Thread by @MyDoncaster

Many of us will have felt a bit sad this #Easter weekend, as we stay at home during this lovely weather.

Well, here’s a story about an African non-biting midge that will make you feel a LOT better about your social life, and hopefully might inspire you ⬇️

#Covid19

You think you’ve had it hard, as you #StayHome and watch Netflix, eat Easter eggs or do ANOTHER online quiz about what type of cheese you are.

Spare a thought for this little guy, Polypedilum vanderplanki. Its FANTASTIC name is about all it has going for it, as we'll now explain

Polypedilum vanderplanki (we’re going to just call it George from now on, for the sake of ease) lives in rock pools in Africa. Sounds lovely, right?

Well, the problem is that the water in these rock pools can disappear in a matter of minutes, due to the intense heat.

Now, as we all know from our studies of the breeding behaviours of insects, the normal approach is to mate as much as possible, as quickly as possible, with as many others as possible.

(Please refrain from your comments about a typical Friday night in any unspecified town…)

However, given the short time-frame, George does something quite remarkable. Instead of going out in a blaze of reproductive glory he…

Does nothing.

And when we say nothing, we mean.

Nothing.

Not the banana-bread-baking, Easter-egg-hunt brand of nothing that we’ve been doing this weekend, oh no. George literally dries up, sits there and does NOTHING.

What’s more, these incredible insects can stay like this for up to 200 YEARS. Think about that.

200 years of sitting there – not eating, not mating, not moving.

Once again, we’d like to ask you to find #Covid19 inspiration from the strangest places, as we ask you to let Polypedilum vanderplanki be your spirit animal during these difficult times.

These insects know that doing nothing is their best chance for survival.

They know that if they are resilient, and still, and patient…the rains will come again. Life will be good once more.

The same is true for us.

So next time you eat, or move, or mate…think of Polypedilum vanderplanki.

Actually…don’t. That would be odd.

#Coronavirus #StayHome @CovidDoncaster