Jewel Beetle

 

She's a little baby jewel bug - spotted at the very tail end of my morning walk. 

My dogs became impatient as I stopped to admire her - and succeeded in completely tying me up - their leads criss-crossing around my knees, but I do think she was worth it. 

Some googling when I returned home (thank you Queensland Museum) told me she's a 'Hibiscus Harlequin Bug Nymph' - the nymph because she's only a baby, her parents having quite different colouring. 

It took me awhile to see her little eyes when I was photographing her - but when I uploaded the photos I was quite won over by her sweet and plaintive, slightly lugubrious expression. 

My Great Grandfather told me stories of a magical Goldie Beetle who would shrink children to his own size and take them on adventures - while she isn't Golden, I do love the rich colours of her metallic sheen. 

I could believe she had magical powers that led to adventure. 

Further Adventures of Bug-Boy

"I a bug, mummy!" 


The Sprocket is doing a very good job of climbing the bedroom wall.


"I can see that, darling. You're a lovely bug. But can you please get off mummy's shoulder. You've only got one mummy, and you need to look after her." 


(Oouf! No, not onto mummy's tummy!)


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"I a bug, mummy!" 


The Sprocket walks in a circle on his hands and his feet with his backside stuck up in the air. 


"I know, hon. But what about if you're a bug inside the shopping centre. The cars can't see little bugs and they might squash a little bug flat." The car-park is busy, most spaces are full. 
"I a bug, mummy!" he responds indignantly, doing another circle while I keep a wary eye out for cars. 


         *           *            *             *




"Pee-peed go home, mummy," my Sprocket says with satisfaction as we play in the playroom. 
"Oh sweetheart, that's great. I'm so glad you put him back. Millipedes are much happier outside in the garden. They like it where it's cool and dark and there are rocks for them to hide under." 


He looks at me as if I'm very slow. He might have a point. 


"Pee-peed go home," he says. 


"I know-" I begin. 


And then I notice the proximity of the dolls house. 


And then I see the millipede scurrying around inside the dolls house, looking very out of place and bug-like on the pink plastic.  
"Pee-peed home," my Sprocket repeats happily. 


I see. 




        *               *               *               *




"Ghee's a grasshopper!" the Sprocket lunges towards us slowly, with his arms stretched out in claw shapes. 


"Grasshopper - grrrr!" 


We watched A Bugs Life a few times when we all had the flu. The grasshoppers are the naughty insects that try to steal all the ants food. 


"Oh no! The grasshoppers coming!" I shriek. 


My Sprocket tries not to giggle as he pounces. 


"Oh no! The grasshopper! The grasshopper's got me!" 


I think my foot has just been eaten by a grasshopper. And here was I thinking they were vegetarians! 

Bug-Boy

"My pee-pee is broken," the Sprocket tells me, crestfallen. He has come into the kitchen to where I am doing the dishes to show me what remains of his latest find. 
I look at the millipede he is holding in two parts.  Sometimes they continue moving once they have been 'broken', but this one is very still. 
"Yes, darling. It is broken. The millipede is dead, dear. All gone. You need to be very gentle with bugs. We'd better put it in the bin now."
"Pee-pee is sad, mummy" the Sprocket tells me. 
"Yes, darling, I would say the millipede is very sad. You do need to use your gentle hands with bugs. They're only little." 
He looks at it for a little longer, perplexed, and then loses interest. 
Bugs have overtaken trucks as my Sprocket's main obsession. I even know exactly when it started. A couple of months ago the Sprocket was sitting in the bath and he noticed a daddy-long-legged spider in the corner of the room. And I sang incy-wincy spider. "More Spider mummy!" 
So I sang it again. And again and again. And again. To the power of several hundred. 
And suddenly the Sprocket started noticing the bugs that are all around us. 
Both my beloved and I have suffered from hearing heart-breaking screams and come running - only to find the Sprocket pointing with awe and nerve tingling excitement at a small speck of black. 
"Bug! Bug! Bug!" 
At first,the Sprocket was unsure whether bugs were amazing or slightly scary and I'm afraid I didn't help by telling the Sprocket once in a bad-mummy-moment "If you don't stop putting your sister in a headlock mummy will send a fleet of bugs after you!" 
But after careful observation (and after watching A Bugs Life a few dozen times) the Sprocket has decided that bugs are good. (Unlike mummy and daddy who cross him all too often)
Our favourite activity at present is to go into the garden and overturn logs and bricks to find the little worlds that lie beneath, the slugs and slaters, millipedes and spiders. Some of these bugs have shorter lives than others. One poor millipede got taken to be 'washed' with sorrowful results. 
Yet despite the tragic loss of life I can't help but feel rather happy about this change in loves. Trucks I never got. Now bugs, bug-watching I can relate to.  
I suppose we all have slight hopes as to what our children will end up. I have always rather liked the thought of my children being naturalist a la Gerald Durrell of My Family and Other Animals fame, and while I'm unsure of my reaction should the Sprocket unleash a matchbox full of Scorpions and baby-scorpions on us at the dinner table as the young Durrell did to his family - turtles, pigeons, donkeys would all be good. 
So bring on the mini-beasts and I will hope very hard that this is the beginning of great things!