Trash Bug

Love at first sight. That was my reaction when I saw my first Trash Bug. I'm blown away by the smallest of things. Nature in its magnificent diversity and wild complexity has always captured me and held me in its grasp. And why not be enthralled. Take invertebrates for example. Their incalculable numbers are reason enough to cause any thinking person to stop and consider them. They out number humans at a ratio of 1 billion to 1! For every one human being there is one billion Invertebrate species; insects being the most by far. Because everything that has life intrigues me I've, over the years, developed, what some might call a disorder, the dread of killing anything! I mean anything. The smallest insect or spider gets a pass with me.

That spider is amazing, I mean let me see you spin an Intricately beautiful web.....see? So why take its life? Go around it. Carry it from the house and release it in the yard.

So I've wandered off track. Back to the amazingly unique and interesting little Trash Bug. I love those little guys. Most Floridians have never ever seen a Trash Bug. Not  because they are rare, they're actually quite common. Most never see one for a couple reasons. One you dont look. You just barge through life with little concern or interest in what may be afoot. Two even if you were looking you'd probably miss this little guy because he camouflages himself to look like a little pile of rubbish.

Yesterday I was sitting on the porch after being out in the yard. I felt a very slight pin prick at my ankle and looking down, it wasn't a mosquito or a no seum, it was a Trash Bug poking me with his proboscis; or whatever it is he has for mouth parts. I was thrilled he had chosen to hitch a ride on my ankle. I mean this unique little creature who has the ability to collect bits of rubble, hulls of eaten bugs and other insects, bits of decaying leaf matter and debris and attach it to his body in such profusion that one cannot actually see him at all. Only the trash he carries.

I gently picked him up and set him on my hand and photographed him. I even made a 5 second video of him moving across my hand. You should see it it is the coolest sight.

I released him back into the yard but couldn't stop thinking about him. I mean what unknown knowledge, if you will, causes him to collect debris and attach it to himself? Why, for Gods sake does he do it? Is is camo protection. Assuring that no predators will notice and kill him? Or does he think, if he can think, that it makes him look more attractive or macho?  May never know for certain since I cant ask him. I know he carries  perhaps more than his own weight in debris around everyday all day. Must be tiring.

Some of us humans are kind of like the trash bug. We carry around useless stuff. Weigh ourselves down with trash. We attach Pride and arrogance to us to make us look like we are someone we are not. We carry around hatred and prejudice, and bitterness toward other fellow men never stopping to think that the only one we hurt is ourselves. These trashy feelings never even reach their objective targets. So we only punish ourselves by carrying around these unnecessary burdens. Sometimes folks act like the trash bug by pretending to be someone they're not; so they attach a disguise to cover up their true self. I bet that weight can get mighty burdensome after a while.

Let's not be like the little trash bug. Let's lay aside all that extra debris. That judgemental attitude that hatred. Let's be more accepting, kinder, more gentle with our fellow humans.

I bet if we will get rid of all that heavy useless debris we will have more energy to perhaps devote some toward helping carry someone's for real burden.