Insecting

It's rainy out tonight and I could so go for a few more days of this.

It is a blessed breath of fresh air to the heat we've been having (and the fires!).

It's humid, wet, windy, and rainy -- and cooler (hallelujah).

As part of our summer activities, the kids and I have been insecting.

I bought the kids some bug nets and ordered a couple insect books online.

Since then, curiosity (and hunting) have abounded.

We went thru a pretty serious bee stage at the house.  Benji was catching wasps at almost every opportunity.

We would all have to stop what we were doing in the beginning to rush out and aid in the capture of whatever had been sighted.

I thought I may have to encourage the looking and studying at first, but no.

They are all about it.

A few weeks back, we headed into the hills earlier on a Friday afternoon to spend the night at our family's cabin.

We ate taco salad for dinner, and headed off, walking along the road, inspecting lots of ticks in the grasses on the sides.

I loved this: watching these boys with nets over their backs, watching and waiting.

It was quiet with no one else around.

Afterward we made s'mores in the big firepit at the cabin, came in and read Little House in the Big Woods, all cozy together on the sofa, sitting in the low light from one small lantern.

It was perfect.

We've had some really lovely finds.

Isaiah's big, beautiful butterfly from flowers in the backyard.

This large moth from the porch at the cabin, already injured and dying when we found it (hence the damaged wings).

See this dragonfly I stumbled upon during my run the other night?  When I got home, I grabbed my keys, got in the car, and went back to find him.  Also injured and unable to fly, but so stunning.

And here's our collection of crawlies, including this big black beetle (right here in the foreground), found by the cabin:

 I'm signing off to go lay low now, enjoy the cool air and smell of rain.

Hope you are having a lovely July.