Sarah has had an interest in bugs and little creatures for a couple of years and it is still going strong (she has requested a frog birthday cake); Abigail has grown less timid about them from Sarah's enthusiasm and she is just as likely to be picking them up now (though she wasn't game to try touching a stick insect like Sarah was!). The girls have spent hours this past month catching (or trying to catch) butterflies, and have caught a good many other creepy crawlies they have come across. Caleb even managed to catch a butterfly one day!
Here are some of this month's finds:
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| Yet to be identified, we have found a couple of these caterpillars |
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| Common Crow butterfly - we get lots of these in our yard and the girls have spent hours trying to catch them |
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| Grasshopper found at the back door one morning |
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| Titan Stick Insect found at the back door the next morning |
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| White Tussock Moth caterpillar |
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| Caterpillar craft |
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| Mantid Lacewing |
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| American Soldier Fly |
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| Lydia Lichen Moth found at the park |
We've also found and identified a Silver Orb Weaver spider (and learnt what makes insects and spiders different), a Grey Root Weevil, and Large Purple Meat Ants (and learnt the different parts of insects using ant pictures). We picked up an identification guide at the Queensland Museum and also refer to a Brisbane insects website for identification; we use The Wonderland of Nature to learn a little about some of our finds, and I use Google to find crafts or printables for the girls to do. The library is also well utilised for books about different insects.
I am so thankful to God for our current home; the yard is such a blessing for our children - so much space, so much to do, and so many creatures to find and learn about in it (we have a dead tree that bees are nesting in, a water dragon up one tree, a pair of pigeons nesting up another; lots of sticks to collect and pretty leaves to find.....). Thank you God for all these good gifts!
