Honorable Mention: Bugging Me

Photo by Gina Gruss, undergraduate student Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College

For a scientific illustration class, “Audubon’s Nature,” I decided to walk around campus to see if I could find any exciting, local subjects for research. Thunderstorms rolled overhead; I paused, sat on one of the metal mesh tables, and debated my options. Instead, I found a Red-shouldered Bug, Jadera haematoloma, crawling around. I put on a macro lens, got up close, and snapped a shot just before it flew away. This photo reminds me of the interaction between nature and humanity—the unnatural mesh coloration can be regarded like a mesh fence, keeping people (or in this case, insects,) out. In Florida especially, humans have done all they can to carve spaces for only themselves…at the expense of nature that only exists here. Nature still remains, though our relationship is strained. The bug’s red, striking color is a red warning light, signaling us to remember it exists—and must continue.