I often think about the wildlife that we miss by being in the city. Friends who live on country roads tell about deer in the backyard, foxes, catching frogs in the creek, and an abundance of other creatures. Recently, however, our backyard seems to be abounding in nature. Unfortunately, it isn't the cuddly, cute nature I might pick!
Last week the children found a very large, very fuzzy caterpillar. They made a temporary home for it in a Gladware container and excitedly showed it to Dad when he came home. The next morning my 6 year old was in tears, as she peered in the container and it wasn't moving. It had made a cocoon over night, a fuzzy webby thing that looked much like the caterpillar itself. Some research revealed it is an American Dagger Moth caterpillar. What we aren't sure is how long it will be in the cocoon. "Harry" is now an honorary member of the family.
Earlier this week, the shouts outside drew me to the back door and they had a small, bright green grasshopper that seemed to be very content to crawl around their arms and hands. Even my usually squeamish daughter giggled when he crawled into her long hair and hung out for a while.
This morning, the now-familiar shouts brought me running with my camera. This time it was a cicada, freshly molted. It sat on an empty paper towel tube left over from wiping down the outside riding toys (a daily occurence recently). His wings were clear, with veins a brilliant green, and his eyes bring new meaning to "bugged out." His old skin sat on the tube nearby.
As we are beginning Apologia's Elementary Zoology course, Flying Creatures of the 5th day, I am thankful for God's provision of bugs (never thought I would say that!) We've also seen the usual chickadees, cardinals, baby robins, woodpeckers, and nuthatches in the trees around the apartment. We don't have to get out to nature. Nature is coming to us.