Note on Header Image
The header image of a robin red breast eating a grasshopper was created with microsoft co-pilot. The idea was inspired from an entry to the Dierenambulance Nederrijn photo competition with the theme “Eyes of Hope”. The entry showed a robin eating a grasshopper. It didn’t win the competition, but by chance it fits in well with this article. I asked the photographer for her permission to use it in the article, and I was very happy she agreed! The image produced here by co-pilot is not intended to be a reproduction, but simply a reminder for me of running the competition and the contact I had with the this entrant (and others!).
For the original photo, grab hold of a copy of Issue #48! 😉
Thinking about Insects in Spring
This article was written for the DierenAmbulance Nederrijn magazine #48. It was translated into Dutch, reshuffled then I was asked to re-submit(!) This version is slightly reworked from my original, but I’m aware there’s space for improvement here.
Spring is Coming!
Spring is a real turning point for wildlife! As temperatures rise and days lengthen, many species shift from winter survival mode to feeding, breeding, and raising young. Natural landscapes such as forests, fields, heaths, and wetlands, make this especially noticeable.
Flowers spring, preparing to load gentle summer breezes with pollen, and they entice bees with sackfuls of nectar to help the pollination process along. Indeed, bumble bees are one of the earliest signs of spring.
The bees will be busy and very happy with their harvest! And they aren’t the only cheerful creatures. Birds return from faraway lands, some sing (listen out for blackbirds, robins and wrens, for example) – it sounds like a fairytale setting! That is, perhaps, until we remember that some birds such as woodpeckers, swifts and thrushes will eat those happy little busy bees.
And also creepy crawlies coming out of their winter dormancy.
Human and Alien Perception of Insects
What do you feel when you think of an insect? Repulsion? Fear? Like they’re mini creatures from outer space – or at least something scary that should stay in the dark underneath a damp log or behind bark? Or do you think of them as amazing creatures with proportionally more strength and agility than their human counterparts? (This would make them especially scary if they are aliens…)
Indeed, even aliens might people argue that the cockroach is the dominant species on planet Earth because whilst it’s not the most intelligent (I’m hopeful that we humans still hold this title), it’s one of the most adaptable – a key survival trait.
Animals’ Perception of Insects
For many animals, insects represent food and a good source of nutrition. Indeed, even some humans realise the nutritional value of (some) insects and have taken to eating them as part of a sustainable ‘meat’-free diet.
So insects will struggle to find a safe environment. On the ground, waking hedgehogs will actively search for them. Moles will seek them out underground, amphibians such as frogs, toads and newts look for them near water, and birds will pluck them out of the air. And in the evening when insect activity increases, bats will resume their nightly insect hunting after their winter torpo.
Insects Matter!
Some people build insect hotels to offer shelter for insects such as solitary bees, ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies. These insect species are beneficial to the gardener and nature lover because they eat aphids and other pests, reducing the need for pesticides. And of course, the bees are great pollinators which means better fruit, healthier flowers and stronger biodiversity. Even a small structure can support dozens of insect species, and this is especially valuable in the Netherlands where insect populations are declining.
On the other hand, more insects means more food for the hedgehogs, amphibians, bats and birds, which leads to a more resilient local ecosystem.
So however you think of these protein-rich insects, either as predators of pests or as food for other animals higher up the food chain, they’re crucial for your local ecology!
