Lost and Found.

Lost and Found. Part 1.

I love bumble bees, they're almost cute with their fat, furry bodies, bumbling around the flowers. This morning I found a lost bumble bee. I knew it was lost because bees are not commonly found in the hallway of the house, on the floor. This bee didn't look well. He waved one leg at me, feebly, but that was all he could do. In fact he looked decidedly bee-fuddled (sorry, couldn't resist).

I remembered reading that if you find a bee who looks a bit poorly, a wee taste of honey might revive them, so I got some on the tip of a knife and offered it to the lost one; the effect was amazing. The bee sucked it up through it's whatever that thing is that they feed through, can I call it a honey-hoover? In less than a minute it had changed from being a barely-moving-bee to doing the bee version of leaping around.

Finally, he/she exuberantly flew away through the window (I resisted the urge to say 'buzzed off' there). So- the bumbler was saved to fly again another day and didn't become a used-to-bee (OK, I'll stop it now).

Lost and Found . Part 2.

Another creature I'm rather fond of, and who often gets lost at this time of year, is the stag beetle. They're only around as beetles in June-the rest of the year they're living happily, either as larvae or eggs, grubbing around in old wood. But in June they emerge as full grown winged beetles.They take to the air in an attempt to find mates and start the whole process over again.

The trouble is, they're not very aerodynamic. They're big, nearly 2 inches long. They have huge antler-like jaws (which is how they got their name). So in flight, they're downright clumsy. And although they aim for the same kind of happy home they grew up in (a quiet pile of rotting oak is top of the wish-list), they quite often fail and tumble to the ground in completely the wrong spot. Like the pavement. Which is probably why their numbers are declining. Too often, you can find them lying helpless on their back, waving those spiky insect legs in the air.

I don't have a photo for you, but I think you can guess- to add to their problems, they're not too pretty; in fact, they look downright scary, but they're completely harmless. The antlers are purely an adornment admired by other stag beetles. Sadly, most people who find one floundering around will happily step on them.

But if you can get past their looks and bring yourself to pick one up- I promise you, they feel lovely in your hand. It's almost as if they know you're helping them and are thankful. I can't explain it any better than that. I first held my breath and got hold of one about 5 years ago and I've been rescuing them ever since. This year so far, I've found three. That's more than usual, so maybe their numbers are rising. That would be nice!

Lost and Found. Part 3.

I don't watch a lot of TV, partly because there's only so much dross you should have to tolerate in a life. But having said that, I do like to watch programmes which promise a bit of mayhem (I know, I'm shallow). Which is why this week I watched a programme called 'Nature's Fury: Firestorm'. A totally bonkers (but very brave) bloke called Chris Terrill has followed natural disasters, including tornadoes and hurricanes, with his camera, doing his best to get right in the heart of them. This episode was from southern California, an area which is plagued by terrible fires every year.

He works alone and he began the programme with an unplanned drama. He had parked his car so he could film an introduction. While he was busy, his car caught fire and less than a minute later, exploded. As a fireman who responded to the incident said, it is a common experience. The catalytic converter gets very hot in California temperatures, you park near scrub, it ignites and that's that. Apparently a lot of fires start that way.

Then Chris showed the side of the firetruck. It said California Dept. of Corrections. Fire Crew Number 7 from Glen Oaks are convicted criminals, serving time for all sorts of crime. It was the most incredible story. The 14 men, known as 'The Good Bad Guys', are all trying to turn themselves around and pay back their debt to the community by fighting fires. Alongside the regular firefighters, they risk their lives as they battle 1000' flames and billowing clouds of smoke to save lives and properties; properties that, as one of them remarked, they may well have burgled in the past.

Some of these men have spent many years in jail. One even said, having spent 25 of his 45 years incarcerated, he was unsure how he would manage when he was eventually released, and might be tempted to commit a crime, just to get back to jail, a world he understood.

It must have taken quite a leap of faith from the authorities to let this fire crew form. I think it's an amazing success. I've included a link so you can watch the episode for yourself and form your own opinion. I found it to be one of the best, most moving, bits of television I've seen in a long while. Look at the men's faces, their expression, the life in their eyes. They've all been lost in one way or another. Let's hope they are now found.

http://u.tv/MediaPlayer/Natures-Fury-Firestorm/103244#