The "storm" that came through here the end of June downed many of my trees and the ground was covered with limbs, leaves and other debris. We have cleaned a lot of it up. By the time the clean up was accomplished, rains came. I haven't been able to keep up with the mowing.
I was out wandering around my very large overgrown lawn this morning. The fog had just lifted and I was testing the ground for spots dry enough to mow. I was admiring the wild violets that had popped up all over the place when I noticed there was a loud incessant droning in the background.
I looked closer and there were bees everywhere. The bees were busily moving from bloom to bloom. There must have been at least a hundred of them. What a beautiful sight. The wild violets are spread throughout the expanse of the field that makes up my back, front and side lawn.
I pulled myself away to go into the house and find my camera. When I came back, it appeared there were even more. As far as I could see, there was movement and buzzing over those purple blooms. Breathtaking!
Bees are such profound beings. These were Bumble bees.
Some basic facts about Bumble bees:
"Bumblebees are considered to be beneficial insects because theypollinate crops and plants. They are very social bees and live in large "families". | |||
| Size: 1" Shape: Oval, bee shaped Color: Black with yellow stripes | Legs: 6 Wings: Yes Antenna: Yes | ||
 | Common Name: Bumble Bee Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda | Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Family: Apidae Species: Bombus | |
DIETWorker bees gather both pollen and nectar from flowers to feed to the larvae and other members of the colony.
HABITATBumblebees often nest in the ground, but can be found above ground around patio areas or decks. They will sometimes build their nests in attics or under roof beams. If disturbed, bumblebees will buzz in a loud volume, and they will aggressively defend their nests
Bees see all colors except the color red. That and their sense of smell help them find the flowers they need to collect pollen. Not only is pollen a food source for bees, but some of the pollen is dropped in flight, resulting in cross pollination. The relationship between the plant and the insect is called symbiosis."
(this is taken from http://www.pestworldforkids.org/bees.html)
The condition of Symbiosis is fascinating to me.
Definition:
Mutualism | -- both species benefit |
Commensalism | -- one species benefits, the other is unaffected |
Parasitism | -- one species benefits, the other is harmed |
Competition | -- neither species benefits |
Neutralism | -- both species are unaffected |
(this is copied from http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent591k/symbiosis.html
It made me start to think...The entirety of nature is involved in symbiotic relationships. What kind of participant am I?? In my heart I strive for "Mutualism". But I know, more than likely, I am leaning towards "parasitism and competition" simply because the nature of humans is to take over and mold the "alchemy of nature" into forms that appear to benefit humans. Instead of being a part of the "beautiful alchemy of nature".
For instance, as much as I love it...I will eventually mow my lawn. The violets will be cut back and the bees will be forced to find another spot. That might be "parasitism" or "commensalism".
It has not escaped my attention that my "need" to mow my lawn is part of a social illusion. One that I am a part of, no matter how much I love the natural world. So I am basically going to disrupt those beautiful bumble bees as they go about their very needed work of collecting pollen to continue their species and to pollinate other plants to continue the cycles of the natural world.
I don't know the answer to this dilemma. I will eventually mow my lawn but it now be with the mindful awareness that I am interacting with the beautiful alchemy of nature in ways I never dreamed.
My Inner Guidance has brought all of this to my attention. Now I "know" , what do I do about it? hmmmmm.
No comments:
Post a Comment