It’s summertime in Tennessee, which means lots of critter collecting…
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| After chasing grasshoppers all over the yard, Levi finally caught one all by himself! |
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| See, Mommy? SQUISH! |
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| With better luck, this cricket survived Levi’s observations… |
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| Walking out to Flat Rock, Stephen found a very unusual sight: Walnut Caterpillar Moth Caterpillars. It kind of makes my spine creepy crawly just looking at this picture… |
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| We found a katydid with a crazy leg. Now how did that thing get in the house? And what’s up with that leg anyway? (Levi must have gotten ahold of it.) |
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| I actually captured a Zebra Swallowtail on the camera! This is my favorite butterfly of all time!!! (Even IF they don’t greet us the way the Hackberry Emperors do…) |
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| Pale Beauty – one of my favorite moths. |
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| Question Mark Butterfly. I love the fact that we live in a hollow with half-a-hundred thousand butterflies! |
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| A Green Stink Bug – reading a book? I know we homeschool and all, but give me a break! |
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| Firefly by day. |
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| Firefly by night. |
Some things we learned:
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- All fireflies glow when they’re in the larval stage. In some species, the eggs glow, too. We haven’t found any yet, though.
- In some species, female fireflies mimick the mating flashes of female fireflies from another species to attract a male. Then she eats him when he gets close enough! No wonder they’re endangered!
- The stink bug is the only “bug” that scientist actually call “bugs.” They evidently really like tomatoes… (It’s the only thing in our garden aside from green bell peppers.)
- A cricket’s and katydid’s ears are in its knees. A grasshopper’s ears are in its sides underneath its wings. You should have seen us acting this one out around the house.
- Only the males of the katydid and cricket sing. As Mrs. Comstock writes about the cricket,
When waiting for his lady love, he keeps up a constant droning; if he hears his rival, the tone is sharp and defiant; but as the object of his affection approaches, the music changes to a seductive whispering, even having in it an uncertain quiver, as if his feelings were too strong for utterance. (p. 375 of Anna Botsford Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study)
…Really, I’m afraid I’ll never be able to look at a cricket the same way again…
- A grasshopper can emit a brown, foul-smelling substance from its mouth if it is disturbed. That is, if your son doesn’t squish it first…
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| Illustration from Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study |
To learn more interesting facts about insects, refer to a few of our family favorites:
- Anna Botsford Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study
- Margaret Williamson’s First Book of Bugs