Another Insect Grasping For Life

Ok, there aren't many of us who can say we haven't killed a few insects in our day..either by stomping, squeezing, magnifying glass, drowning.. you know what I'm talking about. I am the most guilty, I quickly recall the caterpillar slaughter of 84'. It was Fall on a Saturday morning. Me on my Huffy, catching fuzzy wire bristle orange and black caterpillars as they made the terrifying crossing of our dead end street. Their were tons of them and my neighbor and I would compete to see how many we could catch or trap til their death(let's be honest). I decided to take my 20 some pets on a "trip" in my white basket on the front of my bike. Why I decided to take a trip down the most extremely bumpy field I could find, I dont know? (I was young, let's say that) As I sped down the field and hit bump after bump, caterpillars were flyin' to high heaven(literally) or maybe they were just jumping out of the basket as one last attempt. By the time I got to the bottom of the hill, I was devastated. My basket was full of a caterpillar massacre. The horror was washed away from my bike with an outdoor hose but not from my memory(obviously..) So I stiffened a bit when I heard Fieldin cry."mommmmy! bug on bubble mower!" this morning.

Last week it was a praying mantis named "Buddy" who was quite happy until he was fed a yellow jacket that stung him. He ate bumble bees so who new? We freed him shortly after to let him lick his wounds of pain and ego.
Today it was ladybugs which reminds me of the ladybug Greta slaughter of 2007...another story. Fieldy chased them today saying "on thumb?" as they tried to escape. They weren't stupid. They ran for the plants. Fieldin gave up and said "bye bye, I take picture" Lucky for them cameras are safer than pudgy strong fingers..

The ladybugs lived to see another day but he is out there now prepping his bug netting for what he might find tomorrow... poor, poor bugs....