This is the fifth in a series of short essays on the theme of “Invasions”
I’ll be posting. See backstory here… -Sarah White

By Kay Wiedholz

As a child there was a huge box elder tree in our back yard. Each Fall the invasion ofbox elder bugs covered the tree, the sidewalk and clung to the back of the house. I always thought the box elder tree was the genesis of the bugs. But now 60+ years later and 100 miles from that childhood home and not a box elder tree in site, again the sidewalk and the front of the house are crawling with those black and red invasive creatures.

I try to keep the doorway swept but they keep coming, much to the delight of my 3 1/2 year old grandson Aydyn who catches them, saves them, and calls for us all to admire his prizes.

Invasion? Beauty? It’s all in the eyes of the beholder.