Wanderer

3:30 p.m.   Friends Marlene and Stevie come over for a brief hour when they hear I have an ant farm. I really think they have nothing much to do, so looking at an ant farm might sound appealing. You know how it is with kids in the summer. Early August, vacation trip is over, school starts in a couple of weeks, and there isn’t much to do… at least, that’s what most kids say. But these two kids love the outdoors.

I know that after looking at the ant farm for five minutes, they will want to DO something. Looking at ants is okay for a little while, but finding ants and catching ants would be even more fun, so I give them each a bug container with magnifying lids and off into the woods we go on an ant search. I want them to experience the thrill of the hunt! Ant hunt, that is.

First, I tell them about the ant farm, and they are so curious about the blue gel. I enjoy explaining that the gel is their home, food, and water source. After I answer their several and relevant questions to the best of my ability(5th graders are so interested in living things!), we set off for the woods in front of the house, armed only with the bug containers, a cordless telephone, and my camera (you simply must keep the camera with you at all times. How many times have I missed a photo opportunity simply because the camera was not on me? Too many.)

I warn them about the nature of red ants (they sting, even the littlest ones), and demonstrate a method I used for catching the bigger black wood ants a few days ago, then turn them loose. It isn’t long before each of them have found an ant to pursue. Marlene catches a black one, Stevie catches a red one. Soon, they are finding crickets and spiders, and their interests broadens to include all the little critters flying and crawling around us. They are enjoying the world of insects.

Even invisible spider webs don’t deter them. Girlish squeals are thankfully at a minimum. I’m impressed with their prolonged attention when we come to a spider web/funnel. The hole at the center of the web, about an inch or so in diameter, is at the base of a tree root, upturned during the last big hurricane. I remember when these girls would cringe to even look upon such a spider, yet, here they are moving in closer and closer. I warn them not to scare the spider away so I can take its picture (Photo #2 above: if anyone knows what kind of spider it is, leave me a comment below or email me). Stevie wants to catch it so she can observe it in her bug catcher. She makes several attempts, each time causing the spider to make a fast retreat. She finally accepts defeat, and we return to the house for some super sour lemonade.

Afterward, I show them Myrm’s website (included below) so they can learn more. I tell Marlene I will email my journal page to her so she can read it, too. They want me to post the pictures I took of them today, but I need parental permission first. Not today, girls. Sorry.

Ant Update: 4:15pm. There are many smaller branches being tunneled out from the main branch. One of the original tunnels has taken on a wider shape. It seems the ants have enlarged it just below the surface of the gel. It’s not quite a chamber, but is convenient. Several ants can stand in it side by side without blocking the main thoroughfare. It very much resembles one of those pull-off ramps you see in the mountains, a place for slower vehicles to pull over to let the faster traffic drive on by. Even ants recognize the need for efficient pathways as they build their community.