One of our large, old and very productive shrub roses is once again this year the venue of a concatenation of those beautiful, rapacious Japanese beetles that have, for the past five or six years never failed to visit in their numbers, hungry and vegetation-destroying. They're either consuming rose bushes or our old and valued corkscrew hazel tree.
A short few feet from that now-pitiful-looking rose shrub is our colony of colourful bergamot (Bee's Balm) perennials still in bright bloom. And they're the hosts of numerous bees flitting about from flower to flower gathering the wherewithal for the production of honey. As useful to humanity's need for natural assistance in fertilizing crops as the beetles are harmful to green growing things.
They don't mind our close presence in observing them, any more than we mind theirs performing their vital tasks. We appreciate their presence and they ignore ours. Mind, should any of them approach Jackie or Jillie the reception would be decidedly frosty. Few things upset Jillie quite as much as insects buzzing about her. Both our little dogs react to the presence of insects. Should a housefly on these hot summer days manage to enter the house as some do, both Jackie and Jillie attempt to corral it with a mind to destroying the creature should it venture close enough.
As for those black twins of mischievous intent, these forays out into the garden post-breakfast trigger their antic physical, gymnastic response. They begin dashing madly about in a fury of activity, one after the other, daring one another to outrun each other, meeting halfway to engage in snarling playful wrestling matches, entertaining us no end.
Jillie will take a break, rush up the stairs to the deck, shove aside the screen door (ample opportunity for houseflies to enter thereby), scramble over to her drinking bowl, then rush back outside for more opportunities to challenge her brother. But outrun him she cannot. He's as fleet and nimble as the wind.
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