Bugs

 There is a great series running on PBS right now, Bugs That Rule the World.  The first episode I watched featured dragonflies and the Preying Mantis, a species I've always enjoyed meeting up with.  I haven't seen any for a while now, and I think I may know why.

A fellow knocked on my door recently to propose exterminating troublesome insects.  He offered to kill all the ants and spiders inside and outside my house, and pointed up the street indicating other customers in the neighborhood.

While we do have some difficulties with the legion of tiny ants that live in the walls of our old house, I feel like we can deal with that without resorting to massively lethal measures.  Taking care to keep our counters clear of crumbs or other ant attractors minimizes the problem.  The black widow spiders we used to see around the house foundation never tried to come inside, and they were clearly helping to keep bug infestations in check.

So I'm hoping a lot of people will tune into the PBS series and start to appreciate the crucial role bugs play in the community of living things.