Our insect friends

Earlier this week, on my way to work, I passed under the el tracks at Broadway and saw, there, in the grayest, urbanest, cement-and-asphalt-est stretch of sidewalk on the whole north side, a bright green katydid. It was a tiny thing in a livid shade of spring green, sitting there casually in the middle of the sidewalk as if I wouldn't see it because of its camoflage. And certainly, had I been in the park, or the garden, I wouldn't have seen it — but this stretch of sidewalk is greenless, without even weeds growing in the cracks.

The very next day I was approaching the same train station in a bit of a hurry. Approaching the door in a bit of a hurry, I very nearly missed the praying mantis perched on the window, facing downward, stuck to that smooth vertical glass as though glued there. This praying mantis was unlike others I've seen in that it had a reddish brown tone to its back, fading to green at the edges, as opposed to being all leaf green like the katydid. Generally, large insects give me the heebie-jeebiees... but a praying mantis is such a rare and special sighting, I can't help but take it as a good omen.

It feels good to see such signs of nature in the midst of the city. On the other had, my house is about half a mile from the el station, and we are overrun with rabbits, not to mention squirrels, sparrows, and billions of gnats and fruitflies.

Labels: drawings, journal, personal

posted by Tony at 11:49 PM