There May Be Bugs ...

OK, you know the commercial but this isn't it. Back on June 16, we had this cluster of eggs laid on our kitchen window. Normally we'd have cleaned it off but we were intrigued what these might become. There were a cluster of about 50 eggs in a width of 1.1 centimeters (about 0.4"). Instead of reaching for the Windex and a handfull of paper towels, we laid a large magnifying glass below the window so we could watch the progress. Actually, there seemed to be none. The eggs seemed to be just stuck in time.


But on June 27, the mass suddenly changed dark (all over the course of one night) and soon it was alive with dark movement. To be honest, it was a little gross. Over the course of a day, the imperceptible dark mass began differentiating into individual insects. A search of the net appears to give these a name: stink bugs!

Now the stink bugs have all gone. First they moved away from the eggs casings and then a few would return at night, hugging close to the cast off shells. Eventually we saw even these climbing higher on the glass until - poof! - they were gone.

Today (July 2) we had a butterfly (moth?) land on a nearby window. I was able to take a picture of it's underbelly and its delicate wings, backlit by the late-day sun. It's not a beautiful butterfly - no brilliant colors or fantails - but it's exquisite in its simplicity, plain and ordinary but as unique as a snowflake.

So you have your choice today: stinkbugs or a butterfly. Either is a nice choice and fits in its special cog in this natural world.