Last week I grabbed the railing beside the incline up to our doorway and then noticed that I had squished a dozen or more little red mites. The tiny mites do me no harm, they don’t hurt my dog or cat either, or even the rose bush that is now in full bloom. If they didn’t like to travel in groups, people would probably never notice them. True, it is annoying that they are so small they can slip between the screening in the windows and the cracks around the doors. The rusty red stain on the palm of my hand made me feel like Lady Macbeth. “This is a sorry sight,” I muttered.
There are insects for all seasons in Florida. Soon the fireflies will be lighting up the backyard after dark and dragonflies will be spreading their luminescent wings; in early autumn the love bugs will go a courtin’ two by two. They are silly looking creatures with bulging red eyes; oblivious to cars or pedestrians they cling awkwardly to each other as they fly through the air.
For as long as I can remember insects and spiders have fascinated me. When I was young, I would squat for hours watching ants tumble down the sandy funnel into the mouths of ant lions at the bottom. I collected spiders and studied the differences in web designs in different classes. Holding a spoon of water in front of a praying mantis, I watched it lower it’s head like a horse drinking from a trough. I collected caterpillars and watched the moths emerge from the cocoons I had placed in jars. Gently I held the squash beetles close to my ears and listened as they sang.
Here in Florida we have a pest control service that comes quarterly to spray around the exterior of our house so that the insects don’t come in. Sometimes we eliminate insects because they are a threat to our health or safety. Being human, however, we also, without malice or intent, take a toll on the small lives around us.
My Turn 
What a beautiful post. Your descriptions of the universe of insects is just exquisite.
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