Cool Bugs!

We made a cool discovery today while trying to finish priming the fence (which still didn't get all the way done thanks to the questionable weather). The kids and I were moving all these big rocks we have and looking all the rolly-poly bugs, slugs, ants, beetles, and whatever else turned up. The kids are really into bugs right now --- so much that one day Ethan was holding a bee and he knew it was a bee -- he told me so. He was holding it by the stinger and hugging it and cried when I told him to let it go -- maybe he'll be an entomologist? Anyway the kids started saying, "Mommy, look at all those ants" and pointing at the old well pump we have. I looked and at first I thought it was covered in lots baby spiders but at closer inspection it was tons of mini preying manti. They had just "hatched" from the egg case that I saw on the pump handle. It was so neat to see so many of them. The kids were fascinated by them and so was I. We studied them for a while and throughout the day Addison would go back out to check on them. She said they were playing with toys and they were little people or ladybugs. Unfortunately after some rain they were gone. It's so fun watching them discover new things like this makes me really appreciate things and see it from a different perspective. (Click on the pictures to make them larger and really see the babies up close)