Infective Zest

Today's post features my nephew.
He is a nature enthusiast.
Contrary to the quote that I've posted before:

"... our young people are more aware of threats to the global
environment than they are of the natural world in their own backyards."

- David Elkind author of the NY Times article Playtime is Over

...my nephew knows exactly what lives in his backyard.
If there is an organism to be found, he will find it.

And when he finds it, his excitement is contagious to the entire family.

On this day, he found a snake and we all gathered to see it. Once, I found my Dad online trying to identify a mysterious 3 inch long insect found flying from a nest in the ground by their driveway (a cicada hunter wasp.) When my Mom washes and saves specific plastic containers, they're not for recycling but for future bug homes.


My sister is raising a child that spends hours
building the perfect home for a snake.

I love being around this little guy and his infective zest for all living things.
He inspires me to turn over more rocks, just see what's under them.