Be Careful What You Grab!

My wife and I have a satellite dish that provides us access to five religious TV channels. We get a lot of enjoyment out of all of them. Several of them, at the hourly breaks, often have short musical interludes with video clips of nature that have Bible texts superimposed on them. There is one clip that I see quite frequently that catches my eye. It has a flower with an insect with a yellow and black-striped abdomen. I suspect that many people who see it think, “There is a bee/wasp on that flower.” However, in reality, the insect is a species of hover fly (Family Syrphidae). Most members of the family mimic stinging insects. Not because they are dangerous like the bee or wasp, but because the mimicry causes other creatures to leave the flies alone.

I used to teach an environmental awareness class while I was a biology professor. We’d take occasional walks in the spring, learning how to “see” nature, to become more observant, and I used to enjoy catching these “bees” with my bare hands. It helps to know the difference between the real and the mimic.

Another insect I would do this with was somewhat larger, and to the casual observer, appeared to be a bumble bee. This one, however, was a member of the Sphinx moth family. Unlike most moths, this creature had only a few scales on its wings, and they were in a pattern like the veins in the bumble-bee wing. With the body colored like the bumble-bee, this moth, which could have made a tasty meal for a bird, was able to probe among the petunias with impunity. I still remember hearing students gasping in surprise when I’d reach down and casually cup one in my hand.

Mimicry. In both these cases, the mimic was disguised as a more harmful creature to gain protection. But mimicry can also go the other direction: the harmful can be disguised as a benign creature to gain surprise over its prey. Some of the praying mantises of the tropics are great examples of this: disguised as leaves so the unsuspecting prey insects wander close and never know what got them. Another example would be the predacious caterpillars that mimic twigs, and snatch passing flies.

In the spiritual realm, Christ warned His followers to be on the watch for mimics. Not the harmless disguised as the dangerous to gain protection; rather, the harmful disguised as the harmless to more readily catch prey for Satan. Of course, we’ve all heard of “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” Some of us have even seen such.

Even though the syrphid flies and sphinx moths resemble bees or wasps in their appearance, they still behave like flies and moths, not bees and wasps. Likewise, wolves in sheep’s clothing may appear like sheep, but their behavior is still that of wolves. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” Nature is full of deceit; so is the human experience. Satan doesn’t always roar; sometimes he buzzes, and sometimes he lies quietly in wait. Tragically, “I don’t see…” might be the last thought the prey has.

Don’t be fooled by leaves with legs, or sheep with pointed ears.

Dr. G