Random Act of Metaphor: The Mighty Midge

Hmmm, can we find inspiration in a creatureso small it is rarely even noticed?

As you will know if you follow my posts,I have long been an admirer of butterflies and dragonflies. I have spent many asummer day trekking through conservation areas in pursuit of these wingedwonders and snapping photographs of them.

I was always aware that there wereinnumerable other insects in the habitats I was frequenting. But it is only inthe last year, since I retired and since I invested in better photographicequipment, that my interest (arguably my obsession) expanded to the full spectrumof insects of which there are an astonishing 44,000 + species in Canada.

The El nino winter we are experiencing inthis area has made it possible to continue to pursue this interest throughoutthe winter months. And in that time, I have become a particular admirer of theminiscule yet mighty Winter Midge as shown at the head of this post.Such an elegant creature it is with its translucent wings, feathery antennaeand spidery, thread-sized legs.

It seems improbable that these mosquito-sized insects could survive winter temperatures. And yet they do. I have learned that they can survive freezing below –20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) by suppressing their freeze-point with antifreeze-like biomolecules in their blood.

So when most other insects are dormant, WinterMidges are often still out and about. However, they have only a very shorttime to enjoy their resilience. Their lifespan is little over a month most ofwhich is spent in larvae stage. Their adult life lasts a mere three to fivedays.

Live in the moment takes on new meaningwhen you’re a Midge. So it seems appropriate to nominate the WinterMidge as a random act of metaphor for the need to make the most of the timewe have – for that time may be far shorter than we imagine.

~ Available Online from Amazon, ChaptersIndigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories byMichael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which wasa double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

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