Bugs!

 Recently, Samuel has become fascinated by bugs.

       He found a Cicada the other day, still in his old, dirty skin. Cicadas live under the ground for up to seventeen years, sucking the juice from roots for food. They then shed their old skin (usually on a tree) and live as an adult Cicada for a short time. 

           Right now we have a male Cow Killer (or a Dasymutilla occidentalis, if you like
fancy-smancy names) in the house.  

People call these "Cow Killer Ants" for the females painful sting, or "Red Velvet Ants" for their red fur.

 Actually, they're wasps, not ants. 

                                                                                                                     
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                                             Here's a video of the Cicada, climbing up a tree.

                         

                                                                                                                              ~Sarah~