Strange Stranger at Service Learning

At one of my service learning days at the Edible Schoolyard, I was cleaning up the green bean path. There were some dead vines that needed to be cleared in order to make room for the new, live vines. As I was working, I noticed a green bean that had been overtaken by little critters. The bean had gone from green to black with little black pods engulfing it. I assume they were egg sacs, for there were a layer of little baby spiders crawling around on top of the black pods. It was a strange stranger kind of moment. I saw this bean and these bugs participating in the circle of life. Consumption, predation, decomposition, growth, etc. It was kind of gruesome at first. But the closer I examined the scene, the more fascinated I became. It was a process I had never witness before on a bean I eat at least once a week. It also made me think about what Morton says about the “cuteness” of nature. This little bean is a crisp, delicious little green string that is fun and easy to pop in your mouth and enjoy. However, this bean in particular was being taken over by alien creatures. At first I was a little grossed out, but then I thought it was rather beautiful to see dependence and life being transferred in such a direct fashion. Life and death at its finest.