They are finally gone (for this year). In the South, where I grew up, we had various and assorted insects and crawling/flying creatures. "Red-neck" roaches, chiggers, horse flies, yellow flies...I could go on, but you get the idea. My father worked for a chemical company, so we had a toxic arsenal at our fingertips. I guess when we started seeing mutated roaches we should have wondered...but that's another story altogether!
Here in this pristine slice of heaven, there is a scourge know as tent caterpillars. http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/inse003/inse003.htm. We had a pretty bad year, with some of my friends' apple trees being almost entirely de-foliated. Our alders were pretty well covered, too. They are mostly just annoying, but when they invaded my strawberry patch, war was declared! I'm really not nearly as nice as people think I am :-). Many died at my hands and feet. Strawberries are worth fighting for!
So as I was walking under an alder one day, they fought back! A gentle breeze, a clear sky ... and a dozen or so precious little caterpillars waiting to ambush. They fell from the tree ("fell?" ... I think not! It was a premeditated attack!), and the dance began. High impact, all major muscle groups working simultaneously: sounds like a good way to exercise -- but not when the dance involves wriggling caterpillars in your hair and clothes. Yes, there are vocalizations involved, too! More perished - and I now look up warily when passing under trees.
But they still can't have my strawberries!!
No comments:
Post a Comment