Let’s Talk Bugs
by Tom Lager

Mike and I approached the cliff face slowly, our canoe gliding through gentle waves that lapped its vertical face. We were looking for remnants of the past, the indicators of the local history and perhaps the touchstones to what is still important to natives living in the region. We found the pictographs; more than I recall from past years. They reminded us of who lived among the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota and southern Ontario before European settlement. The Ojibwe, who made these splendid drawings thousands of years ago, consider these sites to be sacred. Mike and I were fortunate to be alone. Only the cronk of raven and quiet breeze broke the silence.

We could imagine the shaman creating his images of red ochre. Did he do his work at light by torch light or by day? What season of the year was it? Most pictographs were in easy reach from canoe or iced over lake. Those that were highest up the cliff face were single hand prints. We can only guess today about the circumstances under which this occurred and what the images mean. The pictographs are well preserved considering the exposure to the elements and their apparent age. Scientist believe the ochre obtained from mineral veins in rocks and mixed with a glue binder have formed molecular bonds to the rock face and thereby resist erosion.

One of the most impressive at this Lac La Croix site, was of a bull moose with a spear diagonally entering its back (see the picture above). We were able to observe it closely, since the water levels were low and exposed rock permitted access. We could stand where the shaman stood to do his work and where others came to admire.

As I examined the cliff face’s lichen, moss and plant growths I saw another remnant – an indicator of the local history. It was an exoskeleton of a stonefly, hanging precariously from the cliff where it metamorphosed into its final winged form (see picture below). I could not help but feel a connection between these observations – one a simple exoskeleton showing transformation of the stoneflies life, and the other more complex depictions of the early Ojibwe life. Animals were important in their lives and for many of us, finned and winged animals are important to us too. Special places like the high cliffs of Lac La Croix, the people and creatures (some of which are stoneflies) calling this home, or those of us who are fortunate visitors, all reflect the uniqueness of His handy work.

Mike and I paddled further up Lac La Croix to Iron Lake and toward Curtain Falls. Other remnants of burrowing ephemera mayfly exoskeletons were found along the rocky shores. We talked of waiting up that night until they rose to form their swarms and perhaps see the finned ones come up to feed. We only saw the full moon rise, heard the loons call and felt the welcome of our sleeping bags. Remember, no matter where you and your buddies travel, take the time to lift the rock, roll the log or climb the cliff and enjoy the bugs you find and the connections they make for you.