This morning, while doing the laundry, I uncovered this beastie. I wasn't sure at first if it was real or rubber (it was on it's back and we have rubber bugs, and it was in the dirty laundry - it could have been accidentally picked up with the socks or something) but when I saw a leg wave I had the answer. Ain't no bugs on me. I think it's a kind of scarab beetle. I have a Peterson Beetle book, but there are thousands of different kinds of beetles, and none of them match this one exactly in the book. This is the second one of these in my house. A couple of weeks ago, I was paying the bills at my desk when one of these did a fly by and I dropped to the floor (I'm afraid of giant cockroaches and better safe than sorry) and waited it for it to land. It landed in the bill basket and I put it in a bug tent and sent it off to school with Chicky and the beetle book the next day.
I've seen a beautiful spider web covered in dew the past two mornings. I had to play with the camera...
Yesterday I went and fetched our new resident, a hatchling cornsnake. We got her from a dear friend and amazing teacher, Sarah Tichnor, and I'm letting the children name it. We used to have a cornsnake at KIN (Bob), he was very sweet, gentle, and we had to give him away due to new health regulations for child care programs. However, at my house, reptiles are fine. Sexing a cornsnake is difficult (and not so important to us) so I have dubbed it a girl. She still rattles her tail defensively when handled (only at first) and I have read conflicting articles on when and how often to hold her. Right now I'm letting her get used to her new home. Tomorrow the children come home and I'm thinking about the ground rules.
Nature abounds.
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