“Quick! Get a jar! I found a mole cricket!” I heard my bug girl call from outside the kitchen. Surely, this was a name she came up with on her own. Bug boy was quick to respond to the call and the critter was soon tucked away inside the first available bug jar. (I think they must practice their response time).
After inquiring about this new name, I was assured that in fact there really was a bug called a mole cricket. They read it in a book. A quick Google search showed this was indeed true and the one they had caught looked just like the pictures.
The bug jar was soon filled with dirt and then the real fun of a mole cricket began.
“Mom! Quick, come look at this!” I’d walk over to see the dirt moving from one side to the other as it tunneled underground. Occasionally it would tunnel along the side of the container so they could watch it go deeper.
A few days later it could no longer be found and the kids assumed it had died. They went outside to dump out the dirt, but there it was, alive and well, buried far from the surface and away from curious little hands.
7 in PNG 