How conversations with my daughter help me learn about nature
My children are the greatest conduit to Mother Nature that I have ever known. They constantly ask questions that I don’t know the answer to. My response? I don’t know. Let’s see if we can find out…
Today’s question happened after my daughter announced that she had found a moth trapped inside the house. She described how she had carefully cupped her hands around it and carried it out to a plant, but it hadn’t wanted to leave her hands. She persisted and eventually she left it on a Native Thyme plant in a pot. She told me excitedly that it was one of the ones that “has eyes on its wings”. I asked her why she might think that was. Miss 7 years old rolled her eyes and responded, “To scare away predators. I remember you telling me that!”
She proceeded to try to find it again. After a few minutes… success! “Look Mummy, it keeps flapping its wings but it’s not flying! Why is it doing that?”
I don’t know. Let’s see if we can find out.
She looks over my shoulder as I open google and type the question. The answer? Moths flap their wings to keep up their body temperature in cooler weather so that they are ready for flight! Wow! I didn’t know that! Neither did her father.
Once again the conduit to Mother Nature, aka my daughter, has expanded our view of the natural world.
This story was originally published in Tea with Mother Nature on June 29,2021.
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Reference: https://animalcorner.org/animals/moth/
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