Reflections On Trees, Birds, Insects, And Ants

*A BLOGGER EXCLUSIVE*

I was recently looking at the maple tree in my yard and noticing that all the “helicopters” were on the higher branches rather than the lower ones. It dawned on me that that must be by design, so that they will travel farther from the tree when they fall off. Trees are amazing. And they provide shelter and a place to nest for birds, without which we’d be constantly enveloped in a swarm of insects. (Okay, a nod to bats and dragonflies here, too.)

Think of the difference between flying insects and ants on the ground. If we didn't have birds, you couldn't go outside for the sheer density of flying insects. Moths, flies of every type, mosquitoes, and other irritating, tiny, flying vermin would be in massive clouds everywhere. They'd be ubiquitous.

Which brings me to ants, which are everywhere and ubiquitous, but thankfully, at least for the most part, can't fly. Ants are everywhere. Every crack in every sidewalk sports an ant hill. There are ant hills all throughout my yards, both at home and at the cabin. There are ant hills on sandy beaches, ant hills on beautiful green yards, and literally every place else. Ants are often in our homes. They ruin picnics and patios alike. I have, on multiple recent occasions, observed creepy, roiling masses of thousands of ants, both in our yard and on the roadside curb fronting our property.

I am tired of invasive species pushing out our native flora and fauna. However, the ones we need we don't have! I would pay to help import anteaters and aardvarks. Hell, I would pop for a grand or two just to have a couple in my yard. They may be the only non-native species that could do a lot of good.

I’m antsy. Someone needs to get to work on this.