I grew up in an apartment in Queens. The only insects I saw—and
rarely—were big black beetles we called “clocks.” They appeared in the basement
laundry area occasionally. We were all terrified of them. Oh, wait—I forgot
about the multitude of mosquitoes that feasted on me every summer on Long
Island.
When I was 15 or so I saw a giant moth in the hallway of our
building. I now know it was a Cecropia. It frightened me, and I was so relieved
when it flew out the window I opened. A little later my grandmother entered our
apartment holding her hands together as though they held a treasure. She opened
them to reveal the moth! I ran and hid behind a chair.
Moving to the country was an education for me, with a long
transition to first acceptance and then appreciation of insects. This is why I
say Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is a book
that changed my life.
Oh, I love the moth story!
ReplyDeleteIt took a long time for me to accept insects. Now I happily do. Except the ones no one does.
ReplyDeleteWell, now I know why we called those beetles "clocks." I'll bet it was started by someone from England. Check out this entertaining insect blog.
ReplyDeleteThat is one beautiful moth.
ReplyDeleteNZ has some large but generally not scary insects. When I was growing up, I never saw them. Thailand was like being thrown in the insect deep end. Ants, cockroaches, stir-fried cicadas. Argh.
Now I have a video to watch and a book to read. Thanks Susan!
ReplyDelete