Insects: Another World

Before I met those enthusiastic insect enthusiasts, I had no idea that people’s passion for insects could reach such an extent - flipping over every large stone on the roadside, frantically searching for all sorts of insects, from those as long as a finger to ones as small as a needle tip. They would even set up cameras, standing still and unmoving beside the stones, slowly adjusting the focus, and taking pictures of the unremarkable creatures in the stone crevices. To them, finding insects was like discovering a treasure trove. Ants, beetles, blind spiders - every type of insect or arthropod seemed like an emerald or a gold coin. They were extremely excited, and I couldn’t help but start exploring the hidden joys within.

We arrived at the botanical garden at 7:30 and met up with insect enthusiasts from Beijing Normal University and Beijing Agricultural College at around 8:00. We first went to the Plant Protection Center to get the trapping jars and small shovels, and then began our first activity - setting up the trapping jars. The trapping jars were like disposable cups, which we buried in the ground with the mouth of the cup level with the top of the soil, and then poured in a mixture of attractants (such as formaldehyde, white vinegar, banana peels, and sugar). At first, we buried them on the mountain, so we had to climb over hills and mountains. Fortunately, I had similar experiences before and had developed the skill of carrying a backpack on my shoulder, holding tools in my hands, and still being able to run quickly on the mountain. We buried the jars one by one, poured in the attractants, and then used fallen leaves and dry branches to conceal them. After a few days, someone would come to collect these jars and replace them with new ones. By counting the types and numbers of insects in these jars, and recording the different collection times, the garden management personnel could better understand the distribution of insects in the garden and predict some insect disasters. In the Cherry Valley inside the Xiangshan Botanical Garden, there was a small canal with a plank road on top. After resting for a while, we went to the plank road to set up the trapping jars. This time, we couldn’t use formaldehyde in the jars, in case curious children who climbed down might accidentally ingest it. We buried the jars one by one under the bridge holes. Because there was a small stream beside us, the soil in this area was mainly sandy, and there were often large stones inside, making it very difficult to dig. Often, we would spend half a day’s effort but couldn’t even dig a small hole as deep as a finger. During this time, a student from Beijing Normal University found a frog in the stream, and I quickly rushed over to catch it. It was a Chinese forest frog. Later, I caught some tadpoles and eggs, planning to take them home for closer observation. After that, we went to another mountain to set up more trapping jars. At the same time, some people stayed below, using nets to collect flying insects. By the time we came down the mountain, they (the students from Beijing Agricultural College) had already collected many. Especially one of them, called “Newbie,” who could determine the name, sex, order, and family of an insect just by glancing at it - he was really impressive. It’s said that this person took a year off from school to go to the mountains to catch insects, which is truly admirable.

In the evening, we met Mr. Tang, a senior from Beijing Agricultural College who now works in the botanical garden. He was also very experienced and helped us identify some insects. On the way to dinner, the hungry crowd still insisted on flipping over every stone, which led to the scene I described earlier. I ate crazily in the cafeteria, and after a day of exhaustion and hunger, I finally felt satisfied. This time, I experienced the feeling of being so hungry that I didn’t care what I ate.

After dinner, we began the lamp attraction, which uses light to attract insects. We first set up a screen and a high-power lamp, which required laying out electric wires, so our organizer, Papa, was busy connecting the wires and lamp sockets. We searched for a suitable location outside. Once everything was ready, we divided into two groups, one to hang the screen and the other to help carry the lamps and wires to the destination.

At 8:00 PM sharp, the lamp was turned on, and the lamp attraction began. We took turns watching over the area. The attracted insects were not many, probably because it was just after a month of hibernation. Most of them were midges. The botanical garden at night was very quiet, with only occasional sounds of frogs croaking in the pond and dogs barking in the distance. After an hour, we were replaced by others. We went back to the Plant Protection Center, opened our laptops, and watched an insect documentary. I fell asleep on the desk halfway through the video. After 50 minutes, I was woken up by the voices of the people who had just been replaced. Before I was fully awake, I jumped up from the desk and rushed back into the cold wind. It was strange that, although it was already after 10:00 PM, the sky was still a deep red color, very dark but very beautiful, a desolate beauty.

As the night wore on, I took a walk around the garden and then went back to sleep. The result of the lamp attraction was not good, and we didn’t catch any particularly interesting insects.

However, the mysterious atmosphere during the lamp attraction will forever be etched in my memory.