There was a time when most of us were impressed mainly by the size, majesty, and power found in the natural world—the girth of a giant oak tree, the height of a bald cypress, the power of a bald eagle, the immensity of a tundra swan, the weight of a largemouth bass, or the size and fragility of swallowtail butterflies. Many of us soon learned, however, that for every large, beautiful living thing in nature there are myriad “lesser” living things that make its existence possible.