I am fortunate enough to live in an area where insects are still pretty common. Every summer and spring we are visited in our garden house by bees and wasps an

I am fortunate enough to live in an area where insects are still pretty common. Every summer and spring we are visited in our garden house by bees and wasps and butterflies, praying mantis and hovering moths - all variety of other things, beetles and bugs galore. Our kids have learned to keep bees safe and how to safely shepherd a wasp out the window. We delight in the butterflies visiting our noses, and even in the last week witnessed our pear and cherry trees turn from flower to fruit bud with a little help from our friends. Then there was a time I witnessed a mantis defending my outdoor shoe from my foot, only to discover its egg sac deeply embedded in the shoes depths, which I of course left alone until a thousand critters made their way into our garden. It's hard to imagine there are places in the world were such delights are not so easily experienced. I believe the modern world has done us all a disservice by breeding squeamish generations incapable of holding such critters in their hand, in wonder. If you're a parent, teach yer kids to love bugs - with respect of course, we have not much use for ticks - and encourage experiments which show the world of insects and their life cycles to future generations.