Even though its been 24 years, one look at this insect and I was six years old again. My brother and I, at grandmas house, two explorers ready for an expedition through the vast untamed wilderness that was her backyard. There was a forest, too vast to comprehend, what seemed at the time like a cliff leading down to a raging river (its crazy how big everything seems when your so little). If you went far enough into the forest you could find the remains of old structures, undistinguishable what they were at this point, and our favorite, an old dilapidated car. We would spend hours at the creek catching crawfish, minnows, salamanders and the occasional snake. We were in our glory, with all the new and exciting things we could ask for.
One day while exploring at grandmas we found this extremely unique and interesting bug, an Eyed Click Beetle (Alaus Oculatus ) , and we were intrigued. We spent the next 3 hours playing with it, flipping it on it back and watching it impossibly flip into the air with a loud click and land perfectly upright every time. To our six and seven year old minds, there was no way this insect could have been discovered. How could something this awesome be out there and everyone not know about it.
Thank you Steemians for giving me a place to share this wonderful experience. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoys sharing it.