Almost Invisible
My gardener brought me a present yesterday. A bag full of earthworms. I love earthworms. We used to go ‘fishing’ in the little nullahs that ran all over the backyards of Ernakulam when I was a kid. We’d catch earthworms and other bugs out in the garden and tie them to strings. These we dropped into the fast running water. Tiny fish would swim up to investigate and we’d scoop them up to add to our aquarium at home. The earthworms would survive the dunking and we’d let them go because Mom would give us hell if they were used as actual bait.
Earthworms are fascinating to think about. These glistening dark red creatures are the aerators of garden soil. They tunnel into the earth, eating and pooping the soil as they go, in the process loosening up the soil, creating pockets into which the water can trickle, and generally improving soil health. And they can be cut in two and continue on their way, seemingly unaffected by the amputation. Very very cool.
So yes, I spent a happy morning seeding my pots with little knots of worms. I only wish I had transparent pots so that I could see what they were up to…I know they are there, it’s annoying that they’re invisible.
The earthworms brought some hitchhikers. Nestled in the lump of cowdung fertiliser with them were the tiniest snails. Three would fit easily on a grain of rice. I hope they will happily make their home with us. I remember a snail infestation of our childhood bungalow. Those were monsters in comparison, each the size of an adult hand, trailing a thick mucous behind them that would then be devoured by an entourage of ants. They lounged on any slightly rough surface, and we spent many a disgusting hour dislodging them and depositing them on the mossy walls of the garden well.
Along with the microscopic snails have come all manners of interesting beetles. One fellow caught my eye today as he beetled along under my Chinese lantern hibiscus. A longish oval, he had an opaque glassy front bit and glossy back bits, all the most beautiful shades of bronze and topaz. He reminded me of my grandmum’s favourite tiger’s eye ring.
The mealy bugs are back. I’ve tried a neem spray, also resorted to physically plucking them off but they are resistant little creatures. They fondly call my hibiscus plants home, leaving a sticky white web like substance all over the growing tips and buds. Interestingly, the local variety is untouched. It’s the fancy hybrids they prefer. Each mealybug is a tiny grey and white disc. They cluster on the buds and excrete a sugary substance called honeydew that the ants love. I have seen the ants ‘milk’ them by running their legs over the mealy bugs and then presumably licking the sweet stuff off of their limbs. The ants herd them and run a protection racket any Mafiaso would weep with pride to see. What I need are ladybirds to combat the mealybug-ant nexus. Ladybirds are the cutesy pest killers of the garden. Unfortunately, they are getting rare around my balcony…
If the mealybugs weren’t perfectly capable of killing off the hibiscus, I would let them be. Their behaviour is interesting, in the same way watching mold grow on bread is interesting – disgusting, yet hard to look away.
Then there are the paper wasps. Stoic survivors of my repeated attempts to get rid of their nests. I am amused by their location challenged colony. They will start building on the very tip of the frailest branch of the most delicate plant available. One has to admire their earnestness. Short sighted they may be but they are Optimists through and through. How big must a nest grow before the branch cracks under the weight? I don’t know because I knock it down before it gets more than a few inches long. I think wistfully of my clever honey bees who chose the thickest, sturdiest branch of the peepal tree on which to anchor their two huge nests. Each hive must have been the height of a toddler at least and twice as wide. That branch was cut down this summer and I am losing hope that the bees will return. The gardeners next door say the hives are forming on other trees now. I miss them but honeybees are too practical to be swayed by cheap sentiment. They have pragmatically moved house, it seems. The paper wasps, though, are the bumbling idealists. They will soon return to start building a nest on some other improbable spot.
Earthworms and mealybugs. Wasps and ladybirds. Beetles and snails. Quietly going about their business amongst my plants. Content with what is there, undemanding. Quite a change from the birds and squirrels who noisily make their presence (and demands) felt. Invisible creatures – creating, destroying, hunter, hunted. Their world seems small and insignificant but in reality, it is part of an enormous web, stretching between the trees in my backyard to the pots on the balcony and outwards. It creates life, this invisible world of worms and insects and microbes.
We take it very much for granted. When, in fact, we should admire and appreciate it daily as the vital base on which the rest of life flourishes. I certainly intend to keep a closer eye on the health and welfare of these almost invisible tenants in my pots. (except the mealy bugs). Now, I just hope one of my early birds doesn’t get the worm.
I never thought reading about the slimy earthworm and the rather banal bug would be this interesting and informative!
Lovely read!