When we decided to move back to the east coast, we made a list of reasons we wanted to move, and reasons we would want to stay in NM. Besides the obvious (family, friends, the newest editions to the family...) some of the items on my list were the "little things": lightning bugs, ladybugs, buttercups, June bugs, you get the drift.
Well...since being back, we've seen a few lightning bugs, not sure why there aren't more here on the Peninsula. We saw a lot in Arkansas, which was a lot of fun! Having absolutely none in NM, Chris was utterly enchanted with them, which gave all of us adults the opportunity to see them fresh and new as if for the first time, while we watched him run around and try to catch one.
Last week it was raining one night and as I stood outside on our litte minisule patio, I noticed something flapping uncontrollably in the air. The lights from the apartment building gave a clear view of the rain coming in sideways, and this thing was dead center of the overhead lights and rain, so it was a curious sight. Next thing I know, it was flapping and flying directly at me, and then before I knew it, it LANDED on my chest! Now, as it was not clear what it was in the beginning, you can imagine how odd it was to have an unidentified flapping something suddenly on my chest. Turns out it was a really large praying mantis! I think he got the wind knocked out of him, as he hit me and bounced to the ground. I brought him in the apartment for a short time, and the whole while, he kept his head turned in my direction, probably scared of what he had just experienced when flapping about. He was pretty happy to be turned loose on the patio. Too bad it was past Chris' bedtime and he was fast asleep, so he didn't get to see him.
We had butterflies in NM, but since the air there is substantially drier for most of the year, they just aren't as plentiful as back home. We had purple sage bushes in our yard, that attracted both the honey bees and butterflies, as well as a butterfly bush, so we did get to see them sometimes. However, here in VA, they are everywhere! Literally each time we go outside, there they are, flitting about, often all around us, doing circles around our heads or between us as we walk. I don't know if they are checking out our scents, or if they are just attracted to moving targets, but they fly around us, and are just so beautiful.
We see morning glory vines in the wild where we walk our dog, so beautiful now that they are flowers and not meddlesome vines on the tobacco stalks. Back in the day, we HATED them for the extra work they caused us on the farm, but they really are so delicate and appealing, and my favorite combination of purple and green.
Mike recently spotted a June bug just a couple weeks ago, sitting on a leaf of a huge Magnolia tree as we exited a restaurant. My first and immediate unfiltered thought was, "where's the sewing thread?" which is a question that anyone who's really from down county would immediately understand! ;)
And then, today, we saw this, as Christopher is holding in his hand. I've been on the lookout for the critters, only to make sure we don't disturb them. Now the evidence is in, and they are definitely here, and I just hope they stay away from us. Now, those bring back some childhood memories! I don't know what kind of snake this would have been, and obviously a mere baby. But, babies mean bigger ones are also around. (as the body shivers)
Getting hit by a mantis in a rain storm just HAS to mean SOMETHING!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna look it up!!