The mites which need to survive in the ear of the moth (I never really thought of moths having ears) cause hearing loss in the moth which would be evolutionarily a dead end but curiously the mites live and attack one ear only thus preserving not only the moth but the mites as well. Bats love these moths, but the moths have evolved the ability to hear the sonar emissions of the bats and thus can evade the oncoming enemy. In a very Gouldian chapter she muses, with the help of her entomologist cousin, on moth ear mites and bats and their inter-relationship. the human scratches killing the chigger, clearly a case of "lack of host adaptation" or evolutionarily speaking a Terrible Mistake. She (and the reader) become captivated by such oddities as the chigger whose chewing on the human for food causes an allergic reaction which leads to its destruction i.e. She writes extremely well, and in this book she reflects on nature's intricacies and "queerness" and man's place in the world. Sue Hubbell, author of - a delightful book which has as much to do with naturalism and our place in nature as it does about bees - lives in the Ozark mountains on some 95-100 acres where she maintains 300 beehives throughout the surrounding hills. And while she wrote this coming out of a divorce, she examines her connection as a strong and independent woman to the natural world rather than taking on an "Oh, God, what do I do now?" stance, which I also appreciated. This is an easy-going read with easy-going language and chapters of easy-going length. cottonmouths, carpentry, chicken telepathy, serviceberry, water politics, just to name a few. She loves and is acutely aware of her surroundings-bees, fixing trucks, dogs-domestic and wild, termites, Good Old Boys and Simple Lifers, copperheads vs. I say anyone who has lived in Missouri should read this book in order to either acquaint themselves with the natural habitat or to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for the state. Maybe I appreciate it more because she reflects on life in the Ozarks and observes the flora and fauna I'm familiar with, but her calm and intriguing style is accessible to all.
Once we professed our mutual love for Barbara Kingsolver, she recommended Sue Hubbell to me. When I ran into my 8th grade biology teacher about a month and a half ago (my favorite science teacher of all time, hands down), we naturally had a discussion combining the subjects that we teach: science and literature.
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