Manila Bulletin

ELUSIVE CREATURES

I also remember reading somewhere that Crab Spiders are among the most common of their kind, but it had been decades since I’d seen one in our village. Perhaps it was probably because I no longer spend hours scouring the plants, actively looking for the creatures who inhabit them the way I did when I was younger.

Another likely reason might be the fact that there are far fewer green spaces in the neighborhood, with more houses being built every year. Flowering bushes and shrubs remain relatively plentiful, but not many bare flowers in a shade that Crab Spiders are able to adapt to. Nevertheless, I take my sighting of one as a positive sign.

I likewise take it as a good sign that lately, I’ve noticed an increase in Butterfly and Dragonfly sightings as well. The remaining trees in the village serve as home to countless Cicadas, judging from the endless cacophony of their buzzing.

Birds have also become more visible – it is no longer unusual to see an Oriole or two streaking in or out of a tree, breast flashing bright yellow. The newly cut grass in vacant lots is sometimes covered with tiny, dark brown Chestnut Munias. Oftentimes, I hear them, even when I don’t see them. The warble of Pied Fantails has become a regular sound wherever we go and occasionally, the bird-of-paradise blooms in our garden are often visited by Olive-backed Sunbirds in the morning. And Zebra Doves patrol the sidewalks, fluttering away just in time to avoid being trod upon.

I’m not one to romanticize and offer the opinion that “nature is healing” in the midst of this pandemic which has caused a significant pause in human activity, but it seems true that some creatures are indeed making a comeback. Or is it simply that we now have more time to notice them?

INCHORDATE

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2021-11-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-11-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://manilabulletin.pressreader.com/article/282381222811340

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