Did you know insects likely have the largest biomass of any terrestrial creature? It is estimated there are 200 million insects for every human on Earth. (Believe me, there are at least 200 million mosquitoes for every Minnesotan in the summertime!) But the beauty of living in Minnesota is, in the wintertime, there are no mosquitoes – just the occasional spider living in a floor drain. And spiders are technically not even insects, they are arachnids. That’s it! Man, I love Minnesota! That said, an insect’s life is part of a powerful force globally.
Strength in numbers for good reason
An insects life is one of peril and presence. What peril, you might ask? It has everything to do with being at the bottom of the food chain. Think of all the creatures that subsist on a diet of insects. From other insects, to birds, to Grizzly Bears. Imagine that. Presence? It is estimated there are ten quintillion (10.000,000,000,000,000,000) insects alive at any time. THAT is a huge number! However, as previously mentioned, that number is zero in a Minnesota winter!
There are over 91,000 insect species identified in the United States. In the world there are some 900,000 identified insect species. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the ten quintillion number. By the way, this is the first time I have ever used the word ‘quintillion’ in any format. Amazing. Just imagine the biomass of whales, elephants, ALL wildlife and humans. The insects reign supreme in the biomass competition.
An insect’s life or life without insects
Life without insects would look pretty grim. It is estimated all life would cease to exist within 50 years of there being no insects. Insects are vital to plant propagation. They are the great pollinators! Far and away, insects do more to pollinate plants than any other force or presence. Where is this going? Don’t go nuts with the can of RAID! That stuff kills a lot of beneficial insects. We need our insects – strange as that may sound. An insect’s life is critical to the existence of all life on Earth. So go out there and hug a bug. (Yes, I know, bugs are not insects, they are bugs. But it makes for a great rhyme!) You’ll probably freak out the insect and it will probably squirt something disgusting on you, or bite you, or sting you . . . Never mind. No bug hugging. That would be a little weird.
An insect’s life shared with humans
Can you imagine an insect’s life, shared with humans and other very large creatures? It must be terrifying to see something so immensely large (from an insect’s perspective) moving about. Imagine if there were creatures that towered over us in equal proportion. Wow. That would be a rush!
But let’s not dismiss an insects tenacity. Some insects will not hesitate to attack us if their livelihood is threatened by us. Consider the ant and the wasp. They show no fear. Strength in numbers.
The sheer diversity of insects
Think of it. Butterflies and moths, bees and wasps, ants, beetles, dragonflies, gnats, mosquitoes and the list goes on and on. 91,000 species of insects in the United States alone. Big numbers. Scaling down to more manageable numbers, there are some 750 species of butterflies in the United States. That compares to over 17,500 known in the world. (My apologies if you find all this information a bit boring but it absolutely fascinates me.)
Closing
I wouldn’t want to be an insect. But I certainly enjoy studying insects. Their numbers, their diversity, their benefit to humans – and life in general. It all makes up for an incredible collection of life forms. I have a small collection of butterflies and moths, along with some other insects photographed at RedBarnProject.com. Check them out. They have there own Galleries. I intend to photograph more insects this summer. I focused on songbirds and waterfowl last year. This summer will see a different focus. Stay tuned – many more exciting images to come! Contact me with any suggestions!
If we take the time to notice, we can learn many things from insects. Insects accomplish the impossible because they know no different. They just do. Insects are focused on life and living. We should be so focused on each moment in the present of our lives. Insects store up food for future use. They prepare and save. Insects work in unison for a common cause. Insects provide for us in ways unseen but their contribution to life is immeasurable. Let’s each make an immeasurable contribution to the life of a friend, of a child, of the lonely. Let’s not be an insect in life but be like an insect in life! Peace.
