Since my return to Wyoming in July, I have seen only two or three butterflies, two praying mantis, and thousands of house flies. The grasshoppers have not been as bad as in the previous summer. The flies are a given due to the numerous cattle ranches in the area, as well as the large number of dog owners that do not clean up after their pets. Most of the people around here hang up sticky fly traps throughout their homes and businesses. These are not only disgusting, but unnerving when the flies continue to buzz for several minutes after getting stuck to them. I dislike house flies too, but the torture of any of Earth’s creatures is wrong. I prefer to allow the admittance of the black jumping spider (Portia fimbriata) because they live exclusively on flies and other insects.
Last week when I was walking in the cemetery, there was a Monarch butterfly flitting about frantically. It was either looking for food or a place to lay its eggs. My heart was breaking because I knew that all of the flowers that it would light on, were artificial. Its energy reserves would soon be depleted, if it could not find any real, nectar laden flowers. Monarch butterflies, being host specific, must seek out milkweed in order to lay their eggs. Their larvae, once hatched, must have milkweed to eat because it supplies the nutrients that they require. If the caterpillars do not hatch on milkweed, which will feed them through this stage of growth, they will not be able to develop into butterflies. This is the time of year when Monarchs are migrating south to spend the winter in Mexico. They travel as much as 3,000 miles on their bi-yearly migration! As we continue to destroy habitat, we decrease the possibility of their survival. It is estimated that their numbers have decreased 80% over the past 25 years – in spite of those caring individuals who have planted more milkweed for them. The worst part is that Monarchs are not the only butterfly that is disappearing. The number of butterflies in the U.S. has decreased by around 50% overall.
When I was growing up in the 1950’s, my parents would take us to spend weekends at a lake in northern Colorado. I remember the numerous insects. I was frequently bitten by deer flies and horse flies, not to mention mosquitoes. There were dragonflies and damselflies and bumble bees and beetles. I have visited a lake nearby where I am currently living, a few times over the past three years. There has been a strange absence of insects. It is eerily devoid of life other than the humans in their motor boats and jet skis.
Today, people are consumed with concern about racism and immigrants, about the rights of LGBTQ’s, about the right to bear arms, about women’s rights, and the right not to be vaccinated. In the whole scheme of life; however, these things are trivial. We need to be concerned about the lack of insects, because ultimately, we are destroying ourselves. We need to sound the alarm. Other species are dying all around us. When they all disappear, so will we.
