How I Came to Love Insects

I took this photo in Tortuguero N.P. in Costa Rica, January 2022. When I was younger I was more interested in landscapes; the older I get, the more interested I become in the little lives around us. This butterfly is called a “Crimson Patch” (Chlosyne janais).

I carry a hand lens everywhere these days.

The lens is for looking at small things, and especially insects.

The lens is also for giving. If I meet someone who has never looked through a hand lens, I often give them mine.

As the philosopher and writer Kathleen Dean Moore says, sometimes the most loving thing we can say is “Look.” To which I add: if you can help…