I've been trying to take my practice outside as much as possible. Today, I practised in the afternoon, sandwiched between noon and evening classes. I walked the dog up to the big park and did a fun Yogadownload flow class: Power Vinyasa Flow #4, 50 minutes, with Dawnelle.
I had a great practice, enjoyed my Savasana, enjoyed the sunshine, enjoyed the people watching.
Didn't enjoy the little friends who joined me for my practice.
(image from Wikipedia)The yellow jackets are out and with a vengeance this year. They've been bugging me as I practice yoga, trying to land on my juicy-looking red mat. They buzz around my head as I try to read on the balcony. I keep my balcony door open at this time of year for the breeze so they've been coming in, then beating themselves silly against the window trying to get out (until I catch them under an overturned glass and free them, so they can turn around and come back and the whole cycle starts all over again).
I've noticed the yellow jackets in past Septembers, but never really understood their behaviour. So I looked it up on Wikipedia. Interesting!
“Adult workers chew and condition the meat fed to the larvae. Larvae in return secrete a sugar material relished by the adults. This exchange is known as trophallaxis. In late summer, foraging workers (nuisance scavengers) change their food preference from meats to ripe, decaying fruits or scavenge human garbage, sodas, picnics, etc., since larvae in the nest fail to meet requirements as a source of sugar. This is why yellowjackets are known largely as pests that are capable of ruining picnics.”
(Thank you, Internet for sapping all of the mystery from life)
So, the yellow jackets are sugar addicts, like me! Now I feel a bit more compassion toward them. But not TOO much. I'm still thinking of making a yellow jacket trap for the balcony.
2 comments:
hi Kai
i feel compassion for insects too. yesterday a strange one attached itself to my clothes. i could have swirled it into the drain and turned the garbage disposal on it but did not want the karma. (hope there is no karma in the thought, heh!) actually, i put a kleenex around it and tried to lift it and push it out the window, but the wind blew it back in. at least i moved it away from where i was preparing food.
i don't know how to describe it. it had many many feet and long wiskers. it was flat. it reminded me of water bugs back in florida. but this one was giant. later on i saw the carass of one on the way to work and was glad that i didn't kill the one in the apartment. i just don't know how it got there.
blabla. sorry, i'm by me-self and getting chatty.
hugs
Arturo
@Arturo
No need to apologise for being chatty! It's always good to hear from you, Arturo :-)
My significant other is terrified of centipedes. I rescued one from her living room ceiling last week, but couldn't bring myself to kill it.
So we compromised: I released it in her neighbour's yard, the neighbour she *doesn't* like! ;-)
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