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February 28, 1980 - Nature Works Miracle of MiraclesFebruary 28, 19801 Nature Works Miracle of Miracles Splitting wood can be a real chore or it can be a relatively enjoyable experience. It was a real chore when I was a boy and it was my job to keep the mammoth pot -belly stove in the center of our living room fed. It always seemed to me that in those early days a young boy had better things to do than split wood. Today, with more time and a need for activity, I find wood splitting for our kitchen stove isn't half bad. There's a challenge in trying to figure out the best spot to split the log and how to beat the maze of cross grain that persist wherever a knot or limb occurs. I must admit I don't always choose the correct spot and action, but as time goes on I keep telling myself I'm learning. CATERPILLAR By now my outlook on life is much different than in those early days and my eyes find joy in the multitude of events about me. This morning, when I laid open a log, it spilled out a treasure of black, shiny ants. Looking closer I could see the feeble slow movements of these carpenter ants that had been shaken out of their deep winter dormancy. Most ants go below the frost line in winter and become dormant, but not so with the 1 0,M MinQTY carpenter ants. Here they had assembled in a dormant mass in the very tree they had been feeding on. Great tunnels were cut away where they had worked their way through the wood. I wondered what anti- freeze they employed, even in their dormant stage, for I knew they had spent many a day and night in well below freezing tempera- tures and still survived. Spilled out on the ground, they surely would make a fair meal for my chickens later when I left the chopping area. Often I'd seen them scratching around after I left, probably picking up small eggs, insects, and so forth. Moths' Fascinating Life History Earlier in the week, while pruning out in the garden, I noticed what appeared to be an old, dried -up leaf attached to the base of a rose bush. Looking closer it proved to be a cocoon of the handsome Cecropia moth. The cocoon was about three inches long, brown and tapered at each end, and made up of a tough silk -like material that had molded it to the stem. My mind went back to the time when I found the larva of caterpillar that weaves this cocoon. Moths have a fascinating life history and, like most insects, start out life as an egg. When they hatch from the egg they show little resemblance to what they will eventu- ally become. The adult moth attaches these eggs to what is called the host plant, or one on which the young will readily thrive when they hatch. As they grow they shed their outer skin or molt. This is done many times as the small caterpillar grows. It was when I was checking my pear trees over I found this big four -inch blue -green Cecropia caterpillar munching away on the leaves of my favorite tree. Needless to say it was moved to a less important variety, where it went right on its way busily devouring leaf after leaf. It was then I A new comedy thriller from the creators of "Silver Streok. "� Goldie Hawn Chevy Chase See what happens when a fumbling, falling Chevy Chase plays a detective assigned to protect Goldie Hawn. Good luck, Goldie! TELEVISION WORTH PAYING FORS" I \ S1-1ARr -' 727 -6300 Route 58 & Osprey Ave. , R iverhead Original cover Sharpfax FLE:( "I'ROSTAI I( COPIER Exposure control lever Power switch Ready lamp Package —7 —\ Paper set lever Print button Multi dial Copy receiving tray 1 SF -2n5 Front cover • Copies Anything — UP TO 19 COPIES • Lowest Priced Full Featured Copier • Compact Design Main Rd. Southold 766 -3226 DUNKERLEY'S 137 Main St. Southampton 283 -9080 NATURE'S MIRACLE -- Mating Cecropia moths produce eggs which hatch into larvae. These larvae continually eat and grow and molt until in the fall they are about four inches in length. They then weave a silken cocoon around themselves in which they hibernate for the winter. From this cocoon a handsome, six -inch, orange and brown moth emerges to mate the following spring. This complete process, called metamorphos- is, took place in my small garden. Photos by Paul Stoutenburgh photographed this handsome caterpillar. I had intended to keep my eye on its movements so I could photograph the next stage in its interesting life, which would be the spinning of a cocoon. But nature likes to work in secrecy, and when I couldn't find it the next day I knew I had missed an important part of its life cycle. Miracle Of Miracles When the mature caterpillar starts to build its cocoon it's an indicator that cold weather is coming. It is in this pupa stage it will winter over in its silken, weatherproof home, safe from winter storms and its many predators. When spring comes along and the warmth penetrates the cocoon, the miracle of miracles will start to take place. What went in as an "ugly" caterpillar miraculous- ly emerges as a beautiful orange and brown, six -inch, adult moth. It is in this stage that most of us become aware of moths and butterflies, but this stage has been created for just one purpose. Not to eat -- not do anything but mate, produce eggs and die. In moths we seldom see these handsome adults, for much of their mysteries are carried on at night. How does one male moth in this great big "My old tax service didn't double -check everything. I should have come here last year'.' We make sure we thoroughly un- derstand your tax situation before we prepare your return. And then we double -check every return for accuracy. H &R BLOCK THE INCOME TAX PEOPLE COLONIAL SHOPPING CENTER 122 Front Street, Greenport 477 -2266 RIVERHEAD, RTE. 58 (Behind Neptune Diner) 727 -0175 Sears Also in (during regular most major store hours MANS. ROEBUCK ANDCO 203 Main Street, Riverhead COCOON world find a suitable mate? It's been proven that the males can scent a female three miles away and be lured to her for the wonder of mating. When an insect has passed through all these stages -- egg, larva, pupa and adult -- the process is called a complete metamorphosis (change of form). All about us are such wonders; and the remarkable thing about it all is that many are right in our own backyards. The sad part is that so many of us go through life glorifying material things that someone else has told us we need. The tragedy is that because of our unawareness of how the natural world works, we abuse it and deface it. Think for a moment of the multitude of problems we have created, just in the world of pollution. We have not become stewards of the land, but rather consumers of the land. It's a shame that TV and the vast array of propaganda that is put out in advertise- ments usually leave these wonders of the natural world out, but then again there is no dollar to be made on the miracle of the butterfly. PAUL STOUTENBURGH EMILY PINES Attorney at Law Matrimonial, Wills, Criminal Matters, Real Estate Transactions, and General Litigation 727 -2600 RIVERHEAD, N.Y.