Beauty of nature through the eyes of a child

by Dr. Heather Bozant Witcher

By Dr. Heather Bozant Witcher
Clarion Herald

How many bugs can you find in a day? That became the question during our first family outdoor adventure in northern Alabama.

After an afternoon car ride of three hours – which turned into almost four hours after potty breaks with three toddlers – we arrived at our cabin in the brow of Lookout Mountain, tired and slightly cranky. The kids fell promptly asleep (thankfully), while my husband and I readied our dogs and made plans for exploration of DeSoto Falls.

The next morning, my twins were bright-eyed and excited. They explored the cabin quickly before heading out onto the wraparound porch to see the forest surroundings and play. As I was sipping my coffee, wondering at the quiet, I saw my children on their hands and knees, intently staring at the bottom of the swing they had been playing on.

“Come quick!” they excitedly whispered as loud as they dared. My husband headed over and immediately looked for a large leaf – they had found a giant walking stick (Megaphasma denticrus). They watched it move around the leaf before returning it to its home beneath the swing, where the kids observed the bug from a distance. Ollie, in particular, was very keen to observe – and then continue exploring.

That walking stick became a permanent fixture on the porch. They checked in on it each morning and afternoon. Later, Ollie found a smaller, bright green walking stick that crawled around on his hands and arms, before finding its way into his pajamas.

On that first day, though, we found a total of four bugs: the walking stick, a katydid, a large praying mantis that walked across our windshield after lunch, and, at the end of the day – around a campfire of s’mores – a Georgia Flatbacked Millipede (Cherokia georgiana).

As the twins were poking around under rocks and dead leaves, we heard an excited shout and then saw Ollie carrying a stick toward us. “Take a picture!” they shouted, as my husband pulled out his phone to identify the millipede (and ensure it was safe to touch). It was, apparently, a rare find – upon nightfall, it glowed blue-green.

My children were delighted. Over the course of the weekend, they discovered additional millipedes, a number of walking sticks, beetles, katydids and, finally, a wild box turtle.

Alongside Ollie, my youngest, Syd, was in heaven. Each morning at daycare, he finds small beetles and June bugs, holding them in his hands and showing them off proudly. With each new find in our forested and mountainous surroundings, he wanted to touch and hold each one, giggling in delight.

They may not remember the heat and the excitement of seeing waterfalls and swimming in Little River Falls Canyon, but they will remember their patient exploring and observations that led them to the small creatures we often push aside. And they learned the importance of gentleness and returning the bugs to their natural homes.

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