Jewel # 159 (Dec 21, 2013)

To my dear grandchildren

The Tough Grizzly

"David said . . . there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of my father's flock:

and I went out . . . and . . .  slew both the lion and the bear."

(1 Samuel 17:34-36)

What a good shepherd David was to risk his life for a lamb!  This reminds us of the Lord Jesus who said, "I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep" (John 10:11).  David was not killed, but the Lord Jesus willingly gave His life for His sheep.

An 800-pound, 8-foot grizzly bear is a vicious animal.  It is found in the western United States and Canada and up into Alaska.  Its large body and head, 6 inch claws on strong legs, and sharp teeth all makes it a fearsome animal.  However, it does not start life that way.  Born while its mother is hibernating, it weighs less than a pound and is hairless and blind.  Two or three months later it will be the size of a raccoon.  By summer's end, it will be about as big as a collie dog. 

Did you know that a grizzly's heart only beats eight times a minute during hibernation?

Grizzly cubs are full of fun.  They wrestle with each other, slide on the snow and climb slender trees until they bend or break with their weight.  But it is not only cubs that like to play: Adult grizzlies will also slide down snow slopes, then climb back up and slide down again.  They will tumble and roll down grassy hillsides the same way.

By the end of summer, the grizzlies are fat and lazy, but not too lazy to prepare dens in rocky hillsides or under roots of big trees.  There they make beds of soft tree branches and some will line their dens with grass. All grizzlies in a given area enter their dens on the same day, and all dens face north.  These are God-given instincts.  He knows just when they should go into hibernation.  He also knows that before winter is actually over, there will be short warm spells, causing the snow on southern slopes to melt a little.  A bear waking and hearing this trickle of water would leave its den before food is available.  The short warm spells do not affect the cold northern slopes, and the bears remain undisturbed.  How wisely the Creator takes care of even grizzlies!

Waking after five months' sleep, thin and hungry, they immediately search for food.  This first meal might be a large animal that died during the winter its body preserved by the cold, or small rodents, fish, ants and berries.  Cow parsnips are a favorite, and hikers are warned to stay away from mountain slopes where these grow, because grizzlies do not like intruders!

The Lord Jesus, as Creator, never neglects any of His creatures.  But his special care over people includes this promise to those who love Him: "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish" (John 10:28).

Love you all

Grandpa

Jewel # 158 (Dec 11, 2013)

To my dear grandchildren,

The Strange Chameleon

(Note the pictures below)

"God that made the world and all things therein . . .

is Lord of heaven and earth."

(Acts 17:24)

There are more than 100 varieties of these lizards in the warm ocean water areas of the world.  They range in size from 3 inches to nearly two feet long.  All of them look fierce but are actually harmless, except to the insects and small creatures that become their food.

Some chameleons have long, stilt-like legs, raising their bodies quite high; most have short legs with strong claws, helping them to climb trees and rocks.  Their tails are as long as the rest of their bodies.  Their tongues can, in a split second, stretch out even farther than the length of their bodes to snatch an insect.  Their eyes are most unusual - each moves independently of the other, so that they may look ahead with one and behind with the other at the same time.  They can also see what's going on at both sides without turning their heads.

But the most amazing feature about chameleons is the beautiful blending of a wide variety of colours.  The Creator has given them the ability to change these colours in a few moments (in as little as 20 seconds) to match their surroundings, if they need to hide from an enemy. 

One of the most striking in colour is the female panther of Madagascar.  To attract a mate, she takes on a lovely blend of bright red with areas of deep yellow, green and white.  The base of her throat is decorated with white-tipped red spearheads, which are actually quite soft and harmless.

Another, the Yemenis of Saudi Arabia, will often change himself to an amazing combination of light and dark green, with areas of light yellow and deep orange.  To us this looks frightening, but to another yemenis it is very attractive.

One that looks really vicious is named Parson's and lives in the jungles of an island in the Indian Ocean.  It is commonly a mixture of pale green and bright blue on its lower parts, with the upper section tan, spotted with green, brown and white.  From the top of its back, coal-black stripes reach all the way around its body.  Its jaws, when closed, look very much like a corncob with two row of big kernels of yellow corn.

Another, named Jackson's, living in the highlands of Africa, is most unusual looking.  One strange feature is that each jaw has a pink carrot-shaped horn - one a little above the other - sticking straight out, with sharp points looking like vicious weapons, but which are only used to pick up food.

The above Bible verse assures us chameleons are one more interesting display of God's creation over which He shows loving care.   And His invitation to each of us is to "Cast all your care upon Him; for He careth for  you" (1 Peter 5:7).  Have you accepted that wonderful invitation?

Love you all,

Grandpa

Jewel # 157 (Dec 7, 2013)

To my dear grandchildren,

Solitary Wasps

"O Lord, how manifold are Thy works!  In wisdom hast Thou made them all:

the earth is full of Thy riches."

(Psalm 104:24)

You may have seen a wasps' nest made of paper, hanging in a protected place on the outside of your house.  These wasps are called social wasps, because they live in colonies and cooperate with one another.

There are other wasps that make nests for their young in an entirely different way.  They do not live in colonies and are called solitary wasps.  One is the black wasp caterpillar hunter.  The female makes a nest for her eggs and provides for her young by digging a hole several inches deep in well-packed sand.  At the bottom of this hole she deposits her eggs.  Then she hunts for a caterpillar that she paralyses with her stinger and drops it into the hole beside the eggs.  The caterpillar is still alive but cannot move, and when the eggs hatch, the caterpillar becomes a fresh food supply for them.

It is common for various species to build similar nests, some of them dropping insects, spiders or caterpillars beside the eggs as a food supply when the larvae hatch. Wasps do not need to be taught these things nor to experiment until it is done right, for these instincts are the Creator's design for them, passed on from generation to generation.

Another variety is known as the bembix wasp.  Several of them make holes side by side in the ground to form colonies, digging with front feet specially designed by the Creator.  After placing her eggs at the bottom of her nest, each female wasp drops paralyzed flies down the hole.  Something interesting about bembix wasps is that after the eggs have hatched into larvae and eaten the food left for them, they completely cover themselves with a hard coating of fine sand held close to their bodies with sticky saliva.  After being wrapped up that way through the winter months, they come out of this hard cocoon and crawl up into the outdoors as adult wasps.

Sand and wood wasps follow habits similar to those of the bembix, but they sometimes drill their holes in fence posts rather than in the ground.  These wasps use paralyzed spiders, and a few other insects for their food. 

Another species feeds on nothing but paralyzed bees, which are right there when the larvae come out of their long sleep and find this food beside them.

As we think of how wonderfully the ways of the Lord God, the Creator of all things, are displayed, we can easily understand the psalmist who declared, after expressing verse 24 quoted above, "I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. . . .  I will be glad in the Lord" (Psalm 104:33-34).  Are you among those who happily join in that kind of singing?    

Love you all,

Grandpa

Jewel # 156 (Nov 26, 2013)

To my dear grandchildren,

Hide-and-Seek in Nature (Part 3)

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength" (Isaiah 40:31).

Not only insects benefit by disguises.  The horned lizard has been given a rough, gray skin that blends with the desert ground, concealing it from the enemies.  Certain toads, sitting still when danger threatens, also look like the lumps of dirt around them.  The gray tree frog can change the colour of its skin to match almost anything on which it rests.

The top fin of the deep-ocean-pink decoy fish looks like a helpless little fish, while the rest of it looks like part of the ocean floor.  When a fish comes to grab the "little fish," it becomes a meal instead.  Flounders also change colour to match the various ocean floors on which they lie.

The white polar bear blends perfectly  with the snow and ice where it lives, and the same is true of arctic hares and foxes.  The Creator provides them with white, warm coats in winter.

Spots on a leopard, stripes on a zebra, (did you know that no two zebras have the same pattern of strips), patterns on the skin of a sidewinder rattlesnake, the fur of a mouse and the shell of a tortoise are a few examples of the Creator's special provision for concealing them from enemies or enabling them to capture needed food.

An outstanding underwater disguise is that of the sea dragon, a spectacular resident of Australian waters.  Its orange-coloured, strung-out body is covered from mouth to tail's end with big stringers that look like seaweed of that area, sprouting what appears to be yellow and green leaves from every part of its body.  When a large fish threatens it, a quick dash through the seaweed provides a good hiding place.

Another underwater example is the anglerfish, which hides in the rocks with only its head showing.  Opening its mouth, it wiggles its pink tongue to look like a minnow.  When an unsuspecting fish comes to get this tempting meal, the angler snaps its mouth shut and enjoys another treat.

These three articles only skim the surface of all the provisions the Creator has given some of the world's creatures.  They cannot help but impress us with the wonders of all that He has brought into the world and has always cared for.

But, more importantly, He counts every person of more value  than any other living thing.  For us there is a promise of a home in heaven after life here on earth is over, although we cannot go there in our sins.  But He graciously tells us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

When we do this and turn to the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, God forgives our sins and accepts us as His own children, promising us a home in heaven.  Have you admitted to Him that you are a sinner?

Love you all,

Grandpa     

Jewel # 155 (Nov 16, 2013)

Glass Winged butterfly                           Drone Flies

Robber Fly                                     Oxybellis                        

Oriental Praying Mantis                                      Crab Spiders

Arizona Fly

"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord

of hosts, in that day when I

make up MY JEWELS."

Malachi 3:17

To my dear grandchildren,

Hide-and-Seek in Nature (Part 2)

"Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed;

For the Lord thy God is with thee."

(Joshua 1:9)

In the last issue, examples of some insects' abilities to hide from enemies by their camouflage were described.  We could never include all of them, but here are a few more.

Many large moths have "painted" eyes on their back wings that frighten birds away, while others look just like the bark of the trees on which on which they rest.  A butterfly, known as the glass-winged butterfly, is so transparent that a predator sees only the flower or leaf that this butterfly is resting on.

Drone flies buzz and look so much like bees they even fool the members of a beehive, while the robber fly, also looking like a bumblebee, is avoided by the birds.

In South America, a four-foot snake with a thick body, the oxybellis, is coloured like the vines around which it climbs.  If frightened, it "freezes" even if part of it hangs away from the vine.  If a breeze stirs the vine, the snake sways its entire body to match the vine's movements.

Instead of spinning a web to catch insects, the crab-spider catches them on the petals of flowers where it is overlooked because its colour matches the flower's - white, black, red or pink.  The Oriental praying mantis does something similar.  With colorful legs held upright while sitting in a bush, it fools and traps insects that think it is a flower petal.

A fly in Arizona has transparent wings, except for three heavy black stripes across each side.  At rest with wings partly open, the stripes, seen from the back, look like the legs of a huge spider.  Also on the back of its orange body are spots that look like huge black eyes.  Predators that would go after a fly, seeing what looks like a fierce spider, leave it alone.

Most of us have noticed that caterpillars and small worms on flowers or plants turn the same colour as what they are eating, making it very difficult to spot them even up close.  Some caterpillars eat 27,000 times their body weight before becoming an adult.

Many poisonous or distasteful insects are coloured bright red and black.  These don't need camouflage because birds learn to leave them alone.  Many harmless insects have similar colouring, and birds avoid them as well.

All this is a reminder of the wonders of God's creation.  None of these creatures is aware that it has these markings, but God-given instincts enable them to use them as they do.  Mankind does not need such devices, as God has given us intelligence to avoid our enemies.  The knowledge of His love and care should cause us to give Him our thanks, as expressed in the Bible verse: "Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for His mercy endureth forever" (Jeremiah 33:11).  

In the NEXT issue we will review some creatures besides insects that benefit by God-given disguises.

Love you all,

Grandpa

Jewel # 154 (Nov 13, 2013)

Katydide    Leafhopper

Walking Stick Bug  Sphinx Moth Caterpillar

To my dear grandchildren

Hide-and-Seek in Nature (Part 1)

"I have called upon Thee, for Thou wilt hear me, O God . . .

Hide me under the shadow of Thy wings."

(Psalm 17:6,8)

Boys and girls always find the game of "hide-and-seek" fun to play, but for many creatures in nature, it is a very important way of staying alive!  For many little insects, the threat of being eaten by hungry, prowling enemies is greatly reduced by the God-given skills to look like something else. This is called camouflage.  Let's look at some examples.

Katydids (grasshopper-like insects) of Central and South America are among the most amazing.  Some have shapes and colouring exactly like the leaves on which they feed.  The wings of others look like big bites have been taken out of them, exactly like some leaves around them.  So even though fully exposed, they are actually hidden.  Some are coloured green, others brown, tan or mixed colours, each matching the plant or tree leaves on which it feeds.  And so they are protected from birds, monkeys and larger insects that would eat them.  A katydid's ears are on its front legs.

Leafhoppers, which are found in many countries, have backs shaped exactly like the thorns on plants around them.  They are completely safe from their enemies until they move.

In India, the Indian leaf bug, which is the same shade of green as the leaves on which it feeds, rocks back and forth like a leaf when the wind blows.  This helps to fool its enemies.

Then there is the caterpillar of the sphinx moth, which frightens an attacker by suddenly blowing up the end of its short body to look like the dark-blue head of a pit-viper snake and swaying it back and forth.  The snake-like look is so realistic, with two imitation, big, black, gleaming "eyes" above a pointed snout and mouth, that the attacker changes its mind and "escapes" as quickly as possible.

Another odd-looking creature is know as the walking stick, which eats tiny bugs on smooth branches of a tree or bush.  When it holds perfectly still, it looks just like a twig.  A bird might perch right next to it and never guess it is passing up a meal.  These insects do not move until it is dark.  This is when they start feeding.  Most are brown or green, and some can change their colour to match what they are resting on.  They have no wings.

How did these unusual insects (and many more) learn these protective camouflages?  Did they get together and decide what would work?  Of course not; insects can't do that.  Only their Creator could give them the ability of camouflage through all their generations.   This shows us another example of His care over all His creatures.

We will look at more examples of God-given camouflages to protect His creatures in our next letter. 

Love you all,

Grandpa  

Jewel # 153 (Nov 6, 2013)

To my dear grandchildren

Scars

"Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,

even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

(Ephesians 4:32)

Many years ago, a farmer had a son he dearly loved.  But that young boy had developed quite a bad temper.  Scoldings, warnings, even punishments did not seem to have success in changing the boy's temper outbursts.  One day, after much prayer, the boy's father gave him a bag of nails.  Every time the boy lost his temper, his father told him, he would have to hammer one of the nails into the wooden fence at the back of of their yard.  The first day of this punishment the boy had to hammer 14 nails into into that fence.

But slowly, day by day, the boy found that he hammered less nails into the fence.  He had discovered that it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence's hard wood.  The nailing continued for some time, but the day finally came when the little boy didn't lose his temper at all.  He excitedly told his father that evening.  Dad wisely told him that now, each day he held his temper he could pull out one nail from the fence.

The days passed and the little boy worked very hard and was careful about his temper.  Eventually the time came when he ran excitedly to his dad telling him that there were no longer any nails in the fence.  

That particular day, he had removed the last one.  Smiling, Dad took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.

When they reached the fence he looked lovingly at his son and said to him; "You've really done well and I'm very happy for you.  But I want you to look carefully at something in the fence".

The boy stared intently at the fence where he had nailed so many nail.  His Dad said, "Look at the holes in the fence.  It will never be the same because the nail holes will always mark its surface.  Remember son, when you lose your temper and say things in anger, they leave scars just like these nails did.  You can apologize for your angry words and actions, but never forget; it won't matter how many times you say "I'm sorry", the scar will still be there".  

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, 

be put away from you, with all malice."

(Ephesians 4:31

Love you all,

Grandpa