Junie

We had an adventure this weekend and ended up with a new pet, sort of. We rode bikes to the park on Saturday, the whole family went (sans the jackals). As Zach was playing on the slide he found a june bug. It was a little banged up, wings askew and seemingly doped and almost dead. But Zach saw potential there and wanted to keep it. No amount of dissuading would work. So he rode home with this little bug nestled gently in his hand. There were several stops on the way for spot health checks or to pick up the june bug after an escape attempt or sudden drop.

Finally we were home and "Junie" as the beetle was promptly named, was safe in Zach's bug basket. Several times later in the day Junie looked to be at death's door, laid on its back with all legs in the air, motionless. But Zach's tender-loving care nursed it back and by evening it was doing much better. He had made a bed of grass for Junie, and threw in some tasty flowers.

The gender of the june bug is still in doubt, and has swung like a gate back and forth between female ("I think I saw her lay eggs dad!"), and male ("she's not pregnant dad, so he CAN'T be a girl."). But either way, Zach has had limitless fun with his new Phyllophaga specimen. Here is a picture of Junie about to go for a ride in the back of his or her new pickup truck. He/she really loves the wind in his/her antennae.