The smaller the object, the less I notice the differences.
It is easy to identify how churches in Europe are different from those in north
America; or, that automobiles drive on the opposite of the road sometimes. I
suppose to those who do not pay attention to birds, many differences will go
unnoticed as well. But when it comes toto insects, small creatures that one sometimes
only catches a fleeting glance when flying or darting in our preferential vision,
how they might be substantially different can escape me.
Reading about one of the great pollinators of Europe, the
red-tailed bumblebee, I was reminded again how much we humans depend on other animals
for our wellbeing. Bees are fascinating creatures. As a child, they were an
object of menace; a small insect that generated fear because of their ability
to sting. As an adult, armed with the knowledge that one in three bites of our
food depends upon the pollination performed by bees, I am fascinated with
something that is rarely considered. The declining populations of insects has
worrying impacts for humans. A random information poster in a small urban park invited
me to take a closer look at bumblebees in Ireland and Britain. At first glance,
from a distance, bees looked like those I know. But the red bum, cute as it is,
reminds that there is great diversity even when we do not see it.
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