It was some sort of modern day eco party that was pretty spectacular. Evidently thousands were invited unbeknownst to us. There was more than enough room for everyone to either sit down or flit around—their choice. Drinks were plentiful and unlimited while there also seemed to be an endless supply of goodies to eat. No fights broke out as the day of drinking wore on. And at dusk when it was over, there was absolutely no clean up required! Everything looked exactly like it did when the party had started. The strangest thing is that the neighbors were sitting out on their terrace during the entire affair, only meters away, without even an inkling that a shindig was happening. Now that’s a party!

You may have guessed by now that we’re describing one of Nature’s little miracles. Yes . . . the bees and the butterflies discovered the magnificent hedge of lavender next to the studio. Of course, they’ve all been there before. In fact, we wrote a related story last year called “Bee Major,” where we inadvertently uncovered the fact that bees collectively drone in G♭. We know it’s not particularly useful information, but the revelation pleased us to no end. It felt like this was one of those rare discoveries that may change the course of history.

There are three aspects of the lavender party that caught our attention: unlimited food, open invitations, and no mess. Of course, the fact that no fights broke out is also incredible in view of what happens when you cram countless humans into a relatively small space, but that deserves a discussion all by itself—more later. Basically, what we witnessed today was abbondanza per tutti—abundance for all in its purest and most natural form. The bees and butterflies seem to instinctively know that there’s more than enough for everybody, so no pushing, yelling or swearing is necessary. They all come in quietly and leave in peace. How cool is that?

We don’t want to make this some kind of mystical experience or anything like that. But, at least a moment of recognition for the bees and butterflies is in order, to congratulate them on learning some incredible life lessons that have somehow evaded us large mammals*. Their teensy little insect brains can evidently process a lot better than our big fleshy human ones, making life so simple and effortless that it’s hard for us to imagine.

So next time you see a bee or a butterfly flitting around some beautiful flower, take the time to stop and thank them for being such good role models for us bipeds. They really don’t get much recognition, and we think it’s about time they did. We imagine that if they could talk, they would make sure we understood that we too are invited to the abundant party—but . . . we have to play by nature’s rules to make it work!

*a catchy phrase uttered by Brian Bedford recently that we liked and decided to use—thanks Brian!