The "lushness" is most evident around the edge of the bog, where jets of water, intended to nourish the cranberry plants, encourage this growth also. Sedges shoot up, dense rows of bracken fern, purple clover and now, a blush of blue, as the blue eyed grass appears. This is a delicate plant whose name is slightly misplaced. It is blue, but not in it's "eye". The center is actually yellow, and it isn't really a grass but is in the Iris family. But then, when you are wandering about just taking in beauty, who really cares that the name is a bit off.
I am also watching the milkweed start to form its flower heads, and here, I need to inject a bit of sadness, for although things are blooming now, the goal of the cranberry bog, as seen through the bog owners eyes, is to produce cranberries, not milkweed to feed the Monarchs, nor is he interested in how many spittle bugs are enjoying the yarrow that is also present. And so, already, I can see chlorophyll draining from the bracken and the milkweed. For the sad irony is, that the same plants that thrive by being in line for jets of water, also lose their life when those jets are laced with herbicide intended to keep the bog weed free. And where this always saddens me, I do realize, not much of an income is raised in the production of grasses and wildflowers. He is a kind man, the bog owner, and I wish him well. I thought about asking if I could dig up some of the milkweed and transplant it, but to where? My yard wouldn't have the sun it needs, and so, another patch of fast food for Monarchs goes by the way side.
Down but not out. It is amazing to me, that, although this battle is a yearly one, plants that spread by underground rhizome will be undaunted and spring back one more time later in the summer, and will surely be there again next spring. So now, I try to enjoy them while they are there, and take heart, to see that across the path that rings the bog, spittle bugs are foaming away on the yarrow and red clover that grows on the safer side of the street. Life, as we see again and again, thankfully finds a way.
So, how about those spittle bugs, are they grand or what? You may not know what I am talking about, but, have you ever noticed the foaming bubbles that appear on plants this time of year? And have you given any thought to what they might be? What you are seeing is the protective bubble layer of an insect who spends his formative molting weeks within the safety of this bubble bath. One it makes itself while standing head first on a plant stem. It inserts its beak into the plant, and the juice is then passed through its body, coming out the other end and is then whipped into a froth that cascades over his body, concealing it in a mass of bubbles. Within these bubbles it is kept moist and, on the one hand, out of sight of predators, but if you think about it, it is very much IN sight, for the bubbles are white and very evident. The thought is that the bubbles contain an irritant and that snurfling through them might not be so pleasant for other animals.
But here is a chance to exult in your human abilities. You don't have to snurfle, you just have to place your finger gently into the foam and scoop up some of it. Gently push away the bubbles and you will find the most adorable little green or tan nymph of a spittle bug who will, in moments, begin parading about on your finger doing a little bouncy, bouncy thing with his abdomen. Children love this, and to test their keen eyesight I have them look for the two red eyes that are just dots but visible and give the spittle bug its extra adorable look. They start out impossibly small, but with each molt of their exoskeleton, they grow, move to a new plant and make the bubbles all over again. Once they get their wings and are adults they are incredible jumpers and the need for spittle protection is gone. They are often known as frog hoppers at this point, not tree hoppers, for that is a different species.
Even their hopping is something to be astounded by. A few years ago, researchers in Cambridge decided to pit the spittle bugs ability to "leap over buildings in a single bound" against the flea, the one to hold the record for leaping at that point. And, as it turns out, the spittle bug won, hands down! Turns out they go twice as high as a flea, accelerate 10x faster, and do so at 400x the force of gravity! That's 400 G's! Take that, fighter pilots, wearing protective gear at 10 G's! In human terms their ability to launch two feet into the air, is equivalent to you or I leaping over the St Louis Arch! The next time you pass some spittle then, be sure to take a look and if you have a tiny trophy with you, feel free to present it with pride to the winner of most powerful jumping insect.
I see I have gone on a bit long here, including two topics rather than one, but I believe in your ability to handle that. I am in Oregon at a cousins at the moment, and not sure when I will blog again, so a two in one isn't a bad thing. Who knows though, with this life of leisure I am leading this week, blogging may be what I can do more often. From chlorophyll saturated Portland, a lovely day to you all.
No comments:
Post a Comment