On this day in the dusk,
a golden nine bark bush
harbors the call
of the lacewing.
Diminutive sentient being,
a first sign of fall -
a change signaler.
Calling for hours without pause.
Throbbing heart-like.
Comforting, assuring,
quiet, muffled,
yet penetrating.
More felt than anything.
Soft, persistent, yet measured.
Mysterious.
Slowed by cool evening air,
the four, clear, green,
transparent, veined wings
rub methodically.
Being curious, always curious -
I pause to count the pulsing calls -
12 calls every 15 seconds.
A slow,
ancient song
is given birth.
NOTES:
For a mid-August, these were uncommonly cold nights.
Temperatures in the evening hovered around the high
40's to mid 50's. Freezing temperature slows the general
activity of insects. (For example, somewhere below 50
usually brings a halt to flying.) In warm weather, the
lacewing's song pulsed around 120 cycles per minute.
Green Lacewing (Chrysoperia). The larvae are general
predators of aphids, mealy bugs, thrips, mites, whitefly,
and many other insects. The Green Lacewing has
beautifully transparent wings and rather lazy, floppy
flight. Adult males and females both sing - sometimes
alone, sometimes in duet. The have large yellow-coppery
eyes and very long antennae.
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