Bramblings: Noticing new things

By BECKY NELSON
By Becky Nelson

Every now and again I notice something I had never realized before. Sometimes it is the shape of a leaf or the pattern of the bark of a tree or a color or texture of something very ordinary. This morning, up early to write this column, it was the hummingbirds at the feeder before 6 a.m. The little birds were already buzzing back and forth to the nectar I had made the day before. I was watching them for several minutes during a break a few days back and noticed that depending upon how the light struck the iridescent feathers below the male’s chin, it was either a beautiful ruby red or a shining golden color. I had never noticed that before, just assuming the feathers were red.

I also noticed how aggressive they can be toward other birds of the same species when food is involved. I would not have been surprised to see males chase other males away, but I noticed a male chase a female away several times. Though I suspect the female was not his mate and they were competing for the same food as the issue for the aggression, I was nonetheless a bit surprised. Silly little things surprise and amaze me sometimes.

Picking cucumbers in the hoophouse a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a very tiny moth on a cucumber plant. Only about a 1/2-inch across, the little fellow was beautifully marked. I collected and identified probably 100 or so different fluttering creatures as a kid — mostly butterrflys and moths — but I had never seen one like this before. I was stumped, so I looked online and in my identification books to try to find it to no avail. I was profiling her movements, trying to confirm my assumption that she was intent on laying her eggs and her larvae were intent on eating my cukes. But I took a second to reflect on my ignorance and did not kill the “bug.”

I reached out to the state entomologist, who has set some insect traps around the farm looking for an invasion of insects that so far are not in the United States to our knowledge. I thought it appropriate to ask for her help as we were helping her in her research. Within a few days, I had heard from someone in her department with the identification of a rarely seen moth, a spotted thyris (Thyris maculata). As a tiny caterpillar, spotted thyris feed ion clematis and the little “bluet” flower plants we see in the spring but transition to flower nectar as an adult.

I was glad at that time that I did not automatically kill the moth in my assumption that it was an evil species ready to eat all my cucumbers. It made me think a bit about how we judge others and situations each and every day, making judgement for better or worse without ever knowing the full story or the full intentions or thoughts behind the actions of other folks. It is sad that we do so, but it’s something that is going to take a very clear and purposeful path to correct our judgmental and biased ways in looking at the world. For an old dog like me, it will be hard to teach myself new tricks and ways of looking at the world, but I am willing to try.

I am a bit embarrassed to say that I almost killed that beautiful little moth, presuming guilt. As they say, I was about to be judge, jury and executioner. I am glad I took that little mental step of doubt and decided to learn the true identity of the little fella instead of acting in ignorance. It would be a good thing if we did that every day and in every situation, especially in these very heated political and social times when our patience is worn thin during the current health crisis.

When we can take a moment to inconvenience ourselves for the good of others, especially if the other is an unknown like my little moth, is a shining moment in our humanity. I hope we all take those moments. We might just notice a cool little insect that is rarely seen and that doesn’t pose a threat to us at all, despite our initial assumptions.

Becky Nelson is co-owner of Beaver Pond Farm in Newport, New Hampshire. You can contact her through the farm page on Facebook and Instagram, visit the retail store or email her at [email protected].