What is an insect? Many people don’t know the answer to this question. Of course, there are many answers. “A bug,” some people say. But then, what is a bug? Let’s take a deeper look at what an insect truly is. Insects have three body parts: a head, an abdomen, and a thorax. They also have six legs. Instead of the bones that we humans have, insects have a hard protecting shell called an exoskeleton. Insects belong to the phylum Arthropoda which means jointed legs. Spiders, crabs, scorpions, moths, and so many more are also arthropods. But of all arthropods, insects are the largest group. So that’s insects. But what are bugs? Bugs are also insects. Insects are categorized into eight different orders. These orders are odanata, orthoptera, dictyoptera, hemiptera, diptera, coleoptera, lepidoptera, and hymenoptera. Bugs belong to the order hemiptera, which means ‘half wing.’ True bugs are cicadas, stink bugs, water bugs, and more. Okay, so that’s bugs. But what about spiders? Spiders are not insects. They belong to the second largest group of arthropods: arachnids. Arachnids have eight legs instead of six, and have only two body parts: a cephalothorax, and abdomen. Please watch this helpful video I found on YouTube which explains basic insects identification in more detail:
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“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” says Genesis chapter one verse one in God’s holy Bible. Do you believe these few words? Although these ten words may seem ordinary, they are one of the most important in the whole history of the world. In fact, Genesis goes on to say God created everything in only seven days. The seventh was the day of rest. Bellow I go into more detail on the seven days:
Day One: God creates light, and separates the darkness from the light calling the light Day and the darkness Night. Day Two: God separates the waters and an expanse which he calls Heaven Day Three: God separates the waters and brings it to one place letting dry land appear. He calls the dry land Earth and the waters Seas. God grows plants and trees yielding fruit and seeds. He grows grass and all types of vegetation. Day Four: God made the sun, the stars, and the moon. The sun ruled the day, and the moon and stars ruled the night. Day Five: God creates birds and swimming creatures, and they roam the earth freely. Day Six: God creates livestock, then he creates us. Man. He gives us the earth to live on and to rule, and he calls it all good. Day Seven: God rests on the LORD's day. On the Sunday. Only six days of work, and God made the whole earth and everything on it. He even made you. Although you may not believe it, he designed you specifically, and he loves you overwhelmingly. No matter how you have disrespected your creator in the past, he will forgive you. Our God is a kind god. The early morning air was cool. A frail breeze pushed my hair behind my head into a delicate frenzy. The sun was out and the fresh smell of the seashore lingered in the air. Just out of sight was a rocky beach. I felt at home in this quiet campground. With a burning love of God’s creation imprinted in my heart, I took my guitar up over the hill to the welcoming shore. It seemed no-one was alive except me and the Lord of lords. Peacefully, I began plucking the strings of my guitar. The sound, which rang out over the ocean waves, was pleasantly sweet. Knowing I was in the right mood, I started writing a song. The song was going well, my guitar was in tune (for the most part), and the sun smiled down to me. Suddenly, a man in a baseball cap slowly walked towards me. His crunchy tread on the rocky gravel startled me slightly, but I didn’t show it. The sound proved to me I wasn’t the only one living after all. “Good morning.” Said I, in a kind tone. “Hello,” he replied. “Are you writing your own?” I told him I was, and he asked if he could sit down in the chair across from me. I told him he could, and he watched me play my guitar and hum the song I was writing. It made me a bit uncomfortable, but I knew he was only being friendly, so I played on.
The campground around me was waking up. People walked by every few minutes. After a short time (ten or fifteen minutes) the man stood up, and said, “You have the best way to start the day.” I thanked him and he was gone. I sat there, with a smile, playing and writing for a few more minutes, then I was beckoned away from the sea-shore by my family. What an experience. I will never forget it. The breeze, the sun, the waves, the kind old man… It was all so beautiful. Have you ever seen ocean waves hitting a mountain? Or moose strolling along the beach? Have you ever seen the island of Bar Harbor? Its beauty and elegance is nearly unmatchable. Its ocean wonders, its glorious mountains, and its courageous wildlife bring it to the top of my list of best places to take a vacation. The Atlantic circumference of this small island in the gulf of Maine is miraculous. The water stretches as far as the eye can see and beyond. On fishing trips and whale watches that I have been on in the past, the boat takes you out on a magical journey through the waves. What you see out on the water is very different from what you see on land. Creatures of the sea swim around you, and slick seabirds fly above you. Then, once on land again, the shore holds more wonder. The waves spit at the rocks, slamming them with their power. Crabs, shells, and pieces of colorful sea glass are scattered around in the sand. Most of our sea glass came from the beaches in Bar Harbor. The vast ocean world holds many secrets and wonders, but what about the inland? Step off the beach, and you’ll find so much more. The towering hills and mountains bubble up all over the island’s surface. Climb them to the summit, and you’ll feel like you can see the whole world. I have hiked some numerous times just to see that same amazing view once more. Once below the mountains, you’ll find yourself in a thick woods. The beauty is astounding. Rivers run through the trees, and pine needles litter the soft ground. Ferns, flowers, and other vegetation flourish among the trees. But what else dwells in the woods and water? Animals of all sizes roam in the woods, run across the hills, climb the mountains, and swim in the sea. Their numbers are astounding. The trees host hundreds of squirrels, chipmunks, and moose. In the sea, humpback whales, sharks, dolphins, and millions of fish hunt and play in the freezing ocean water. If you go out on a boat for only an hour, you would see much beautiful ocean life. Also, there are so many different species of animals on or around this island. From red squirrels, to northern shearwaters, Bar Harbor is their home. Although the most seen bird on the island is the herring gull, many others can be seen. Once when I was walking on the rocky shore of a harbor, I looked down to see a tiny bird scuttling across the ground. I followed it for a while; trying to get as close as I could. I took some pictures, and later identified it as a least sandpiper. These birds aren’t common around these parts. Bar Harbor hosts so many animals and so many species, it’s almost unbelievable. Bar Harbor’s exquisiteness isn’t found in many other places. The mountains and ocean together with God’s amazing creatures roaming freely is a marvelous sight to see. Maybe someday you’ll find the time to take a trip to this island in the gulf of Maine. After all, it isn’t called “Vacationland” for nothing.
It was a chilly day in September: a perfect day to explore God’s beautiful creation. The ocean seemed an appealing destination. But where exactly? We didn’t want a plain old “sun and sand” beach which would probably be closed anyway, so we decided to visit the Audubon owned Eastern Point Lighthouse in Gloucester. After about an hour and a half of driving, we knew we must be close, but where was it? Gazing out over the boat speckled harbor, we searched for a lighthouse, but none could be seen. Finally we drove down a slim, lonely, yet beautiful road which took us to our destination. The glorious view was astounding. We walked out on a stony breakwater made of granite which took us about halfway out into the harbor. To our right were hundreds of boats, but to our left was open ocean. Way out in the distance you could make out the shaded skyscrapers of Boston city. What a sight. Looking just beside the breakwater’s edge, I could see a curious Cormorant. Up and down he bobbed in the stir-crazy water. Just a few yards ahead was a flock of seagulls sitting idly in the sun. As we walked past them, some of the more skittish ones fluttered away while some of the braver ones simply watched us with a cautious eye. Arriving at the end of the breakwater we turned around and walked through a field of wild flowers to the opposing side of the lighthouse. The waves crashed on the rocks with a powerful push. Bees, wasp, and hornets hummed around us and the nearby flowers constantly. The world was content, and so was I. |
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