Bug Catchers!

When Joshua's first praying mantis laid her egg sac, she died within two days. His second mantis seems to be heartier. She is showing no signs of slowing down and this morning Joshua wanted me to take him over to his school so he could catch bugs to feed her. With Joshua's bug net and bug cage in hand, we piled into the car and drove to school.
Joshua was quick to show me the best spots to catch bugs, and I watched him wander into the tall weeds after a moth. He returned quickly to deposit the moth into the cage I was holding and asked if I wanted to come into the weeds, too. I just smiled and said, "No, thanks." I could imagine all the prickers in there and wasn't interested in getting a collection of them on my jeans. Instead I enjoyed watching Joshua go after the bugs.
He really is impressive. Sometimes he slowly and quietly approaches his subject, pauses to assess the situation, then quickly pounces and snatches it up victoriously.
Other times he takes his bug net and chases a moth or butterfly, then swish, swish, he has it in the net. I couldn't get over how quickly he was able to get the moths in the net. If there is a skill for bug catching, Joshua has it.
It also made me laugh to hear him talking to his prey. "Ha, ha. Now you're going to be lunch for a praying mantis." Then, plop, into the cage they would go.
At one point I told Joshua I think he's a really good bug catcher. He smiled.
A few minutes later I saw him crouching down looking at something and he called to me, "Mom, do you want to catch one?" I went over to where he was and he said, "Do you see it?" I didn't. He pointed harder and said, "Right there." I still didn't see it. I had seen lots of bugs previously but they somehow all managed to hide from me and I was afraid this one would elude me, too. But Joshua was giving me a chance to catch a bug he found and I didn't want to lose this one. I thought, C'mon, Karen. Look! See the bug! Don't mess this one up. "Oh, I see it!" And I tried to grab it as quickly as I'd seen Joshua move. "Did you get it?" Joshua asked. I had a bunch of stuff in my hand. Leaves and grass, for sure. But then I felt something moving and I said, "I think I have it!" Joshua opened the cage and I, oh so carefully, opened up my hand to deposit the grass hopper.
By then it was time for us to head home, so we made our way back to the car with our cage full of bugs. All totaled, there were three moths, one butterfly (which Joshua thinks he wants to keep as a pet until it dies so he can put it on his bug board) and five grasshoppers. Joshua had a very satisfied look on his face and I was glad I had agreed to take him bug catching. I complimented him on his successful hunt and he thanked me for helping. I replied, "I only caught one bug." Joshua was quick to remind me I had pointed out the moths and one of the grasshoppers to him. "I wouldn't have gotten them without your help," he so graciously added.
We high-fived each other and smiled. Yep. We're bug catchers!