PULL back the bark of a rotting log, examine a handful of soil or simply sit quietly and gaze at the comings and goings in a patch of wildflowers. Whatever you are looking at is not trivial it is a very important part of the biological mechanism of life on Earth. The small creatures you see scurrying and flitting about are the lifeblood of the landscape, the vital organisms that make the natural world work, and we would do well to pay them more attention. Insects first appeared on land more than 400 million years ago and, today, make up the vast majority of species on our planet. They are the creatures that do the ecological heavy lifting without insects, it would be hard to see how complex ecosystems could have evolved.
It may come as a surprise that all the herbivorous vertebrates on Earth are completely out-munched, perhaps by a factor of 10 to one, by myriad tiny mandibles and that insects consume many times more animal flesh than all the sharp-clawed and toothed vertebrate carnivores put together. Indeed, ants alone constitute the largest biomass of carnivorous animals in any habitat you care to name, whether it be the savannahs of Africa or your back garden. If any of this sounds implausible, consider that, although insects are individually small, there are an awful lot of them.
Insects also pollinate the vast majority of the world's quarter of a million or so species of flowering plants. This particular version of 'I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine' has been around for about 100 million years and has generated a rich diversity of species. Twenty thousand species of bee are, to a very large extent, responsible for the continued survival of flowering plant life, which includes a very long list of the things we eat-fruit and vegetables from pumpkins, plums and peas to cherries, cucumbers and cocoa.
Denne historien er fra July 27, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra July 27, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
