Walking around Phillips Lake, southeast of Columbia, my wife and I plowed through clouds of midges. Having hatched in response to the recent warm weather, these insects are a nuisance to humans but play an important role in nature's cycle of life.
Of course, they are an important food source for a wide variety of insectivores, including the chorus frogs that were calling from nearby pools this morning. Two avian insectivores, eastern phoebes and tree swallows, are among the first summer residents to arrive and are, no doubt, already in the area. Many others will follow in the coming weeks and the insect clouds will be here to greet and reward them.
Those midges that escape predation (and don't end up in the eyes, nostrils or mouths of humans) will breed, lay their eggs and die. In death, unlike most humans, their tiny bodies will enrich the soil and nourish plants, a service that goes unnoticed and unappreciated by the most intelligent primate.
