Insects and microbes have teamed up against a pesticide commonly sprayed on crops. In lab tests, swallowing a bellyful of certain bacteria protected bugs from the toxic chemical.

This detoxifying diet is the first example of a symbiotic relationship that provides insecticide resistance, scientists report online April 23 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“Mechanisms of insecticide resistance have been thought to be encoded by the insect genomes themselves,” says Yoshitomo Kikuchi, a microbiologist at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Hokkaido, Japan. “Our findings overturn the common sense.”

Kikuchi and his colleagues treated pots of soil with fenitrothion, a cheap insecticide used worldwide. Burkholderia bacteria, which can disarm the pesticide and break it down for its carbon, flourished in the dirt.   

The insecticide-munching microbes also thrived inside young bean bugs, or Riptortus pedestris, exposed to seedlings grown in the pots or fed the bacteria by the researchers. A single insect can support an estimated 100 million Burkholderia cells in its gut. In return for providing a comfortable living space, infected bean bugs acquired a new tolerance to the pesticide in the lab. Most of the insects survived doses of fenitrothion that killed 80 percent or more of their undefended comrades within five days.

Some scientists worry that this route to resistance could spread quickly in agricultural fields. Insecticide resistance typically evolves slowly, as genetic changes arise in successive insect generations. Snatching up soil bacteria, which reproduce and thus evolve much faster, seems an easy shortcut. Bugs flying from place to place could also spread their microbial allies around.

“This could explain why insecticides are more effective some times than other times,” says Nancy Moran, an evolutionary biologist at Yale University.

Searching for resistant insects outside the lab, Kikuchi’s team visited agricultural sites scattered across Japan. At a sugarcane field on Minami Daito-Island, 8 percent of the adult stinkbugs captured by the researchers harbored Burkholderia that could break down the insecticide.

That’s not many bugs, says Bruce Tabashnik, an entomologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He doubts that the bacteria provide much protection in actual fields, where insects are exposed to larger doses of fenitrothion than they received in the new experiment.

“The increased ability to survive exposure to insecticide conferred by the symbionts is relatively small,” says Tabashnik.  “It might not be enough to be relevant in most places.”

As humans, we definitely are not the fastest or the strongest animal. We are not the biggest or the smallest. We are not the best in any physical category. Even our senses are outmatched by many creatures. Birds see better than us, dogs smell better, and many animals have senses that we do not have at all. Sharks feel magnetic fields, turtles sense electricity, and bees see ultra-violet radiation. Elephants can sense a lack of salt in their bodies in much the same way that we feel thirsty. The humble tortoise can outlive us by a hundred years or more. Basic medicine is used by woolly spider monkeys who eat certain plants for birth control and parrots who eat specific clays to cure poison. So what makes us special? Not our DNA. Our DNA is unique, but then again so is the DNA of every other animal. It must be something in our minds, some ability that we have that other animals lack. Here we look at ten human attributes of which we are rightly proud, and briefly consider which animals share our abilities. Perhaps what makes us special is not any single factor, but the combination of all of these. Or perhaps it is our potential rather than what we already are.

10. Culture

Culture encompasses all behaviours and activities which are not genetically driven and which are found throughout a local population. The arts and humanities, religions, shared attitudes and practices are all facets of culture. The wonderfully wide variety of human cultures around the world is of great interest in itself; however, not all culture is human. For an activity to be deemed cultural, it must not be directly caused by genetics, it must be passed from one individual to another throughout a population, it must be remembered and not forgotten instantly after it has occurred, and it must be passed down through generations. Many primates have their own cultures and traditions, such as the rain dances some chimpanzee groups perform at the beginning of storms. In 1963, one female Japanese macaque monkey discovered the comfort of bathing in a natural hot spring, and since then the practice has spread completely throughout the troop and is still observed today.

9. Emotions

Humans experience a wide spectrum of emotions. From anger to grief to frustration to euphoria, we live our lives moving from one emotion to the next. Anyone who has kept a large pet, such as a dog or a cat, will be aware that these creatures experience fear, desire, panic, affection, embarrassment, and many other feelings. Dolphin mothers whose infants have died display all the trappings of grief, and bored octopuses will eventually begin to exhibit depression. Curiosity can be seen in reptiles and jealousy of parental attention between siblings is seen in great apes. Wild apes will adopt other orphaned apes, and captive apes will take pets for interest. Altruism has been shown by gorillas in two unrelated situations where, both times, a young child fell into their zoo enclosure. Each time, a gorilla patted and soothed the child and helped return him to the human zoo keepers. Chimpanzees similarly comfort each other after attacks. Emotions are far from an exclusively human experience.

8. Language

Language is used to communicate needs, wants, and ideas. Different groups have developed their own languages, and languages change and evolve over time. Humans use a wide range of languages, not all verbal. The Bubi people in Equatorial Guinea speak largely with hand gestures, similar to Sign Languages spoken by deaf communities. On La Gomera of the Canary Islands, whistled language is used. Certain animals use language too. Primates, whales, birds, and squid have been shown to use distinct words to identify objects, actions, and individual names, and chimpanzees even use syntax and grammar. As a case study, Washoe the chimpanzee was raised as a deaf human child. She learnt over 300 American Sign Language words and could combine them to form new words and sentences. In the wild, chimpanzees normally only use about 70 words. Washoe often signed conversations with her toy dolls. One touching example, showing that she could associate abstract ideas like emotion to novel situations, was when her human instructor explained a long absence by signing “my baby died”. Washoe looked down for a while, then signed “cry” and touched her cheek.

7. Humour

Humour is a staple of life for many people. Often difficult to define, there are many strains of humour, providing amusement and often resulting in laughter. The ridiculous, the unexpected, or the juxtaposed can elicit such a feeling. Chimpanzees, like humans, are no stranger to laughter. They often tickle each other and give unmistakable laughs as a result. However, although humour often provokes laughter, laughter does not imply humour. Even rats have been shown to be able to laugh. Nevertheless, chimpanzees too can find situations humorous. Several great apes in captivity have been observed to laugh at situations removed from themselves such as seeing a clumsy fellow ape embarrass itself. One illustrative example of how similar humour is between humans and chimpanzees is when a chimpanzee who was taught sign language was shown a chocolate bar. His first trainer said that it was his, and that the chimpanzee was not allowed to eat it. The chimpanzee said okay. When the first trainer left, the second trainer arrived, and said they were going to play a trick. He hid the chocolare inside a box and told the chimpanzee not to tell the first trainer. When the first trainer returned, the chimpanzee was giggling. The trainer said, “where is my chocolate?” and the chimpanzee burst out laughing, rolling around and screaming. The more the trainer asked the question, the more the chimpanzee laughed. Eventually the chimpanzee showed him where the chocolate was, but only after he had calmed down!

6. Tool Use

One of the defining characteristics of humans is the ability to use tools. We have created great cities, refined farming, secured the passing on of cultural knowledge through writing, and even gone to the moon. For many years, humans were defined as the only tool-using animal. We now know this is not the case. All great apes, crows and ravens, dolphins, elephants, and even octopuses are verified tool users. Often this tool use is cultural, that is, the tools used and their manner of use will vary from one population to the next within a species. Chimpanzees use stones as hammers and anvils and fashion spears for hunting, gorillas will use walking sticks, ravens make their own toys, gulls will use bait to fish with, dolphins use shells to catch fish in and eat from, octopuses will use coconut shells as a shelter, and elephants make water vessels to drink from.

5. Memory

Humans are able to mentally capture their sensory information at a particular time and store it away for later use. That is, humans can remember things. We use memories to determine the best course of action in situations we have encountered before, such as remembering which foods taste nicest and thus picking the best one when given a choice. Animals, too, have memories, as any pet owner will tell you. Domesticated creatures can be taught to remember commands, and even goldfish have been shown to have memories lasting months. Chimpanzees remember images and numbers better than university students, and crows remember shapes better than adult humans also. Some jays and squirrels have superb spatial memories, allowing them to remember months later where they buried thousands of seeds across areas of dozens of square kilometres. Cats have short-term memories at least ten times longer than those of humans. Interestingly, pigeons seem to base superstitions on their memories. If a pigeon is doing something like turning around when it is given food two or three times, it will remember what it was doing and begin to spin obsessively in the hopes of obtaining more food.

4. Self-Awareness

A jellyfish, most will agree, is not strongly aware of itself as a definitively separate being. It has no thoughts, if any, beyond its basic drives. Self-awareness was considered a human domain for many years, but we now know better. One simple illustrative test is the mirror test: seeing if an animal can recognise itself in a mirror. A self-aware animal will realise that the movements of its reflection match its own, and deduce that the reflection is an image of itself. The animal often has a mark on its face, and if it realises that the reflection is it itself, it will reach towards its face to feel or remove the mark. Human children do not pass this test until the age of 18 months. Animals which pass this self-awareness test, and a variety of other such tests, are all great apes, some gibbons, elephants, magpies, and some whales.

3. Intelligence

Humans are homo sapiens, the wise man. We can think and reason to our great advantage. There are, of course, many different kinds of intelligence and ways of using them. There exist many definitions of intelligence, but generally it is thought to be the ability to think, reason, plan, assess, and learn. However, humans are not the only animals with intellect, nor are they the best in all its categories. Pigeons easily outdo humans with both visual searching and geometric recognition. Ants estimate huge numbers very accurately to determine the numbers of enemy ants from past encounters, and elephants use arithmetic. Crows show great causal reasoning; they can observe a new and complicated mechanism and mentally deduce how to deal with it correctly rather than relying on the more time-consuming trial and error. They can unlock doors and find hidden objects based on a single period of observation, outperforming many humans.

2. Farming

Farming is the basis of modern human civilisation. Believed to have been begun nearly ten thousand years ago, it allowed humans to settle in one place rather than live nomadically as they followed herds of animals for food. This in turn allowed them more time in which they could develop writing, mathematics, the wheel, farming implements, and other necessities of farming on a large scale. This spread around the world rapidly. However, ants had already been farming for millions of years. They capture, herd, raise, and care for the health of groups of caterpillars kept in a special chamber of their nests so that they may use their sugary excretions as a food source, much like we use cows. Termites cultivate fungi to eat which are so specialised they grow nowhere else on Earth.

1. Buildings

If nothing else, humans are fantastic builders. The cities, roads, and factories that adorn our planet are a testament to that fact. What other animal could build skyscrapers, towering hundreds of metres above them? Or highways and roads stretching for thousands of kilometres? Some animals build too. Certain birds and apes build sophisticated nests, rabbits dig warrens to live in, and ants will even prune and cultivate trees to grow in a way which suits them as a home. The greatest builders, however, are Nigerian termites. They build fantastically huge mounds with internal ventilation, heating, and cooling systems through specially designed tunnels so that the termites living inside enjoy a pleasant climate at all times. They even have self-contained nurseries, gardens, cellars, chimneys, expressways, and sanitation systems. A termite is less than half a centimetre long yet its mound is 4m tall. For comparison, that is like a group of humans making a building over 1.5km tall.

So what makes us special…?

0: Abstract and logical thinking

To clarify, abstract thinking is not random and incoherent thought. It means taking a concrete idea, such as an apple, and thinking about an attribute of it as a higher concept such as deliciousness, which might then be applied to many concrete objects. Logical thinking is the cornerstone of this. This is, naturally, difficult to measure in non-humans, but thus far no animal has been able to perform nearly as well as humans in purely abstract terms. Logical and reasoned thinking with abstract ideas are the great achievement of humanity, as we far surpass other animals thanks to the frontal lobes of our brains, which relative to the rest of our brains are the largest of any living species. Perhaps what truly makes us human is our ability to think rationally, to question our own assertions and consider others, and to always strive for what is reasoned and logical and true, no matter what that truth may be.

About the growing demand for food – and offerinsufficient – and the scarcity of resources, we could ask us, paraphrasing Professor Mencinicopschi: “We as a longer eat … in a few decades? “Before we decide – and to help us decide – here are some ideas already circulating on some alternative sources of animal feed to replace – even partially – the usual sources today, but might not be just as handy tomorrow.

A recent report published by FAO (UN subordinated body dealing with agriculture and food) indicate that, in view of the world’s human population growth and higher living standards for much of the population, food production would be to grow, by 2050, 70%, to feed the whole world decent chip over 4 decades.

Meanwhile, bad news about food sources flowing from all sides: over-fishing has led to scarcity of stocks, sheep and cows atmosphere loaded with huge amounts of methane, powerful greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, to desertification and reducing crop of many cultures, meat is full of antibiotics, hormones and pesticides …

Fish and red meat are today in Western society, widely consumed foods, to recognize, few members of this society are willing to give them. So far, fish, even if there’s much “food poor” was still considered us as no century ago, is still easily the meat – just.

But here, more often, we hear that the fish as a source of food, not what it was: fishermen nets out less and less loaded and clamped specimens are dwindling. Some species have reduced so much manpower, that it was discussion of banning fishing in certain areas to allow populations to recover.But changing habitats of these creatures, as well as growing demand in the market, put a big question mark in the success of such protective actions. Did 2050 people will eat fish? And how?

In 2008, a report by Bank World show that in 1992 produced about marine fishing industry. 85 million tonnes of fish annually, with over a decade later, in 2004, remained about the same amount. Methods to improve efficiency, but fish populations had declined dramatically. The report says that the majority of stocks of economically valuable were limited capacitatăţii be exploited to support either already over-fished (be fished at a rate that surpasses that the fish could multiply). On the issue from a standpoint of economic efficiency of modern fishing, the report drew the same time, a warning: if you keep the current pace of population decline (due to overfishing and pollution), tuna, cod and, practically all fish species of economic value, currently exploited, could disappear by 2050!

The disappearance of predatory fish will determine, with high probability, a massive jellyfish breeding.Already there is a population explosion in some species of this group of invertebrates: jellyfish conquer spectacular seas .

And so, a dinner at a fish restaurant will show over 40 years, much different than now, in the offer .Stars of the menu might be jellyfish, and squid can. Squid are eating and the West, jellyfish – not really. Maybe it’s time to begin to train, it Ringelhuth uncle.

In Southeast Asia, jellyfish are a food source like any other Marine. There is a specific fishing industry, and companies that sell large amounts of jellyfish, as dry and salty, and restaurants serving jellyfish dishes – traditional ways or sometimes full of creative culinary innovations .

About 12 species of jellyfish are caught, sold and consumed today. Species are of the order Rhizostomae - jellyfish tentacles not on the umbrella, but formations called oral arms. These jellyfish are more … fleshy, so to speak, and their toxins are innocuous to humans, when jellyfish is prepared cuisine.

Image via Wikipedia

Rhopilema esculentum is a species traditionally consumed in China, and another species, jellyfish-shot ( Stomolophus meleagris - pictured above), comes very least, to meet growing demand. Medusa, shot live in the Atlantic and the Pacific is an abundant species in coastal waters of eastern United States, which is why a number of fishermen and traders think Americans to strongly expand operations in China. But, along with supplies to Asian Americans may find themselves – perhaps rather need, if the fish continues to rărească – delight of jellyfish stew. ”Meat” of re-hydrated jellyfish has a small amount (4-5%) and low-calorie protein and collagen content in it is, it seems, and therapeutic effects, among others, tests on animals have shown that this collagen is an anti-inflammatory for arthritis.

As such, over decades, cumpărăuri list go to the supermarket we could include some meat for jellyfish, which, once at home, we prepare a delicious platelet jellyfish. (No more crooked, that you never tasted … yet. Maybe it’s very good and we do not know. But you will find us. As the bench that the potatoes: “You’ll like it!”) meat, but why …?

In the western world eat more meat. Very much. Of course, there are people who are vegetarians, but there is much more difficult to eat meat. Some eat meat three times a day, in all three regular meals each day. Eat bacon or sausage for breakfast, lunch – soup and a roast beef with garnish, or sausages, or a meal with meat and sauce (or şaorma or a hamburger …) and in the evening, go out, where eat them, that every man, a schnitzel with fries and a beer. 
Without commenting on the effects of ultra-carnivorous diet on individual health – that’s everyone’s job – it must be said that the huge demand for meat can not be satisfied only by raising a huge number of animals.

Or, livestock, the extent to which it is practiced today, is one of the largest sources of environmental problems. In 2006, a report by the organization Livestock, Environment and Development Initiative show that the activity of modern animal husbandry is a major factor of environmental degradation throughout the world, contributing massively to air and water pollution, soil degradation and vegetation Climate change and biodiversity loss.

And another report, prepared by FAO and published the same year, evaluate the effects of soaring birds, sheep, cows, goats and pigs, indicating that all are associated with a very pronounced negative environmental impact, contributing most to the degradation of the 1.5 billion of cows bred in the world today. The report’s authors concluded worrying that if there are no significant changes in how livestock, the current standards of efficiency, increase production to meet growing demand will double the scale of impact – already devastatingly – the environment naturally .

The effects are very evident in Latin America, for example (where huge areas of rain-forest are cleared each year to make room pastures and crops to ensure food for animals), but also in other countries, including most highly developed.

Besides the recommendation to reduce meat consumption, find other solutions. 
In Australia, who has a herd of about impressive. 30 million head of cattle and about. 79 million sheep, a proposed alternative, a little exploited, but that slowly makes its way, is to replace the beef produced in the industrial system with game meat, derived from native animals: kangaroos.

Although many species of kangaroos are protected by law, there is a small number of large species and the actual number that can be commercially hunted by persons duly authorized.

On the one hand criticized by animal rights activists, the practice is, on the other hand, supported by many specialists – biologists and ecologists – Australian. They argue it’s better for the environment as meat production is assured – if possible – sustainable sources, such as indigenous wildlife than from intensive alien species such as sheep and cows. Kangaroos eat less as compared with domestic herbivores are more resistant to drought (not so intensive water resources) and not destroy the roots of native plants when grazing.

Kangaroos have been traditionally a source of meat for Australian Aborigines, since their establishment on the continent over 40,000 years ago. And today, much of Australia’s population could benefit from this food.

The exact number of kangaroos in Australia is not known – in 1999, was estimated at between 35 and 50 million – but there are plenty to satisfy your craving for meat many Australians and others. Each year sets up exemplars can be hunted (in 2002 this share was 3.5 million). In 2010, Australia already exports kangaroo meat in over 50 countries.

Rich in protein and fat with a low, kangaroo meat is considered, from research, as a healthy alternative to beef from animals raised in the industrial system. Cuts of kangaroo, kangaroo mince and sausages (kang ban-gas) are available in many Australian supermarkets, and authorities are trying to increase the popularity of this food, although in 2008 only 14.5% of Australians said they eat kangaroo meat at least four times a year.

To urge people to think rather than animal food, those involved in trade in kangaroo meat launched in 2005 by Food Companion International magazine, a competition to find a name “cooking” meat that (following English model, the edible meat of an animal is often designated by another word than the animal itself, for example, the pig is called a pig , but pork is called pork ).

The public offered many suggestions (over 2,700). including: kangaroo, Moro, krou, male-en, kuja, roujoe, rooviande, jurru, ozru, marsu, kep, kangasaurus, marsupan, jumpmeat, eventually winning name was the australus , proposed by Steven West, a professor University. However, the name came to be used, people are accustomed, in the meantime, the term “kangaroo meat”, the name by which that food is still sold.

Insects – Food for (higher) future

If for many populations in Asia, Africa and Australian Aborigines, insects are an important source of protein for our western world insects are, if you look at as a possible food rather scârboşenie, at best, an oddity.

It’s about cultural food taboo, nothing more and, although no one denies the importance of these taboos (few things in this world are more powerful than the traditions and habits of a lifetime), the conditions of tomorrow’s world might we transgressive urge to ban these culinary legacy for generations.

The subject was treated in detail in another article , so I will not insist on it, saying only that food for a few decades could be compared to that of today, much more … otherwise than we have imagined.Overwhelming pace of change through which the world – which we all, together with the planet that we live – we need to do much more intense adaptation (in fact, another aspect of human evolution) and development of this program will be, with high probability, adapter a new diet.

Many predict, gloomy, that we eat the genetically modified organisms, or synthetic meat with cloned animals, or even with pills. Well, at least above information provides a new, refreshing in its way: we will feed all the animals ‘true’, the creations of nature – only that they be other than we used to.

53-year-old nature-lover and former park ranger Mark Moffett has reason to be pleased with himself. His remarkable find, on a remote New Zealand island after two full days of tracking, of a giant insect which he photographed eating a carrot out of his hand, was quite astounding.

The  biggest insect, in terms of weight, on earth the Giant Weta tips the scales at three times the weight of an average mouse, 70grams or more, but the one found in a tree by Mark has now been officially declared to be the largest ever found to date.

This massive, cricket-like creature, wing span of seven inches, turned up on the New Zealand island of Little Barrier, just one of 70 other Weta varieties found throughout the country, the largest found on Little Barrier Island of course, and found to be in the main less social and more passive than other varieties

They feed on plants, other small insects and fruit, a typical example of so-called island gigantism, a biological phenomenon meaning they grow bigger than mainland contemporaries due to isolation and lack of predatory species, mainland populations wiped out by by rats accidentally introduced by Europeans.

Having found, fed and photographed this huge creature, Mark naturally returned her to where she had been found, firstly not wanting the Weta to be any more at risk than necessary, being such an endangered species. Being a nature lover, he was happy simply to have got the encounter on record, but how many people would have been terrified of such a giant creepy-crawly? 

Language is what separates man from beasts. This is explained by Bertrand Russell: “No matter how eloquently a dog may bark, he cannot tell you that his parents were poor but honest.”

To understand humanity, we must know the functions or uses of language, the language that makes us human. Among the various functions of language are the referential, conative, emotive, and poetic functions. 

The referential function establishes the relationship between language and the world (as in science and history). Here, one has to verify whether the statements are  true or false , a distinction between fact and fancy.

The conative function aims to find out the effect/s of the language upon the reader or listener (as in political conviction or persuasion). Conation means endeavor to affect someone with the power of language.

The emotive function establishes the relationship between language and the speaker (as in autobiography, diary, confession). The statements have to be verified to find out if the speaker or writer is sincere or not.

The poetic function is interested in the artistic  nature of the language (beauty of expression and truth). How does language work as verbal art? The chief orientation of  the poetic function of language is “toward the message” , and so one has to focus on the message for its own sake. Poetic function thus makes verbal art meaningful without reducing it to a referential representation of the real world. 

There is no justification for attempts to confine such poetic conventions as meter, alliteration, or rhyme to the sound level alone. Sound and meaning should prevail. The poetic function should form as foreground to the material nature of words rather as windows into the world. 

The Great Recession of 2008-2011 has a lot of people upset over what they perceive to be the “1 Percent” giving the shaft to the “99 percent,” as recent protests have alluded. 

But, research suggests that the wheeling and dealing on Wall Street and other financial centers, as well as the behavior of business titans and moneyed interests have a lot in common with a lowly insect – the cicada.

Research Finds Bugs – or Buggy Behavior

In most cases of discussing some strange scientific research one might say, why are they wasting time and money on such nonsense.  But, given the nature of the times we live in, this piece of research may have a favorable ring to it.

Research by scientists at the University of Evanston, Illinois suggests that stock traders resemble cicadas in their behavior.  According to the researchers, “traders tend to coordinate their behavior in the same way that cicadas synchronize their chirping.”

They claim that traders that “race to be the first to discover the right time to trade is the critical problem” they try to solve.  This, say the scientists, is the same as cicadas that seek the perfect time for mating and seeking out the “mating sweet spot.”

It’s All About Mating

So, now we have the answers as to why the financial system seems designed to push everything and everyone aside, to make individual reward more important than providing for the good of the many.  It’s all about mating.  Now why couldn’t we figure that out before?  We were probably too busy hunting for a mate.

University research continues to provide us with great insights into the human mind and condition, doesn’t it?

Click here for more articles by The Writin’ Cowboy.

The animal world has always been a rich source of metaphor and symbolism. In mythology and folklore animals are archetypal images, which arose from the characteristics our ancestors attributed to them. The fox is seen as sly, the dog protective and guiding, and a bird a free spirit. These images persist today and are reflected in phrases such as ‘wise as an owl’, or ‘cunning as a fox.

The characteristics we attribute to animals in dreams often depends on the way a culture perceives them. Dreaming of a bat might seem like a sinister omen to a person from the West, but to someone from Asia where bats are considered a symbol of good fortune and happiness, this dream would have an altogether different meaning.

Domestic Animals

These are our friends offering unconditional love and dreams about them usually centre on the home and family, your innermost desires, needs and anxieties. To dream of taking care of pets symbolizes nurturing an aspect of yourself. Injured pets in dreams may point to some aspect of yourself that feels wounded, and neglecting pets may mean you feel that you are not living up to your responsibilities.

Wild Animals

The instinctual and intuitive parts of your nature are usually expressed in dreams that feature wild animals; primal instincts, such as a lioness’s ferocity when protecting her young. These animals in our dreams also sometimes reveal talents or traits that we attribute to ourselves or would like to develop, for example the grace of a dolphin or the speed of a cheetah.

Working and Farmyard Animals

Animals that perform some type of function usually appear in our dreams when there is a need to recognise our own abilities and strengths. We often dream about horses which symbolises stamina, and a camel may imply the need to conserve energy for a long journey ahead. A bull can be a strong and formidable opponent, and a herd of healthy cattle can indicate prosperity, as in real life.

Insects

Insects also carry certain meanings to their presence in our dreams. Ants often symbolise social conformity, indicating that you may feel your life is too structured. Bees symbolise hard work while wasps indicate angry thoughts and feelings. The spider can indicate financial gain if pictured weaving a web. Butterflies herald change and transformation.

© Copyright J M Lennox. All Rights Reserved.

Females of the species Lycaenidae, known as driver license, thushiding their wings striking colors to go unnoticed to the males of the species, researchers concluded Kurume Institute ofTechnology, Fukuoka (Japan). This is because queestos insectsmate only once, so close to them serves as a mechanism wingsprevent possible sexual harassment.

However, the butterflies ”virgins” do not follow the same behavior,but kept their wings open to attract the opposite sex conspecificsand mate.

I liked Nature Study because it seemed more real than some of the other subjects we did at school. We were encouraged to observe real things and collect them from our own backyards, things such as insects and worms and spiders. We looked at pictures in books and learned to make notes about the creatures we were studying. Of course, most of us copied word for word from the page. One teacher used to write extensive notes on the blackboard, which we were expected to copy in our best handwriting.

Sometimes we were taken for observational walks in the school playground, searching for the tiny elusive insects we were learning about. These were not always successful, but made for a pleasant break from the confines of the classroom. We’d scratch in the bark, turn over stones and pull back clumps of grass. Then there were squeals of delight when someone found something.

I’d go home from school after such lessons, obsessed with the wee creatures we’d been searching for. Searching for them in my own backyard occupied my time until I was called for dinner.

In autumn we collected fallen leaves, studying their shape and structure. Collecting worms and making earthworm farms was also a popular topic. In the summer we visited local ponds and streams, armed with nets and jars, trying to catch specimens to take back to school to observe and learn about. Tadpole season was always popular. We’d catch them and put them in the tank at school, watching the changes and recording them in our Nature Study books.

Probably the highlight of Nature Study lessons was the occasional arrival of a cased exhibit from the National Library. Usually old stuffed New Zealand native birds, these were displayed inside a wooden cage with a glass front. Sometimes the display case had a movable front and the teacher would take the exhibit out so we could see it more closely. Then we’d be back to our books, carefully drawing the bird on the blank page and writing about it on the opposite lines.

When I was about nine or ten, a teacher took us to a nearby stand of native bush, where we were able to quietly watch and listen to native birds we’d not seen before as they flitted from branch to branch and flew silently overhead. Their size and color seemed so magnificent compared to the everyday small birds we usually saw in our backyards. Then it was back to school to record what we’d seen and use our colored pencils to make beautiful illustrations.

Studying nature didn’t become a lifelong interest for me, but I still treasure the memories of the way we were able to get to watch and study these tiny creatures that are such an important part of our world. We were truly lucky to have such hands-on experiences as part of our education in a New Zealand 1950s classroom.

Sometimes you have to just step back, take a deep breath, and look at the world around you with eyes properly open, seeking out the treasures of the world around you, that make living so worthwhile. It may well be the case that to some girls, diamonds are her best friends, but my favorite gems have a completely different origin.

On warm Summer mornings I love to get out into my back garden as the sun comes up, and get treated to the most spectacular sights on earth, as the rays of the waking sun highlight, in glorious rainbow colors, the bejeweled strands of a dew-laden spiders web, looking for all the world like the most artfully crafted diamond necklace ever made.

 This is a sight that feels me with reverential wonder, for the incredible beauty that nature so effortlessly provides, equally evident in the hovering splendor of a Humming Bird, or the majestic power of waterfalls as impressive as Niagra. One need not go to far-off lands to witness nature at her finest, though, for the simple act of putting food out in the garden for wild birds can lead to a spectacular congregation of gorgeous little feathered beauties, Bluetit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and more.

Then there are the butterflies, so delicate and yet so artistic, kaleidoscopes of colour fluttering gaily between the vast array of blooming flowers that smell so good and lift your spirits as you gaze upon them. These are among the wondrous things that make life good, but they are far from the whole story, for what is life without a companion to share the joy?

Life is good because my wife and I are first and foremost the very best of friends, able to talk to each other in complete comfort for hours on end, about anything that comes into our heads. Secondly, we are lovers in the most intimate and soul-touching way one could imagine, still able to send shivers down one another’s spines with but a simple touch. This sexual chemistry, instantly there within seconds of our meeting 20 years ago, is as strong today as it was then.

The other reason life is good is because we have reasonable health, in spite of my arthritis. I absolutely love what I do each day, spending some time tending to my wonderful garden, and some time doing what I love best, writing things for others to enjoy. Are there disappointments in life? Of course there are, but when put things in perspective, balancing the positive against the negative, the Yin against the Yang, then there can be only one conclusion, life IS good.