Infest with the best!

 

 

 

Are you missing their spots -- or starting to see spots in front of your eyes?  It's not you – it's the Beetle Beings, and this is their final display.  They haven't infested the premises, but the final cohort has returned to their habitat to debrief on the Great Beetlemania Convergence of 2021-22.

 

 Here they are, starting to assemble for their meet-up.

 

And here, the final version of "Debriefing at the Habitat," Beetlemania Series, copyright 2021.

 

But let's not wrap things up without proper introductions and then, well, let's eavesdrop on their assessment of the whole series.

 

Beetle #1 is the Ten-Spotted Ladybird. 

 

Her thoughts – or feelings, rather – "It was so good for all of us to get together!  Everyone from the chart showed up, no matter where on earth they came from.  We ARE  a loveliness, aren't we?!"

 

Beetle #2 is the Two-spot Ladybird.

 

Her assessment: "Not only did we see each other – but so many people saw us!!  Our crazy flight path took us almost around the world, with Beetle-Watchers reporting in from all these places!"  (Marked, of course, with red dots)

 

Beetle #3, the Nine-Spotted Lady Beetle, is clearly the serious type.

 

He's looking to monetize this whole venture:-- "The camaraderie is fine, but have we missed our chance to market NFTs?"   NFTs…hmmmm …are they like bitcoins?...or blockchains? With a quick check, I've confirmed the abbreviation stands for Non-Fungible Tokens.  It has something to do with how tons of money can be made by selling the digital image of something like this….the Chromo-Surrealism poster:

 

Truly, I don't think I want to know anything more about them – even if a major dictionary has named "NFT" as the Word of the Year (2021).

 

Here's Beetle #4, the Large Leaf-eating Ladybird, who looks sweet-natured but weary.

 

Her take on this enterprise:  "I feel sad that some people are freaked out by infestations.  I wouldn't get involved myself, but it seems these are perfectly harmless – just a cozy way to spend the winter.  Here's one of our clan that was specially extracted from an infested site in northern NY state and its photo sent to our Base Camp in Vancouver."

 

Finally, Beetle #5 – the Pink-Spotted Lady Beetle – who looks exhausted but content.

 

 

He sums it up:  "It's amazing! It's just amazing that we all did it together.  And we've brought out the best in others, too – like a love for insects, right?  Our series has ended, but for some it will be just a start.  Check out these "Best Bugs to Befriend in the New Year."