Ant Lion

Sunset, Fourth of July. I was on the beach with the little tots. Bonfire and what have you. "LOOK AT THE ANT LION," two girls ran up to me, one holding out her palm. She was holding an ugly bug with odd pinchers. "And ant lion because they bite the heads off ants!" I did not doubt it. "And look how it burrows!"

I faked a "Wooow," but then I watched and it was actually pretty cool. The bug sort of scooted its butt backwards into the sand. And then it was gone. They two chicadees dug it back up and re-watched its digging several times. Finally, they left it in a gnome home in the dune grass.

I'm not one to idolize children. I don't particularly enjoy the "Be like a child!" mantras because I think children are wholly more selfish and myopic than most humans. However, it is refreshing and wonderful to see the newness, to get amped about bugs, to make up names and insist their validity.