Entomologist

3.24.06
While we were outside playing, I found a caterpillar on the patio
that I wanted to show to Zach. So, I carefully picked it up
using two sticks (I didn't want to touch it, afterall),
and put it on the bench for Zach to see.
He was fascinated, and immediately picked it up.
Luckily, he has been practicing holding worms at
Grams' so he knows how to hold bugs gently. He rolled it around,
put it in the dirt, buried it, dug it out, put it on the bench,
picked it back up....
(if you look carefully in the picture you can see the caterpillar
on the slat furthest from Z)

Here's the caterpillar close up

Zach stuck it down the crack

and then wondered where it went.

He spent so much time looking for the caterpillar
that I finally had to tell him that the caterpillar went home and
was sleeping. His response was to put his finger to his
lip and say, "Shhhhhhhhh." But if that is not cute enough,
he has looked for that caterpillar everytime we've gone outside
since finding it, and he always says, "Shhhhhhhh..." when he's near
the spot we last saw it.
Ah, but it gets even CUTER...today, daddy was reading
"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" with Zachary, and Z kept pointing
toward the backyard saying, "Shhhhhhhh..."
He recognized that the caterpillar in the book was the same
as the one outside!!
Brilliant, I say.