Lovebugs:Hated or Welcomed?

You may remember me talking about how I love what I call the markers of the seasons....those things that happen every year at the same time marking the beginning of a new season. Strangely enough, I even like the pesky markers! In our region of the United States, we have "lovebugs" show up every fall. These little bugs are interesting creatures that I had never seen or heard of before moving here. They are little black and orange bugs that are called lovebugs because

"upon reaching maturity the lovebug spends almost the entirety of its remaining life copulating with its mate... The male and female attach themselves at the rear of the abdomen and remain that way at all times, even in flight. In fact, after mating, the male dies and is dragged around by the female until she lays her eggs." -wikipedia

Its during the fall of the year that they begin to swarm (probably more accurately called flights). They seem to be attracted to light or white surfaces (like the columns on our back porch). They are most pesky to our vehicles. Driving, especially on highways, results in lots of lovebugs splattered all over the front of the car. If they are not washed off pretty quickly, the remains dry and are very hard to remove.

While these unique bugs ARE pesky and bothersome, to me they mark the beginning of the fall season. The fall season around here means slightly cooler weather and a lot less humidity. And a lot less humidity means we can breathe and quit sweating non-stop. We can open the windows and enjoy the outdoors. The kiddos can spend much more time outside, and everybody seems more relaxed and happy. So, anything (even pesky bugs) that signals milder weather is a welcome sight to me!