Loser or Winner?

Have you heard of Ichneumon wasps?

Be glad you're not a caterpillar.

You'd have to be on the lookout for

The Ichneumon wasp--a serial killer.

 

The wasp will find a caterpillar

And suddenly will quickly surprise it

By stinging it--not to kill it--

Only to shortly paralyze it.

 

She lays her eggs inside her victim,

Which will eventually serve as food

For the growing larvae within--

The wasp's hungry little brood.

 

The larvae start with digestive organs

And chomp away on their scrumptious repast,

Somehow knowing that they must save

The heart and nervous system till last.

 

They keep their caterpillar host

Alive as long as they can, you see.

People say insects can feel no pain.

Would the caterpillar agree?

 

As Earth's living creatures evolve,

The fight for survival doesn’t seem fair.

Some creatures suffer more than others,

But nature’s indifferent and doesn’t care.

 

Wasps have predators as well.

Sometimes they're losers; sometimes they're winners.

The prey that escape are the lucky ones.

The unlucky prey become predators' dinners.

 

-by Bob B (3-10-25)