Jewels in the dirt
A couple of weekends ago I was walking along a muddy, tyre churned track looking at nothing much other than where to put my feet first so as not to slip over, when a chunk of dirt began to move. An iridescent pebble with legs was struggling faintly in the sticky mud. I stooped over to find a dor beetle, relative of the scarabs of ancient Egypt looking feeble and disorientated, legs flailing ineffectively.
A few metres further along I found a whole clump of them, royal purple glinting on their backs as they floundered together in the watery mud. I looked up along the track and saw to my astonishment that the ground for quite a considerable distance was strewn with living jewels and glittering carcasses where previous walkers had ploughed through unnoticing.
These hapless creatures had chosen the soft earth of the track as an ideal hibernating ground, and dug themselves in. Now weekend walkers and off road motorbike riders were churning them up again in their thousands. I stood aghast as I watched these simple animals attempting to re-bury themselves in the very same place that they’d just been dug out from, essentially a busy weekend road. How many will be left by the end of winter? These things are a dime a dozen but still…
I’ve been flabbergasted by this spectacle ever since, and although I don’t subscribe to the old chestnut of natures kindness (spend under 30 seconds watching a hunting wasp or spider and you will lose your illusions pretty damn fast) the profligate wastefulness and apparent stupidity of the natural world often troubles my peace of mind. Those dor beetles would diligently re bury themselves in their chosen “ideal” hibernating ground until not a single one was left.
If those beetles learned nothing, they taught me something. The old adage “keep doing what you always did and you’ll keep getting what you always got” suddenly seems a bit more important than I ever imagined.
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Great photographs and a sane lesson on life. I tend to think that human beings will do the same with the present recession. They’ll keep repeating the same pattern of overspending, overusing and borrowing that has got this planet into such a mess. Will we learn…or are we just a bunch of Dor Beetles?
henry
Did you take these pictures? Of course you did… they are fantastic… certainly you are no amateur. Take it from an Art Teacher
Thank you for your kind words on my blog. Made my morning.
Cheers,
Braz
Excellent pics—you caught their color beautifully! Their iridescence reminds me a little of carnival glass and also what my grandfather called a “junebug.”
The photos were wonderful and so was the lesson.
Great photographs and wonderful imagery
hahahahahaha Namaste’ dear Bird, this was a great post I really enjoyed the pictures and the message with it.
Maybe the bugs that placed themselves in that same place hundreds of years ago didn’t have people trekking in that same spot on top of them, so it was a safe place to be at one point in time. Shows how hard it is to change ingrained ways, once the patterns are established within eh? (in all species of animals) even though the environment itself has changed, great post! sorry have not been around trying to play catch up.
I became emotional over this post. The gorgeous photos of a striking beetle I’ve never seen (not sure they are in the U.S. at all) described in such a practical yet wistful way affected me deeply. It’s one of those scenes I’ll not likely never forget, even if I didn’t see it first-hand.
gads, I meant to say: It’s one of those scenes I’ll likely never forget…..
@Soulmerlin:- Henry, I hope people learn to use their intelligence instead of stumbling about blindly but sometimes I fear that we are no better than these poor beetles. The thing is we have the choice, we can learn; they are bound by instinct and cannot. If we don’t learn then to some extent it’s our own fault
@Brazenteacher:- Why thank you teacher!
Thanks for paying a visit, it’s an honour to have you on board!
@roadgurl5:- Ah, carnival glass, I didn’t know about that until I read about it in Thriftshopromantics blog. They are coloured like that, and I think June Bugs are related to Dor beetles, probably have the same habit of flying noisily and banging into things on warm summer evenings, right?
@Timethief:-It’s good to see you here! Thank you, thanks so much
@Chrissy:- Hi Chrissy, thanks! I was kind of worried that beetles and mud would turn people off, but apparently not so
Namaste Sky! It’s GREAT to see you back and blogging again! I’ve no doubt those beetles have hibernated in that spot for centuries and now our recreational needs are clashing with their need for safe overwintering. I’m sure a few individuals will have dug further into the woodland and will be safe… And their offspring will hopefully do the same. I guess this is what natural selection is for
it’s not much good to the poor critters still trying to sleep in the pathway but I can’t stop thinking about that lesson… now where’s my fresh patch of mud!
@Lydia:- wow thank you, it’s an honour to know a tale that I have passed on could have such an effect. It was truly an amazing sight, and I am still trying to learn it’s lesson. Moments like those have real meaning for me, I don’t just love natures beauty, I love to see the challenges and questions and the harsh realities too. I’ve been scared that writing about those would turn people off and it seems that that isn’t true. Thank you so much for letting me know.
Looks like they are having fun!
Splendid macro photography of this interesting little insect and a splendid commentary.
Your photo is wonderful!
Have a wonderful weekend!.
How could anyone not like beetles??? Beautiful pictures. I’ve never ever seen this many you are truly blessed! I’d love to have them in my patch. Hope some of them make it through the winter. I’m sure they will… being so determined. Jane
The best laid plans of scarabs and men?
The refracted light on the beetles is absolutely stunning. I’d never looked at them so closely!
We have various beetles out my way, including the fig beetle, which makes a most excellent buzzy racket as it flies about and nests in the fruits of (as you might imagine) figs. Less pleasant is the stink beetle that uses odor as a defense. I was out hiking once when I scared one. It turned around, aimed it hind-end sprayer at me, and just froze. I went by the same several hours later and the beetle was still in the same spot, in the same position. It must have expired from fright of this horrid biped. I guess I’m one member of the species that will dispel any illusions of nature’s kindness quicker than any other species.
@chrome3d:- I seriously doubt it!
@Denise, @Grammy:-Thank you!
@Jane Adams:- I agree Jane, and I hope so too
@yogaforcynics…get trampled on by weekend hikers? Great to see you here Dr Jay!
@lostlandscape:-Fig beetles sound like fun, I bet they fly in the evening and collide with your face in an excellent buzzy way, am I right? Just guessing
I am going to look up the stink beetle, I have a vivid image of it with its hind end sticking up into the air in a futile last gesture…seems that beetles are great allegorical characters!