Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-07-10

and helpful. Not only are they graceful
and colorful in their activities in the
garden, but they help carry pollen from
one flower to another.
This is particularly true Of the great
bumblebees, whose raids on flowers of
certain kinds delight every Nature lover.
Gardeners fortunate enough to have
rhodtdendrons close to window enjoy
grandstand seats at this sport
The big buzzing fellows love the null
tiple flowers Of the rhodes" They spend
hours extracting honey. They may be
heard almost any time during daylight.
They come early and late and stay long.
It is well to distinguish between the
smaller bumblebees and the largest
honey bees Some of the latter look
to the careless observer to be bumblebees,
or humblebees, as the poets insisted on
calling them.
Use of such natural material in
poetry is thing that goes in waves. In
certain decades nothing else was re-
garded as "poetical." Even now there
are probably 10 times as many persons
who regard bumblebees as fit subjects
for poem as those who see poetry in the
building of a steel skyscraper, just as
there are 20 times as many who believe
a flower more proper study for
painting than machine shop. Every
body has certain ideas as to what is
artistic material, and what is not. But
where did the ideas come from? And
does the fact that one naturally holds
them make them true?
~ ~
Ladybugs and firef1ies always have a
or$} 70 For
These are both beetles, members Of
gigantic. far-flung family.
Not all beetles are nice" according to
the popular understanding of that word,
but If we were to select two which were,
undoubtedly most would turn to the lady
bugs and firefiies.
Some of the larger tropical freflies are
properly called fire beetles, which term
entomologists say would be better one
than fireffies for all of them.
Not In years have the firef1ies here
abouts been so bright. Perhaps the
drought is responsible. Their dry light,
without heat, which is the despair of
scientists, who cannot equal it, finds
Just the proper conditions this Summer
evidently.
AS for the ladybugs, or lady birds, as
dlC oOtllCtiluCO tllCOC dkC
always with US. Every one recognizes
their harmlessnesS and is willing to put
them out the window when found inside
the house. The old rhyme, of course, is
mostly responsible for this tenderness.
The poet of the people did them good
turn forever. when he penned his rhyme.
No doubt there are many real observa-
tons to be made about butterflies, bum
blebees, ladybugs and f1ref1ies by ordinary
people who in no sense claim to be
experts. The trained scientist often has
his horizon severely limited. whereas
the ordinary unframed observer actually
looks at what he sees. or at least may do
So unhampered by classifications, scien-
tiflc viewpoints and the like.
Hence it is possible for any one, re-
gardless Of training or lack Of training,
to see new things from time to time in
subjects which have been studied for
hundreds of years. Amateur tropical
fish enthusiasts in recent years have
shown how this may be done. 1t is pos
sible in the garden, too. The smallest
back yard has as much mystery in it as
the greatest forest or desert, If We looi.
hard enough for it, and do not belttle it
before we set out on our adventuring.