't have to be afraid, either. And once you learn that, oh, it is so good to not be afraid of something, and be able to see it with some other emotion, like fascination.
Fascinating ants, dining on sap
Backyard Bug of the Day:
I think this is some kind of geometer moth.
Other Bugs:
Bee
There were a lot of flies out today.
And winter fireflies:
Now, to enjoy some frightened spiders for Arachnid Appreciation:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
This one jumped out of this tree when I got too close. Note it has a gnat that it is dining on.
This one was basking in the sun on the picnic table, and when I got close it scurried in between the boards to hide.
This one hid under the leaf litter when I got too close. Note what I did not see when I took the picture: the weevil off to the right.
This adorable jumping spider hid in the space between two boards on the side of the house when I got within about ten feet of it.
This is the bravest spider of the day.
And speaking of animals that are afraid of me... For the first time this week, there was a snake on the hill out front:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
This is the best picture I got, because when I tried to get closer it zoomed down into its hole. This is not the same snake I have been seeing; this one is much smaller.
No comments:
Post a Comment