September 2015
Nature never rests. There is always movement and change. Some of these movements are very slow such as the growing of a leaf. The roots of trees keep growing underground even in the winter. Other movements are incredibly fast like the flying of a swift. The swifts have already left our shores and returned to Africa as I write on 10th August. Swifts only eat insects. Many other birds have started the autumn migration having raised their babies, moulted and teamed up with others of their species. Almost all these migrants predominantly feed on insects. Insects almost completely disappear in winter.
The insects are constantly moving, buzzing and crawling in their millions. They were here before we were, and will probably be around after humans have become extinct. They may annoy us at times, but we could not live without them as they provide ecosystem services upon which we rely. For example, if it was not for dung beetles, the fields would be carpeted with animal dung. If it was not for bees our fruit and vegetables would not be pollinated and reproduce. If it was not for the insects in the rivers and ponds there would be no trout or salmon for us to eat. The role of insects is taken over by crustaceans such as shrimps in the sea. The shrimps eat the plankton and many fish eat the shrimps. We then may enjoy eating cod, plaice and haddock etc.
Insects can be both friend and enemy as gardeners who try to grow cabbages will confirm. The pretty white butterflies that we delight in are not so welcome to the cabbage growers as these insects produce prodigious numbers of caterpillars that love to eat cabbages. However, the beautiful tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies also produce similar numbers of caterpillars that love to eat stinging nettles.
People often say what use are wasps, but wasps are classed as detritivores or eaters of detritus. Normally, wasps eat dead plants and animals, especially dead insects, and make their nests out of paper that they make from dead wood. Indeed, wasps were making paper for millions of years before humans came on the scene. Of course, once we did arrive and started killing things to eat, the wasps saw our activities as a great opportunity to acquire easy food. In the process they made an enemy of the human race.