Two full days spent in the forest with one main thing in mind- frog catching from the creek. Unfortunately, California has seemed to have lost most of its frogs years ago. We had them when we were kids but I haven't seen a frog in over 20 years in dear ol' Cali. But they got frogs here! And I hate to say it, but this was my girls' very first time ever to catch a real frog in the wild. Tadpoles galore when in Japan, but no grown ups. A few years ago I cheated when we built a toad home and I knew Mr. Toad would not find his way to his lovely new home, so I actually ordered some online and put them out in the garden without being seen. Sad, but so effective! They were so happy to find not one but three frogs out in the garden in the morning.
The catch!
A froggy kind of hug.
Then they wanted to feed them so went looking for some froggy grub.
And yes, they did offer this huge thing to the frogs though he was nearly as big as the frog.
There were tons of dogs here having the time of their lives.
As I was sitting down on a log on the side of the water I hear a woman shout, "Wilder Schwein!" I look up and a big, fat, huge, ugly, snorting wild boar is heading directly towards my head! Since I'm sitting on the ground he is at eye level charging straight ahead. I miraculously jump up and over about 3 feet in one swift move and manage to save myself. The boar charges on chasing down some dogs. All the people in the forest start shouting and running away with their dogs and as much as I would've liked to stick around to catch a good photo of this pig, we instead ran in the opposite direction up a hill and out of the forest! We were all laughing a crazy, frenetic laugh that really says, OMG I can't believe that just happened! The bummer of course is that now we're all chicken to go back to the forest. The forest we fell in love with and spent over 8 hours in this past weekend. The forest with the frog creek and the miles of trees with excellent little picnic spots that we had all sorts of plans for in the warming weather. I mention it to my mom on the phone and she immediately reminds me that the little boy in the Thornbirds was killed by a wild boar in the forest. Great. Though I never read this literary masterpiece I trust that they investigated the wild boar aspect of it thoroughly.
So, on another note while our little frog catching escapade looks completely idyllic in photos, in reality the Germans in the forest that day, as many other days- have a bit of a challenge minding their own business. I had numerous people expressing to me their disapproval of me letting my children catch frogs. Everything from it being dangerous for them to lean over the water to it not being right to scare the frogs. One woman stood for 10 minutes fully engaged in a monologue about how she killed little animals as a child so I really shouldn't be allowing it. I assured her no animals would be killed today and let the children be. Keep in mind the entire time her dog was running through the water. It apparently did not occur to her that her dog might be 'scaring' the frogs as well. She seemed absolutely incredulous when after all her talking that I didn't make my kids stop. At the end of her talking she said, "Aren't you going to make them stop?" I smiled and simply shook my head. She walked off in such a huff I thought she might actually call the police. The only creature that was able get us to pack up and go was that wild pig.
I do not let my kids play and catch frogs because I think we're human and therefor own the animal kingdom. I let them interact with nature because I believe it is the only way to raise conservationists. I don't think anyone can become an artist by touring art galleries and museums. An artist must at some point interact with their medium and actually paint, sculpt or draw. A writer does not become a writer by reading books, but by writing themselves. And a conservationist does not become a conservationist by walking on paths through forests or by looking at pictures of nature. Conservationists love nature. They love everything about it. They are not afraid to touch it or to get dirty. The girls absolutely adored these frogs and took excellent care of them while they were in their custody. We leave things in their natural habitat when we leave but I am not at all opposed to the girls bringing jars for temporary capture to get a closer look at them. They wanted to know how long their frog pals could stay under water and if they could tell if they were breathing so they brought a jar on the second day we went back.
By cultivating this real relationship with the natural world they are much more likely to take care of it and become environmentally responsible adults some day. They all asked why we don't have frogs in California anymore and the answer is pollution. This infuriated each one of them and lit a fire within that brought about that inner desire for change. This is a fire I'm comfortable with lighting. Simply ordering a children's magazine that talks about nature conservation from an intellectual perspective is not enough. Interaction with the natural world is the key to cultivating a love of nature and therefor cleaning up our planet.
