Don't Go By Appearances

  Ever wonder why they say "Do not judge a book by its cover!"?  There is good reason.  First, with people even the dowdiest of us can have a good heart while those dressed to the nines with all of the niceties of life can have an underlying mean streak.  It does not depend on what you look like, what you wear or who you pretend to be, the truth of your being lies in how you treat others.  It is best to just not judge at all methinks.

  In the critter world, the same can be said about some of the most evil-looking ones out there.  A critter does not have to be flashy, sweet-looking or be as innocent as a lamb to be helpful.  (Good thing about critters, however, is that they do not pretend to be anything but what they are and they don't expect you to be anything but who you are.)  Some can be our allies without ever making an effort to shout out how good they are.  Once such critter has been dubbed a quite fierce name and can bite the bejeebies out of you but is still to be considered a friend.  In the garden today, I found such an ally.  The critter quietly climbed on a ruby lily leaf as it hunted.  While I was watering the plants, I had a "bird's eye view" of the creature and was fully amazed at its stealth.  Slowly, it went from plant to plant completely oblivious to my presence. 

  The critter was an Assassin Bug.  Even though this critter can pack a punch with its bite, it usually will try to avoid a person.  They have no interest in humans because they are far too big to eat! The Assassin Bug has a rather large fang (yes, just one) that it uses to repeatedly stab its prey.  Once caught, that prey is held tightly with the Assassin Bug's long front legs as it jabs and stabs it.  Then, it sucks the insides out of the dead insect.  So, how is this helpful?  It reduces the need for insecticides in the garden.  Assassin Bugs do not eat plants...they eat destructive insects that wreak havoc on the garden.  

  The rather mean looking Assassin Bug is a true friend.  Its appearance lets on that it is one thing but its actions reveal its true worth.  Too bad people cannot see that.  Too bad people cannot see that about other people.  Folks, just be nice.  It does not cost anything, does not take much of your time and the rewards are plenteous.  Don't judge a book (or anything else, for that matter) by its cover.