Editor,

The barbarians have breached the garden gate, an army in yellow and black undulating forward at a horrifying rate –

we wish to give them a thwack.

A dazzling ball of writhing larva this horde of vegetarians,

their voracious appetite is a marvel – we discover we are not libertarians.

With instincts as simple as life’s ABCs they seek out the highest branch of our apple and alder and juicy plum trees –

we do not give them carte blanche.

Before they devour every leaf in sight and snuggle away all cocooned before they emerge as moths and take flight – their reputation is impugned.

In spite of their brilliance in tent design and short, miraculous life cycle, their purpose on earth mostly benign – our response is homicidal.

Some tree owners opt for picking them off, some step on the crawlers to squish them. Some use lethal sprays while others may scoff – their aim for the species: abolish them.

And what is the lesson these caterpillars teach as our conscience we try to appease? All-loving kindness we so often preach – not for pests that feeds on our trees.

DALLAS HUTH

Langley