Levi loves, loves, loves to find and catch any type of small creature he can get his hands on. In fact, if he grows up to be anything other than a conservationist, biologist, zoologist or wildlife photographer I will be completely astounded. I wish I had started a tally at the beginning of the summer of all the animals this child has caught.
One morning the kids were playing very contentedly outside while I cleaned up breakfast and did a few chores. I looked out our back window to see Levi crouching down with something in his hands. I knew I didn't really want to know what he'd caught, but at the same time, I needed to know what it was.
Upon further inspection, I see Levi holding a tiny mouse by it's tail. The poor little critter is wiggling every body part possible trying to gain freedom. Clarey's got a magnifying glass so she can have a better look... (This is a stark contrast to the pedicure and tea party Clarey from the week before.)
Finally that little field mouse got loose and made a beeline for our house. I told Levi it was not allowed near our house and to make sure it ended up in the woods. First, though, Levi made several observations, such as 'mice use their front feet like hands to grab onto things,' that we had to record in his journal.
The next day, we all went out to check the mail. And while I'm helping Clarey, who didn't want to wear shoes, open the mailbox and hold all the letters, Levi starts shouting, "Mom! Help! A lizard! Help me catch this lizard!" I start looking all around and I just don't see a lizard anywhere. I tried looking where Levi was looking and I just didn't see anything. Since I wasn't much help Levi said, "Tiger! Help!" Tiger is our cat.
Then Levi crouched down, waited a second or two and snap! He grabbed a teeny tiny lizard in his hands. It wasn't longer than 3 inches, tail and all. I had in my hands, with Clarey and the mail, a big bowl so we could all go pick the garden. (Imagine me catching a lizard - even if I could have seen it.) Levi deposited the very tiny lizard in the bowl and at that very second crouched down again. Before I knew it, he had caught a second one, the very same size.
He immediately identified them as baby prairie lizards and we put them in bug keepers. Levi gathered some grass so they would have cover and then caught two grasshoppers for them to eat. I don't know why he added the dinosaur...
After getting over the fact that he caught two within a minute of each other, we started to discuss why two were there. Levi decided there must have been a nest close by so we went back to look. We never did find a nest. I don't really know what a lizard nest looks like, to tell you the truth.
Just this past weekend, Levi comes running inside saying he spied a lizard and needed help catching it. It truly was a group effort. This lizard was fast. We got it put in a bug keeper and Levi took it to the garage. Cyle and I (mainly Cyle, though) had been working on a project outside. Once I had finished my bit, I walked back to the garage and found those two lying on the garage floor observing their critters. I don't know what Clarey was observing, it may have been empty...
Levi has caught at least 6 prairie lizards this summer. This one was no less fascinating than the first. He told me it was an adult because of it's size and that for a prairie lizard it was really fat. He said it must have just eaten a really big and juicy grasshopper. As he was lying there, he said, "Look at those claws, Mom. They are really good for digging. Prairie lizards must be good burrowers." After a pause, he added, "I really love catching lizards!"
Yes, if he grows up and enters a field unrelated to creatures, I'll be very surprised.
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