Things I See Along My Way ~ A Nature Stop

Things I See Along My Way ~ A Nature Stop

that's not to be confused with a nature call.

To say I am a bit of a nature freak would be putting it mildly right on the money!  If you have followed me long you know that I say, "Shelly doesn't walk on the road"  meaning when I am out of a run, I am out for a run.  I don't want to stop.  I don't want to talk (to people along the way). I don't want to slow down let alone walk.  The clock is ticking.

But there are exceptions to that road rule.

Nature would be the biggest exception to my rule.

I will stop to get a close up look at bugs, flowers, weeds, cats, turtles, snakes, frog, dogs, cows, muskrats, ergrets...oh and anything baby.  Pretty much any cool living thing that can't talk to me, I'll stop to check out.

It's annoving to some around me because they have to endure the three dozen photos of all that nature when I get back...and the delay it some times causes.

But by far the coolest bit of nature I saw along my way recently, I saw sitting on the back deck in Virginia long after my run.

A baby praying mantis. 

I can't believe that in all my looking I have never seen one this little.  If it hadn't decided to check me out by running up my arm I would never have seen it.  To think we share a world with creatures that we are only luck if we see is amazing.  Our brief exchange was priceless.

I love when my routine often ordinary life can still feel amazing to me.

Do you stop for nature when you run?

Have you seen anything lately that amazed you?

Future Entomologist or Serial Exterminator?

You know what I spent this morning doing?

Researching spiders and praying mantis.

Yeah.  Life in the fast line!

But it is FALL and the spiders and insects are really big now and every.single.one.of.them is

LIVING IN MY BASEMENT.

I do not lie.

This praying mantis is pink.

They are.

I am not frightened of spiders however; I do not want LBM to get bitten because he picked the wrong one up.

Yeah.  I said, "...picked the wrong one up."

LBM has two responses to insects and arachnids.

1.  The squat and follow

This technique allows LBM to enjoy the little critter for as long as his interest lasts.  He crouches as close as possible and stares, sometimes employing the "blow on it slightly" agitation technique.  If the critter is agitated into movement, LBM simply follows slowly behind and crouches again.  This series can repeat it's self over and over as the critter and attention spans allow.

2.  The see and squash

This technique does not allow for much appreciation of the critter and is often the result of LBM's failed attempts to pick up the critter.  Once the critter has been spotted, LBM moves in to attempt to capture it.  If the critter successfully evades capture several times LBM will attempt to immobilize the critter to aid in capture.  This is often accomplished via the bottom of his shoe.  Even after several explanations regarding the effects of one's shoe bottom on such a small critter, LBM refuses to discontinue this observation technique.  (I attempt to thwart this technique as often as possible)

For now I attempt to teach a distanced appreciation of all the little critters that we find along the way

...and stay current on my insect identification, just in case.


9 days to the big race.