About a dozen lucky souls gathered at Cylburn Arboretum recently for the fall’s first nature walk and talk. Michael J. Raupp, the “Bruce Springsteen of Bugs,” shared his encyclopedic knowledge of the insect world and its foundational importance. Raupp is professor emeritus of entomology at the University of Maryland, but he has the energy level and passion of a three-and-a-half-hour concert by “The Boss.” He is internationally known for his YouTube channel where his nom de guerre is “The Bug Guy.”

As we explored goldenrod, boneset, milkweed and thistle, Raupp gently preached that “bugs make the world go round.” He explained that trophic associations, the relationships between organisms in an ecosystem, collapse without bugs. Bugs not only serve as pollinators but also provide biological controls for pests. They serve as prey for many species. Bugs link the plant world to all other levels in nature — everything in the green world — from birds and mammals to humanity.

We first examined “Halloween bugs.” These brilliantly hued orange and black insects were feasting on a milkweed population steps from the Vollmer Visitor Center. Nicknamed Halloween bugs due to their coloration, they are the eponymously named large milkweed bugs (Oncopeltus fasciatus). Sucking insects, they feed on the seeds, leaves and stems of the plants. They excrete an enzyme to liquefy the plant material so they can digest it. Like birds, they are migratory and head south for the winter. The colors serve as a warning — do not eat me, I am poisonous. The bugs, as well as the milkweed plant, contain cardiac glycosides, which are indeed poisonous, so do not eat the plant or the bugs unless you take a page from Kafka and desire to engage in reverse metamorphosis.

Using large nets, participants swept grass and three-foot-tall native plants. We captured a hidden universe of bugs beneath our feet and at waist level and viewed them in plastic tubs. Spiders, parasitic wasps, flies, mites and a seven-spotted lady bug were observed. A single leaf might have two thousand mites on it.

Raupp defended spiders — they are the single most effective predator in suppressing pests in residential settings. Several beautiful beetles including Scarites ground beetles were found under rotting wood stumps along with a large leopard slug. Beetles, unlike milkweed bugs, are chewers, not suckers, and can dispatch prey on the ground or in trees. That is why many beetles have fearsome front jaws to secure their meals.

Raupp reassured us not to worry about many non-native bugs. The spotted lanternfly has caused panic among many. Chinese praying mantises are doing a great job of squashing the lanternfly population, just like they did the brown marmorated stink bug population. How? As non-natives themselves, the Chinese mantis has been eating both for 65 million years. When the stink bugs and spotted lanternflies suddenly showed up on the North American menu, the mantis population reacted like hungry diners whose food is late — they rejoiced and started stuffing their faces. If you are still bothered by spotted lanternflies, do not spray. Just be patient. Consider removing any tree of heaven from your property as they are the bug’s favorite host plant.

An active bald hornet nest was hanging from a nearby tree. Raupp urged us, should we be lucky enough to find one on our property, to leave it alone. Hornets, like spiders, are magnificent predators of residential pests. Hornet larvae are edible and full of protein.

We ended on a cautionary note. Raupp explained that insects will lay thousands of eggs just to see that a pair will survive to stabilize the population. In much of the world, humanity is failing to accomplish the same goal. Our reproductive rates are insufficient to sustain us. So, perhaps, set aside your eco-grief and accept that in the long run, nature will win.

Carl R. Gold (cgold@carlgoldlaw.com) is a Maryland Master Naturalist.