I love learning about the natural world around me, and I am constantly nudging myself to be more observant and ask more questions so I’ll understand what I’m looking at. Connecting with nature and being more conversant about the things I see every day gives me great joy and pleasure.
I follow the blogs of several nature writers, and some of the best are those who write primarily for children, whose sense of wonder about their surroundings is a constant source of inspiration.
Sue Heavenrich (what a wonderful name!) has a fascinating post today on her blog Archimedes Notebook called “Check out moth night life.” She talks about the difference between moths and butterflies and shares a wonderful activity, perfect for doing with children or grandchildren, guaranteed to get lots of moths to look at and enjoy. I won’t spoil the fun by telling you what it is: go check out her article HERE and find out for yourself. If you leave a comment, be sure to tell Sue you heard about her from Heartspoken!
Happy moth-watching!
Your description of the best nature writers is a significant one. The fact that you noticed the difference among children writers, who aim to address the astonishment and wonder inherent in this segment, is a nice thought.
Thank you so much for stopping by, Christina, and for leaving this nice comment. It’s interesting that I find adults often respond to children’s religious music as much or more than adult religious music — the songs written for children are often happier, more singable, and usually express a universal truth.
It all at once occurs to me how very little I know about moths. It’s odd to think that while so common to my eyes, my moth wisdom goes no further than knowing they have a thing for light :-O
At the risk of sounding like a “skim thinker,” I love and greatly appreciate how much wisdom I’ve gained from “teaching” my children. Children’s books, videos, programs (yep, Sesame Street, Gulla Gulla Island, Mr. Rogers…) have added oodles to my stores of knowledge. As have the questions they ask–even as adults–that either force me into deeper thinking over a topic, or scrambling for a wise answer before they have the chance to realize that Mom doesn’t actually know everything.
Heading over to Sue’s blog to gather some moth wisdom 🙂
A “skim thinker” you’re definitely NOT, Barbara. I often think we can become more shallow when we lose our childlike traits of playfulness, innocent questioning, and honest expression. I play the guitar and sing occasionally at church. Invariably the children’s songs elicit the most enthusiastic responses, because their message is co clear and understandable.
Hi Elizabeth,
Always a pleasure to meet another nature-loving writer. I hope you find some time to explore moths this summer. Sometimes I just sit at my open window and watch who comes to visit. Moths are definitely under-appreciated pollinators; butterflies get all the glamor.
Thanks for inspiring this post and visiting, Sue! There are so many life lessons in nature — I love what you said about butterflies getting all the glory. It’s so true, and don’t we know people like that too? Boths moths AND butterflies. 🙂
I went to the blog, left a comment, said I was from Heartspoken. 🙂 Interesting critter, the moth. I always thought of them as just an annoyance. I like her night-time experiment.
Thanks for commenting and for visiting Sue’s blog, Karen. The older I get, the more I learn that some of the critters I’ve always considered annoying can have very interesting stories or useful purposes in the greater ecological picture.