Author Koh Lin â—¦

I was reading the other day and the word “perception” jumped out of the page and got me thinking… wow… that is something that has improved in my life…

When I looked up the word… Google tells me that perception is…

the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.

“the normal limits to human perception”

Source: Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages

Expanding on that… there is sight perception and visual perception — the ability to interpret what we see using light. Biologically it’s a complex process that involves the eyes, optic nerve, and brain.

When I see things in the natural world around me and in my daily life… I am applying “perception” and as in “visual perception” it refers to my brain’s ability to make sense of what my eyes see.

I smile to myself, thinking about this, as I have learnt that “perception” is something that can improve over time… as with my growing interest in the insect world. Whether it is viewed from a distance, so I can see the whole thing, or have an up-close look… a macro view that can indeed be quite personal…

A few years ago… I would walk pass a mound of dirt, on the ground, stuck to a rock or wall, and I would make a mental note (I see but not really)…

Mud nest of Potter Wasp (Eumenes latreilli), Alice Springs
Mud nest of Potter Wasp (Eumenes latreilli), Alice Springs

Then, the more I walk pass these mounds, my blindness would slowly lift, and I would really start to see and to notice… such as all the insects around it, interacting, adding to the mud pile, creating nestings cells, filling it with food, laying their eggs, sealing the nest cell…

My perception was improving, noting the different shapes and colour of sand used in the mound of dirt… more like mounds (plural)… the insect nests (is that singular with one mud nest or plural with multiple nest cells. Over time, the mounds of dirt, ages… occasionally abandoned after use, whilst other times, the owners returns, or is it their offsprings, or new guests taking up residence.

Of course, it became obvious when new tenants (I should say species) move in, as they are very different in appearanceto the original home builder…

Those piles of mud are still there… and with the passing of time, I wait and watch to see when the new tenants move in…

Mud Wasp (Delta latreillei) being used by other wasp and bee species, Alice Springs, NT
Mud nest, Alice Springs, NT

Check out other blogs by Koh Lin.