Thai Silk: The Wondrous Little Silkworms and the Artful Human Beings Who Work With Them

Thai people and Thai culture show an amazing curiosity and relationship between human beings and nature.  While living in Thailand for nearly 3 years we enjoyed many facets of this richness in the Thai culture.   For example, we could enjoy more than 60 kinds of tropical fruits from carefully selected and often, grafted varieties,  and wonder at over 1000 native species of orchids, many of which the  Thai people know how to propagate.   The Thai people have this heritage of paying attention to the nature  and working with the riches our Creator God has put in it.

While walking or jogging in July, I pass a white mulberry tree and stop to eat the plump, black berries.   I read in my book on the trees of Michigan, that these mulberry trees were first brought to North America to start the silk business—because the silk worms need to eat mulberry leaves.    The book does not say why that business idea did not work out.  Still, those berries are really nice, so I’m glad they tried!  (Lots of people think those sweet berries are poisonous—just an example of the gap between human beings and nature that we struggle with.)

Here are a few pictures that show the artful process of the Thai human beings, the mulberry tree leaves and the silk worms.