small steps
It might surprise you to know that there are several thousand species of Walking Stick insects! Some varieties are kept as family pets, and I am lucky to host a number of them in my small city apartment. Walking Sticks take several months (4-6) to grow from a first instar stage, which is about 1 cm long (1/2 inch), to an adult of about 10 cm (4 inches). I have read that they enjoy lettuce as a favorite source of food; mine, however, show a strong preference for the leaves from our raspberry bush. Are you curious about sharing your life with these little critters?
Depending on your location, you may need a special permit before you invite them into your home, but if you have permission to acquire some, you will discover a unique kind of joy from their quiet presence. They can be an ideal first pet for children, and since they have no wings, they can’t fly away and escape. In fact, they walk with a slow and elegant movement that seems to arouse interest in even the youngest nature lovers. A walking stick insect does not bite or sting, either, and so your child can feel comfortable handling them, with careful supervision. Furthermore, these pets do not require care on a daily basis, and so you will not need to hire a pet-sitter for them if you spend a few days away from home!
May we present to you a selection of poetry inspired by the pleasures of walking! Who better to use in our photo illustrations as an advocate for taking a walk?
Walking Sticks, by Ruth Cox
Insects
Slender, twig-like
Creeping, crawling, walking
Foul-smelling camouflage artists
Stick Bugs
from Up-Hill, by Christina Rossetti
Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.
Lines and Squares, by A.A. Milne
Whenever I walk in a London street,
I'm ever so careful to watch my feet;
And I keep in the squares,
And the masses of bears,
Who wait at the corners all ready to eat
The sillies who tread on the lines of the street
Go back to their lairs,
And I say to them, "Bears,
Just look how I'm walking in all the squares!"
And the little bears growl to each other, "He's mine,
As soon as he's silly and steps on a line."
And some of the bigger bears try to pretend
That they came round the corner to look for a friend;
And they try to pretend that nobody cares
Whether you walk on the lines or squares.
But only the sillies believe their talk;
It's ever so portant how you walk.
And it's ever so jolly to call out, "Bears,
Just watch me walking in all the squares!"
from Walking, by Thomas Traherne
To walk is by a thought to go;
To move in spirit to and fro;
To mind the good we see;
To taste the sweet;
Observing all the things we meet
How choice and rich they be.