Six Legs, Eight Legs and More

On our last trip to the lake I noticed both the high number of mosquitoes and the lack of an army of dragonflies normally keeping those pesky buggers in check. Whatever the cause, crazy weather or something more nefarious, I truly hope this year is just an anomaly.



Six Legs, Eight Legs and More


     Who knew some insects molt, cling to twigs then wiggle out of themselves, leaving behind shells that crumble at a withering glance or a cutting remark? Scores of hollow carapaces hidden in branches of a bush counted on heavy rain to wash away traces of prior lives. Did the arthropods shed this intricate layer to free themselves of hidebound wraps or to escape past acts, old bosses, former paramours? Maybe gangs of bigger bugs bullied them, forced them into fedoras, compelling them to hide in plain sight like those in witness protection. Of all the field guides in the cabin not one devoted to entomology, nothing to decode the discarded casings. This lack of info on insects a reflection of my swat now, look later approach to all things creepy crawly. Not unlike the bashed false-eyelash that once terrorized my bathroom floor.



Marilyn Aschoff Mellor