The Not So Wild Kingdom

I learned something new yesterday. I learned that all those tiny little bugs flying around the fields and pastures are not mosquitoes. They’re Midges. The Californian had an article in the paper yesterday talking about the mosquito problem some areas of Kern County are having this year due to all the rain. The article explained that some of the insects we see are midges which look and act a lot like mosquitoes but they don’t suck blood.

Speaking of flying insects…not long ago I was thinking about when I was little and how once a year there would suddenly be thousands of butterflies. What happened to all the butterflies? Then just a few days ago as I was driving down Oak Street I noticed hundreds of butterflies heading north. There definitely weren’t as many as I had remembered, but they were there. I got all excited until one hit my windshield and left an ugly yellow smudge. I felt bad for killing the butterfly and that Toad the Wet Sprocket song popped into my head.

There are lots of little critters that seem to have disappeared over the years. We had a sump near our house and every year thousands of little frogs would appear. We called them penny toads but I don’t know if that’s really what they’re called or not. They were so tiny and cute, I loved capturing them and watching them hop all over the place. One day my brother stuck one in my ear. I didn’t like that so much.

Where have all the penny toads gone?