One Wild and Precious Hour
One Wild and Precious Hour
And the unusual reproductive autonomy of a female insect
BY WAY OF RESPITE from the U.S. elections this week, I bring you two essays from the Chasing Nature archives. One is about the astonishing reproductive autonomy in a tiny insect now floating around like bits of powder-blue fuzz. Basically, the females of the insect, an aphid, carry on in life producing generation after generation of many more females, with absolutely no males whatsoever on the scene. That is until the aphid eventually finds her use for males.
The other essay is about how to game the system and make the most of your extra hour when we dial back the clocks each autumn. Although that hour is now passed, my point is more so about making every hour in life count (like visiting with that Monarch butterfly pictured above).
I published these two essays when Chasing Nature was young, with about half its current community of 8,000 subscribers. So until I write again for you next week, I’ll take time now for gratitude: Thanks to you all for making possible this journey in ideas expressed in short essays and nature photography. Even as the earth shifts beneath us, nature (however imperiled) offers us respite and refuge.
You found a Halloween Pennant in the snow! I'm stunned and delighted.
As for the extra hour, well I'm *frayed* I'm going to fret around the clock for the next week or more, no matter what o'clock we're on.
I spent the morning gathering wild cranberries. With water levels low and the warmth seductive, it was a pleasure to be in this wild shoreline. Checking my digital world, I was happy to read your essay. You always help me reflect on the small things to appreciate. This morning the aphid dustballs were flying, meadow hawks were mating, and a lone loon was fishing nearby. I was so glad to be alive. Reading your post reinforced those feelings. As always, thank you.