The top-rank poet, Maxine Kumin, while cleaning out her horse barn one day, got the idea for her "Excrement Poem." Basically, she honors what drops from us because it means "we go on." This is true for all animals, but that could develop into a problem.

The surface of our Natural Area could grow to look and smell quite differently than it does. Several processes keep that area relatively clear of "undesirable" materials. Some processes are common knowledge. One process, much under-appreciated, is accomplished by that large group of insects known as dung beetles. More than 5,000 species are recognized worldwide.

Some dung beetles live in dung, some use it for food, and other rolls it into balls and bury them. Eggs are laid in the balls that then serve as food for the larvae. A lotta buryin' is goin' on; some species can bury, in one day, an amount equal to 250 times that beetle's body weight.

Those who study these sorts of things estimate that, without dung beetles, some parts of our Earth's crust would be buried beneath 3-4 feet of dung. Need a topic for your next discussion group meeting?

We are aware of and appreciate a few of the millions of known species of insects. True, some are pests, and we deal with them in a confrontational manner. But who does not thrill to the beauty of butterflies, moths, and metallic beetles; the anatomy of walking sticks and mantids; the very long antennae of certain beetles; the exquisite, fragile, and ephemeral nature of mayflies; the flying ability of dragonflies; or the exceedingly long ovipositors found in some species of ichneumon wasps? A certain scarab beetle was sacred to the Ancient Egyptians.

The beetles (Order Coleoptera) constitute the largest and most varied group within Class Insecta. Their size--for insects--ranges from very small to quite large, and their colors range from whitish through dull gray and black to various bright metallic shades of green, yellow, orange, and red. Most have wings, and their forewings (elytra) are thick and leathery, which surely helps explain the relatively slow and laborious flight patterns seen in most beetles.

Perhaps the dung beetle's public image could be helped if it became generally known that, other than humans, they currently are the only known animals that navigate and orient themselves by using the Milky Way. Wonder what a good pubic relations firm could do with that? Hey, any port in a storm!