More Bugs...This time not so happy ending

A few days ago my middle daughter Allie found this on our back door. Yes the door we all go in and out many times a day.

You guessed right, it is a Black Widow Spider. It had a nice web and had caught some dinner for it.

Alexandra guessed right away what it was and we were impressed that she identified it. It made for an easy learning lesson for the kids.

"Do not touch these spiders, Caroline. They will bite you and make you very, very sick. Do not squoosh these spiders, they may bite you before your squoosh them. Do not pick them up, do not catch them. Do not go near them!"




"Caroline, are you paying attention?"


This spider met his demise.

Of Bugs and Butterflies

This summer I have been battling with Caroline over bringing bugs into the house and then letting them out to "play" with her. Today, Alexandra caught a Monarch Butterfly in our yard and they put it in the butterfly cage. Caroline then, apparently took the cage to her room some time today and decided to let him out to play with her. A little while ago she came to me, "Mommy, I can't find my butterfly."

"What butterfly, honey?", I ask.

"The one we caught and put in the cage.", she says in her cute little voice.

"You caught a butterfly?"

"Allie did and we put it in the cage."

"Well, where is the cage?", I ask.

"In my room.", she says.

"Isn't the butterfly in the cage?", thinking uh-oh.

"No".

"Did you let him go outside?", I ask cautiously, knowing the answer already.

"No I let him in my room. He loves my room and so do I. He was flying around my room when I lost him." That is what I thought.

So we go to her room and start looking for the butterfly. The door to her bedroom was already open when we got there and I begin thinking this butterfly could be anywhere in our house. Thankfully after only 30 seconds I found the butterfly alive and well. I called to Allie to get the net and told Caroline to watch him and not open the door. Like a good Mommy, I ran to get the camera.

When I return to her room I find her showing the butterfly her bat that she made in bug camp! (first picture)

The last picture is her catching the butterfly in the net to return him to his cage. He is currently all snuggy in his cage with plenty of fresh flowers to eat and some grass on the bottom.

While this story is cute and has a happy ending, this summer we have been graced with sharing our home with "pincher bugs", ants, worms, and snails. Some we have found, some we haven't yet. Although each bug gets to play with Caroline in her room and with her toys.