Critter Update

Giant Leopard Moth

All the tadpoles turned into frogs before we had to leave for our trip to Alabama a week ago Sunday.

The girl had planned on keeping one of the frogs - Beaver - for her pet collection. Sunday before we went on our trip, she went out to get Beaver from the little critter catcher and with great sorrow realized he was gone!

We have no idea how he got out - my theory is that the other frogs that she voluntarily let loose, mounted a mission to rescue Beaver and helped him escape. So now the girl is frog-less. Sad.

BUT she did not come home from Alabama empty-handed.

At a thrift store in Alabama we found a critter catcher - which was greatly needed as the girl was using a disposable beverage container to house her rapidly growing insect collection ... a small katydid like insect, a giant leopard moth (rescued from the swimming pool), a mysterious beetle, a strange lichen-ish insect that looks like a small piece of lichen or moss, and just as we were packing up to leave on Saturday - a full sized katydid (it was actually sitting on the back of the minivan).

As we were leaving the girl said, "Having a katydid is almost as good as having a lizard." (she had hoped to return home with a lizard - a green anole to be exact).

I'll need to try and get some photos of the other critters...especially the strange lichen-ish insect...I'd love to know what it is.

I generally dislike moths but the leopard moth is beautiful.