Poem: "The Flying Jewels of Spring"
May. 14th, 2024 11:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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common_natureI wrote this about today's cicada hatch. It fills the "chase" square in my 5-1-24 card for the Superhero Bingo Fest. It has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette.
"The Flying Jewels of Spring"
After a warm soaking rain,
the cicadas start to emerge.
Nymphs crawl out of the ground
and cling to the tall grass where
they shed their thick brown skins.
Pale and soft, they clutch the stems
while their wings slowly grow into shape.
Their skins darken as they harden,
tiny eyes taking on a ruby red.
In the spring sunlight,
their wings gleam like gold
amidst the round diamonds
of the last few raindrops.
The cicadas are everywhere,
hiding in the grass like
strange seedheads.
Birds chase them,
and catch some to eat,
but never all of them.
As their wings finally
dry enough, they take
to the air, the sound
almost mechanical.
They flail their way
skyward, awkwardly
learning how to fly.
The air is filled with
ebony, rubies, gold.
Later the males will
sing to attract mates.
The females will saw
their way into stems
to lay their eggs.
Sometimes, this
kills a few twigs or
a whole young bush.
If you want to garden
for wildlife, you have
to welcome the sight
of a few chewed leaves
and punctured stems, even
if you may lose some plants
to the bugs and the beasts.
After all, that's what the plants
are there for in the first place.
Every scarred stem will release
tiny nymphs to burrow into the ground
and spend years mining in secret for
what they need to become
the flying jewels of spring.
"The Flying Jewels of Spring"
After a warm soaking rain,
the cicadas start to emerge.
Nymphs crawl out of the ground
and cling to the tall grass where
they shed their thick brown skins.
Pale and soft, they clutch the stems
while their wings slowly grow into shape.
Their skins darken as they harden,
tiny eyes taking on a ruby red.
In the spring sunlight,
their wings gleam like gold
amidst the round diamonds
of the last few raindrops.
The cicadas are everywhere,
hiding in the grass like
strange seedheads.
Birds chase them,
and catch some to eat,
but never all of them.
As their wings finally
dry enough, they take
to the air, the sound
almost mechanical.
They flail their way
skyward, awkwardly
learning how to fly.
The air is filled with
ebony, rubies, gold.
Later the males will
sing to attract mates.
The females will saw
their way into stems
to lay their eggs.
Sometimes, this
kills a few twigs or
a whole young bush.
If you want to garden
for wildlife, you have
to welcome the sight
of a few chewed leaves
and punctured stems, even
if you may lose some plants
to the bugs and the beasts.
After all, that's what the plants
are there for in the first place.
Every scarred stem will release
tiny nymphs to burrow into the ground
and spend years mining in secret for
what they need to become
the flying jewels of spring.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-15 06:09 am (UTC)P.
Thank you!
Date: 2024-05-15 06:30 am (UTC)I'm happy to hear that.
>> So many people don't like insects, and I suppose they can't help it, but such appreciation for these beautiful creatures is very satisfying.<<
I love insects. Preferably not in the house, but it makes me smile to see them outside. Bumblebees, honeybees, our tiny native bees -- we have an emerald green one -- butterflies, moths, blue-winged wasps, preying mantises, all kinds of exciting things visit my gardens. :D That's a large part of why I garden the way I do. I like the company.
Sometimes my raspberry bushes will be absolutely crawling with insects, but the fruit is fine. They're too busy eating each other to get to the raspberries. Other times I walk past a tree or bush in flower and it sounds like a lawnmower there are so many bees. \o/
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2024-05-15 08:15 pm (UTC)We don't have such a great variety in the yard, though I am trying to amend that. The mock orange gets bees of all sorts and bee-imitating flies, and the monarda gets bumblebees. I'm always on the lookout for a rusty-patched bumblebee, but so far no luck.
If we're very lucky we might get a dragonfly or two. I know if I had even a little pond, there would be more of them.
P.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2024-05-16 02:38 am (UTC)House spiders are okay. Wolf spiders and jumping spiders are not.
I'm not going to freak if a butterfly or moth gets inside. It's not rare for a lightning bug to get in somehow.
I will make an effort to relocate bees outside if possible. Wasps get swatted.
>> We don't have such a great variety in the yard, though I am trying to amend that. The mock orange gets bees of all sorts and bee-imitating flies, and the monarda gets bumblebees. I'm always on the lookout for a rusty-patched bumblebee, but so far no luck.<<
The most popular with my pollinators are 'Autumn Joy' sedum, garlic chives, Shithouse Marigolds, and some version of mountain mint. Right now they're loving on the bergamot.
Other ideas...
17 Plants That Attract Dragonflies to Your Garden
21 Best Flowers to Attract Hummingbirds
21 Night Blooming Flowers For a Captivating Moon Garden
30 BEAUTIFUL HOST PLANTS FOR BUTTERFLIES
Attracting Bees to Your Garden
Bringing Butterflies to Your Garden
Flowers for Moths (United Kingdom, but these are widely available)
Native Plants for Butterflies and Moths
>>If we're very lucky we might get a dragonfly or two. I know if I had even a little pond, there would be more of them.<<
We see them here, mostly small ones and damselflies, but sometimes in summer I see big swarms of giant hand-sized dragonflies zooming overhead.
Consider starting with a container water garden.
Attracting Dragonflies to Your Garden: A Complete Guide
Container water garden ideas: How to make a pond in a pot
How to Create a Dragonfly Garden
How to Make a Wildlife Container Pond
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2024-05-16 06:16 am (UTC)INDEED. I haven't had either in the house, but I would certainly escort them outside. We have house spiders, house centipedes, and sometimes millipedes. I once tried to get a millipede to crawl onto a piece of paper so that I could take it out, but it just, in the way of its kind, went underneath instead. At least that discouraged the cats.
Thank you for all the resources; this is great!
I do have Autumn Joy sedum, and I also have a lot of spiral goldenrod and white snakeroot that attract many tiny polinators in their season. But the monarda is being shaded out, so I should plant more elsewhere or move some of it.
We usually get a small flock of green darners in the spring and another in the fall; they tend to fly around overhead, diving and swerving, much like bats, and for the same reason. I think these appearances happen during green darner migration.
P.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2024-05-16 08:35 am (UTC)I'm happy I could help.
>> I do have Autumn Joy sedum, and I also have a lot of spiral goldenrod and white snakeroot that attract many tiny polinators in their season.<<
That's an excellent start.
>> But the monarda is being shaded out, so I should plant more elsewhere or move some of it. <<
Try moving it. Mine does fine in part shade but I wouldn't try deeper.
>>We usually get a small flock of green darners in the spring and another in the fall; they tend to fly around overhead, diving and swerving, much like bats, and for the same reason. I think these appearances happen during green darner migration.<<
That's cool.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-15 11:19 am (UTC)ebony, rubies, gold.
Lovely. Thank you for this perspective!
no subject
Date: 2024-05-16 10:51 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2024-05-17 02:40 am (UTC)