If You Were A Bug,

On By cindy knokeIn Conservation, Flowers, GARDENING AT THE HOLLER, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES

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what would you be?

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A butterfly,

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or a bumblebee?
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Remember Gregor,
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so hated his job,
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he went to bed,
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and woke up a beetle?
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I never did get, Gregor,
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why not a spider?
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You could weave your web,
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and as Charlotte said,
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“people are not as smart as bugs.”
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Along came a spider,
who sat down beside her,
and interested Miss Muffet for hours 😉

Cheers to you from all the clever crawlies~

“If I can fool a bug… I can surely fool a man. People are not as smart as bugs.”
― E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web

“What a fate: to be condemned to work for a firm where the slightest negligence at once gave rise to the gravest suspicion! Were all the employees nothing but a bunch of scoundrels, was there not among them one single loyal devoted man who, had he wasted only an hour or so of the firm’s time in the morning, was so tormented by conscience as to be driven out of his mind and actually incapable of leaving his bed?”– Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis

270 thoughts on “If You Were A Bug,”

  3. I’d be a dragonfly! Love their colors and speed in the air. Wonderful photos – but as a former entomologist, I have to mention that spiders (eight legs) are not insects (six legs). They are phylum Arthropida like insect, but are in their own class, Arachnida. Butterflies are Lepidoptera and dragon flies are Diptera!

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    1. I know. I know. First, I said insect in the the title, but that was more inaccurate. I figured bug was almost slang. I really couldn’t make it rhyme whith arachnoid and lepidoptera! Laughing…..

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      3. At first they laugh and jeer at you,
        they call you names like Arachnoid,
        but they mistake you from your hue
        for that creepy from a tabloid.
        Then they say lepidoptera
        which is not saying very much
        for a diptera etcetera
        which does rhyme in a way, as such
        (And note…. the quadrameter too.. not bad for an impromptu rendition hehe)

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  4. Cindy, I hope you forgive me this impertinence, but if I were “an” bug, I would be a “um’bug” 😀
    I know, I know.. just a silly thing.. but don’t you go calling me a grammer-nazi (note the spelling, most morons who detest me spell it that way, so you are exempt from it in any case). I have been away from this blog thing for a while now and this is the first time I am commenting in weeks, no computer since my expensive power supply blew out 🙁
    Anyway, do forgive me, if you can.. I am not active in the blog-o-sphere in any case… delete this comment if needed.. after all, I was, am, and shall always be an outsider here.. 🙂

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    1. Laughing, you might be a hum-bug! Love this comment and you, and will not delete it. And I am the self professed Queen of the Typo. I have never met a typo I do not love. Especially when I inadvertantly in an 😉 comment thanked a good friend by saying, “thank you fiend…..”
      But, I am also a coward so I’ll go change the typo. Just did and, EEEEW it was actually in the title! That is really bad, even by my standards! Thank you for telling me and saving me blogging humiliation~ 😉 😉
      PSS- You definitely belong here! <3 <3

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      1. Thanks Cindy 😀 You are the best. And also, true to my pedantic self, tell your friend above about her typo, it is Arthropoda, not Arthropida (Which in a strange way makes sense if you are an Indian, Pida means “pest” “trouble” or “anguish” in Indian languages.. wow, why didn’t they think of it, makes sense that way – “legged trouble” or “legged pests” hehehe)… forgive me, can never resist delving into my pedantic selves.. .(Oh, to explain that.. I am schizophrenic…. and so am I)…
        Lots of love.. (er.. don’t let my wife catch me saying that to some beautiful woman like you on the web).

        And finally, after all that rigmarole, to answer your question seriously, (provided it is not another verbal Rorschach test) I would like to be a Ladybird or Ladybug.. oh, come on, let us not get into that.. ok, ok, call me Mrs. Lyndon Johnson from now on, go on have a laugh.. but the mildest of insects and I happen to think they are rather helpful to me in my garden. Or what is left of it, from ages ago. There! now analyze all you want.. you will get nothing from me.. arrrgh… mum’s not the word.. this ladybug is a ‘he’..

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      2. Oh I love it to no end. You do so belong here! You are another man lady bug. You and John RH (see below) are such. If I hadn’t posted this post, made the truly embarrassing title typo, which you so kindly ‘caught’ so I could correct, you would never have made this comment, and I would never have had this laugh. I think it is a very wise man that chooses to be a man lady bug. I wish I had thought of it, even though I am a woman, I might want to be one too!

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  5. Haha, love Kafka. And lived very near EB White in Maine. I can’t decide on what bug, because I find them all uniquely fascinating. Spiders are greatly underrated. They are true artists!

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    1. Yes, can you imagine every reasonably normal person on the planet loving you? I could go for that…..Although, I did read Nichole Kidman dislikes butterflies. You would have to tolerate her disapproval. It would be tough, but I could do it. 😉

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      1. hsampson

        Mmmh well I have to deal with some of those daily but I still prefer them than some of my neighbours, lol!

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    1. The one in the photos spun a huge web in the guestroom shower and was there when we came home from our trip. My husband said, “He’s dead,” because he wasn’t moving. The next was eating a fly on our screen. My son thought he was dead.
      I know spiders. I knew they weren’t dead. Once a tarantula played dead with me. I ran to get the camera and found him on the other side of the house. Smart spiders.

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  19. Your photos are absolutely glorious. And how did you tempt that butterfly to a hand? Someone has patience! As for what bug I would be — I think a damselfly. I’ve always wanted to be slimmer. 🙂

    I knew an entomologist once who swore she was going to put this on her tombstone: “You Can’t Bug Me Any More.”

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    1. Cracking up, still cracking up…… I don’t know what is funnier being a damselfly to be skinnier or the bug doctor’s tombstone….
      When I was a kid, my parents best friend was a professor of entomology. I followed him around and helped him with research when I was older. He gave me my madagascar hissing cockroach who I named Barnie Fife for a pet. I loved that cockroach. He taught me how to handle tarantulas so they wouldn’t shoot their hairs at me. I still am fascinated by insects and The Holler is like the Hellstrom Chronicles on steroids. I would have liked your friend! <3

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  21. Gnarly spider, dude. You really should give up photography. You’re terrible. (I’d be a lady bug, eating good things. A male lady bug of course. There are male lady bugs aren’t there? I’m not an etymologist, as you can tell by my prose.)

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      1. You are so fortunate that you are writing to the reigning queen of typos. I can really see you as a man lady bug, and there would have to be such a thing wouldn’t there, because if there weren’t, there would be no little baby lady bugs? You are so smart. I never even considered all the possibilities of a man lady bug until this very moment, and now I am considering all of the possibilites. This is why I love bloggers soooooo much! <3

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  22. Hmm I know I would never be a fly with such a short life span. I love dragon flies and fire flies. Hmm maybe a butterfly or a sweet, rumbling wolly bear.
    I would”t want to be an unwelcome bug like a roach, or any or silver fish.
    Maybe a beautiful butterfly.
    I love bumbling through the air bumble bees too.
    Oh I know-a lady bug-aren’t they a type of beattle?
    Awww so many choices.

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    1. A fire fly is a very creative choice. They are so illuminating. I have only seen them once and was beguiled. Bumbling bees, and lady-bugs, beetle or not, are also appealing. You are right so many choices.

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  23. All fabulous photos, Cindy. But I especially love the Black Widow. Great capture of that abdominal red hourglass! Hmmm, I think I’d be a dragonfly. I love their wings!

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    1. I think they are really ancient insects, remember in dino days, they had huge dragonflies? I saw the fossils somewhere. Now that would be really cool wouldn’t it, to be prehistoric dragonfly, buzzing around the dinosaurs!

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    1. Oh yes! We have lots of them here in seasonal migrations. They try to eat the hummingbirds, but I don’t let them. When they come, which they will soon, I will try and get some shots for you. They line our window screens. They are animal like insects. Fascinating~

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  30. Breathtaking post Cindy… the life, the colours and the ideas….
    I notice no-one has opted to become a mosquito, though the Dalai Lama has pointed out that just one mosquito has more personal power than most human beings…one high-pitched whine in the night, and most of us are quivering with fear… but having given up being a control freak, I’ll pass on mosquitos and go for being a cicada which no-one has chosen either… but I like the idea of singing through the summer days…

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    1. Laughing, I wish. If all the feeders are empty and I put up a new one hummingbirds will land on me, but it seems cruel to manipulate that, although I have seen photos of people doing this. Now if one were to land on me just because it wanted too, that would be incredible!

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  35. Had to give this question some thought but I’m going to say, I’d be a firefly! I think it’d be a neat experience to produce my own light and enjoy a light show every night! This was a great blog question Cindy as there are so many beautiful bugs. I remember picking up the remains of a dragonfly which had passed away and thought, for a moment, that it was a barrette with artificial gemstones! ~Lynn

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    1. It is interesting how much art deco art used dragonfly imagery. Barrettes as you mention, pins, stained glass lamps and panels. Tiffany even used them on fireplace tiles. There is something so other worldly about them, and of course when they catch the light, they are flying stained glass. I can understand you choice perfectly.

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  39. What a difficult choice! Perhaps to be a bee would be good. By the way, what is the name of the plant in the final photo. I have been thinking of that plant for days but simply can’t remember the name. We had so many of them in the garden of my childhood.

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    1. I have no idea. I took that shot in Florida. I have seem them too, but sorry I can’t help, and New Zealand has plants that are such exotics to me. Maybe someone will read this and help us.

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    1. Interesting that so many people choose their bug by picking a type that would be less likely to be killed by humans. Says a lot of the human species doesn’t it! Thank you my friend for your kindness & cheers to you~

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  45. I’m not a spider fan, but even those photos are stunning! 🙂 I know which bug I DON’T want to be: a dung beetle. Not sure which I would actually want to be, though. 🙂

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  47. Fabulous photos, Cindy and the text tells a fabulous story. I certainly wouldn’t want to be an ant carting round such heavy loads and having all work and no play. Butterfly sounds goood to me too! xx Rowena

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    1. Yes, ants have difficult lives. Everytime I see crowds of people from a distance, airplane, mountain top, bridge, etc., I always think of ant analogies. We have our workers, our soldiers, our queens. Sometimes I think we aren’t all that different, but I fully understand a preference for the life of a butterfly!

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  48. Either a Lady Bug or a Butterfly – Something about Lady Bugs I have always loved and a Butterfly so I can come out of my cocoon (comfort zone) and soar! Ants or spiders no, especially spiders because then everyone will be out to get me!! lol

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      1. I love the way you put that. I’m cracking up because isn’t the whole point to be free to say what you want in WP? But we are enforced in other ways. Hmm…an oxymoron!

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  51. As far as spiders go, the one you captured in the first photograph looks really scary! The butterflies and dragonflies are stunningly beautiful. Cheers to you, Cindy!

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    1. That spider is a black widow, the most venomous spider in north america. They are known to eat both their young and their mate, so your innate, unconsious reaction was right on target Halim. That’s why it is important to trust your instincts!

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      1. Well said, Cindy! I find them from time to time in my garage and my garden. I even captured one and relocated it away from the house. The happy news is that they’re shy and reclusive so aren’t likely to turn up in your bedroom closet. Where did you find this one?

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      3. Yes, exactly! I am so sorry I missed your accurate depiction. Most critters that people are afraid of, are even more afraid of people. If we understand this, we can maximize our potential to avoid scaring them, to the point where they injure or kill us, and visa versa.

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  59. So cool Cindy – well actually I’m not fond of spiders, but these shots are great, do love the butterflies and bees too. Love your creativity in this series – makes me really think what would I rather be. I’m thinking butterfly.

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      2. I wish so much I could meet you. Would you mind clarifying for me the area in general where you live. I am fascinated by you, your community, the photos you post, of course your writing and thinking. I would make an effort to visit, if I could, and if you wanted such an invasion. Hugs and love Carol~

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  61. Beautiful, beautiful photos. I have always felt mothers were in many ways spiders – at the centre of a web and alive to any twitching from the various people who depend on her to come and fix any number of different needs in their lives.

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    1. Oh what creative imagery. I can see her, constantly repairing the web, indefatigable in her tasks, sensitive to the slightest vibration. I will look at spiders differently now. Thank you~

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  63. I was just telling a friend of my primal fear of spiders. My stomach tightened just looking at the photos (they were great shots by the way). If I could be a bug dragonflies, butterflies and ladybugs are all high on the list — they’re pretty and fly and eat harmful bugs but my top choice would be a firefly. They turn a summer’s night into magic.

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    1. The firefly is a magical creature isn’t it! I have only seen them once. Amazing! As a child, I was enamored by the book, “Sam the Firefly.” People tried to catch
      Sam in a bottle, but when they did, he couldn’t shine. I think a firefly is miraculous. <3

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      1. I am blessed to apparently have the perfect courting conditions in my backyard so every summer I get to sit by the window or out on my deck and watch love poems spoken with light.

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    1. The female black widow should teach sex education classes!
      “Watch out who you mate with. They can kill you.”
      Applies perfectly to humans, when you consider disease, and psychology.

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      2. They do, if they are mortally injured, they somtimes bite themselves, injecting their own venom, to give themselves a more merciful death.
        You see, there is a god.

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  71. Son unos macros geniales. Yo me estoy iniciando en este mundo fascinante de la macrofotografía y me enamora cada día, aunque tengo mucho que aprender 🙂

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  74. Seeing your stunning photos makes it hard for me to decide, but I think I’m going to go with bees. They’re beautiful, industrious, loyal and responsible for keeping the food chain alive and well. They deserve celebrity status in my book.

    Cindy, I’ll say it today, tomorrow and every time I stop by: your photos (and subject matter) are stellar!

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    1. Awwwww, such lovely sentiments. Getting to know people like you is why I love blogging to much, and I agree with you completely about the bees. Cheers to you my friend. You brightened my day! <3

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    1. I wish! Laughing. My son and I have constructed a water hole for the wild critters due to the horrific drought. We moved it today and about ten large black widows ran out! Yee gads! Enough already! Laughing, it was good I was wearing my impervious boots!

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  80. Best Bugs in town! You make them all so pretty!
    Well, Cindy, if I was a bug, I’d like to think I’d be a butterfly. Yet, my insect instinct is say …”moth, a fabric moth… the finest woolens and silks, only, please!” 😀

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  81. Cindy: This is going to sound completely crazy. But these pics had me feeling like Alice!! Remember the song from the cartoon? “All In A Golden Afternoon.” That’s what this post reminded me of!!! Sharing this lovely piece now to transport our readers, my dear! 😉 xo <3

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      1. I accidently grabbed more than a dozen or so nests of snacks this past spring and early summer. I spent several weeks cutting out a new garden and was going down a minimum of 12 inches. Each time I yelled so loud I scared myself and threw the snakes over my head. The longest one I had was 16″ and that one had the nerve to come out and sunbathe in my front garden as you enter or exit the front door. I took him/her with a shovel of dirt out to the street and cut him into 1″ pieces. That’s the last one I’ve seen so far this year. I don’t need any more. We’re so dry, I don’t know where they might be and oh so hot. It never cools off at night. At 2 a.m. is was 98!

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      2. eeks! Sounds like you got quite a fright! I got over my snake phobia because my son was forced to study rattlesnakes in grad school. He captured them, glued trackers on their rattles, set them free, and tracked where they went. The whole thing scared the beejeezus out of me, until he took me with him on one of the set free trips. I observed how abjectly terrified they are of us, (for good reason) and how much they desperately wanted to escape from our presence. Ever since then I look at snakes differently. I even photographed a rattler recently at close quarters and was unafraid.
        Still nests are creepy and I can empathize with your fear, and with the heat, at 2am 98 degree is really HOT! Sorry for both situations and hope the heat breaks soon.

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  86. These are all your photographs?? My gosh… Excellent!! (ps Have you heard of a “brown” black widow? I hated black widows from when I was young. I had a propane torch just for them.)

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  95. Not sure I’d want my wife to be a spider or a preying mantis since I’m not sure that works out so well for their mates. Ladybugs look nice, but I don’t fancy eating aphids for a living. My kids would definitely like to be cicadas — making all that noise? Great!

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      1. Well, I wasn’t sure, so I had a look on Wikipedia to check out my options. In the end, I decided to come back as a stick insect.

        They apparently eat vegetation, so that’s okay. They just kind of laze about all day, so I wouldn’t have to change my lifestyle much. They can eat as much as they want but always maintain a stick thin figure, which is quite a sales point. It also says they are happiest at about 25°C/77°F, which is also around about the temperature I enjoy. Finally, I couldn’t see anything about being eaten by my wife.

        All in all it looks like a pretty good deal.

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    2. This has to be the most logical and informed self to bug selection process I have read to date. I do agree, your wife would be unlikely to eat you as you are so, errrrrr, thin. Several other bloggers selected dragon flies for this same reason, thin-ness I mean, not spousal consumption concerns. I too appreciate the stick bugs indolent lifestyle, lack of concern regarding weight gain, considering such indolence, and perference for a balmy clime. All in all, a most excellent choice. Bring on the stick bugs. If I find one to photograph, I’ll name it after you.

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  96. If I were a bug – I’d choose to be a butterfly. They seem to be one that most people like & appreciate. And – oooooohhh how beautiful they are!

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