Flight of the Bumblebee

There are over 250 species in the genus Bombus which we know as Bumblebees.  Charles Darwin called them the Humble Bee in his major work, "On the Origin of Species."  The name "Bombus" is from the Latin for "buzzing" or "booming."

In the Walt Disney film, "Fantasia", we hear the "Flight of the Bumblebee" which was an orchestral interlude composed around 1900 by Nickolai Rimsky-Korsakov for the opera, "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" in a representation of the turning of Prince Guidon into a bumblebee so he could visit his father, Tsar Saltan.

They are important pollinators and sometimes raised domestically for the pollination of tomatoes grown in greenhouses.  Unlike honeybees, bumblebees can sting repeatedly because their stinger is not barbed and can slide in and out of their victim without injuring themselves.  They are not usually aggressive however and rarely sting unless being tormented or disturbed.

Yesterday we had an unwanted visitor to our corner of Texas -- a skunk.  It was down by the pond, and I took steps to discourage it from exploring further for fear that our canine watchdog, who really only watches for an opportunity to be petted, spotted the small black-and-white critter and went to introduce himself.  Fortunately for all, that was accomplished and the discouraged visitor headed across the road and disappeared into the thickets of a nearby creek bottom.

I walked down to check and be certain that he was gone and in doing so noticed a couple of large thistles that had grown near the edge of our property and investigated.  There, in the top of the largest flower, at the top of the largest thistle, were two Bumblebees.  One was headfirst buried into the heart of the blossom while the other walked frustratedly around the rim of the flower seemingly awaiting his turn to partake of the nectar.  It was obviously a Kodak moment.

Now I must decide whether to allow the thistles to remain for a while or to remove them.  I think a compromise of a few days is in order.  It's good to see the bees thriving.

(For more information see "Bumblebee" at Wikipedia from which a portion of the above information was found.)

A Pretty Flower or, The Devil's Shoestring

Every day we are bombarded by messages designed to entice us to open our wallets to some product, service, or cause.  Some are worthy, some are needed and some are like the Pied Piper.  The Trumpet Creeper Vine (Campsis radicans) is a common vine found in the forests of the Southeastern U.S.  The photo is of one on our place.  It's showy flowers attract hummingbirds.  It will grow and cover trees until, eventually, it kills the tree.  Have you made the connection with marketing yet?

We each have limited resources within our care.  For some it is the weekly paycheck.  For others, the available capital may include legacies acquired from family.  Sometimes, good stewards will actually save money until they accumulate a sizable sum that is available for investment, or for spending on luxury items.  They key, though, is limited resources.

When we allow enticements to continuously draw us to spend on things that are unnecessary or, frivolous, we have less to invest and grow -- no matter our income level.  The marketing messages which constantly assail us include subtleties inferring that if we don't have the newest, latest, greatest, then we aren't acceptable to society.

Often, when I pass through a neighborhood, I see garage sales.  In every garage sale I see versions of the same cheap "junk" that was once treasured by the purchaser.  Piles and piles of it end up in our landfills every day.  Yet, we continue to spend and purchase items because the message we allow our mind to receive is that we need it.  Once we have it the luster quickly fades and we find it didn't fulfill us at all, but instead, prevented us from something that would perhaps be much more worthy of our hard-earned money.

Don't be enticed by the pretty flowers.  They just might be the Devil's Shoestring. 

Parasitism or Responsibility?

Standing on the edge of time I looked and saw a tree

Apart from lesser beings creeping in its shadow

And I noted great stature;

Tall and proud.

I felt small beneath this looming immensity

Yet, it was anchored in one place,

Unable to enjoy that

Which was not present.

Fibrous feet reached deeply into the earth

Over which it towered with arms

Appearing as though

They held the sky

While I merely passed by to other sights and scenes

Remaining not a part, but an observer

Who cultivated,

Who harvested,

Who lived as a scurrying infestation rushing about

Upon the surface, taking sustenance

Rather than building

And anchoring.

It was then I asked if parasitism was my lot or,

Was my purpose much higher than the

Flora which sustained

This place?

The light of awareness lifted me

And I saw within, the responsibility for stewarding

These resources which had been

Provided.

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." -- Genesis 2:15