Nearly invisible cleaning shrimp

Perhaps because I’m a fairly small human, I have always been amazed by the miniature life that surrounds us. As a child, I collected bugs. I wanted them to live in little circus tents under my bed. They had other ideas about places they wanted to live. Oh well, I had the fun of tracking them down all over again.

As a scuba diver, I’m naturally impressed by huge sharks and barracudas. (That’s called the instinct of self preservation!) But the creatures that astound me are the tiny ones, like the Peterson cleaning shrimp here at left, no more than an inch long and nearly translucent underwater.

Other miniscule marine favorites of mine are nudibranchs (sea slugs). Most are less than a couple of inches long, but they come with frills and horns and ruffles, and in every color under the sun. They are the butterflies of the sea.

These are all nudibranchs. Incredible, aren’t they?

Hummingbirds are the jewels of the bird world.

I love all the teensy creatures that surround me on dry ground, too. Who could not be impressed by a hummingbird? The hardy local Anna’s hummers come to my feeder even in blizzards. I’d be happy if I were half as tough as they are.

And yes, I’m still impressed by bugs, especially oddly shaped beetles and stick insects and dragonflies and moths that are perfectly camouflaged against wood.

Dramas play out around us every day, but we usually don’t even notice because they take place in miniature worlds. When we take the time to notice and appreciate the little things, our own human worlds become larger and richer, too.

Yes, it’s a bug, but isn’t it cool?

A fierce ladybug stalks a gentle aphid.

I can listen to tree frogs forever.