Bugs Bring Happiness to an Aspiring Entomologist
It all started with a social media post that drew my attention. An 8-year old young man was holding Jaret C. Daniels’s book Insects & Bugs North America, which he and his mom had recently purchased at the Florida Museum. In the post, the boy’s mom wrote, “My #bugboy” is in bug heaven!” I needed to know more, so I reached out to the mom, who agreed for bugboy, aka Leighton, to tell me about his love for bugs. So here is the story of Leighton, who is well on his way to becoming an entomologist.
When asked who got him interested in bugs and insects, Leighton said, “Myself.” He caught a baby snail at the age of 2 or 3 and thought that the snail was interesting to observe, and he has loved bugs ever since.
He shares his knowledge with his peers at recess when he talks about bugs and looks for examples to show his school friends.
Leighton is drawn to bugs because of the sheer infinite variety. He loves to constantly study and look for new critters. Bugs are cool and interesting. There are so many, and he is happy that he can always find new ones.
He mostly hunts for bugs in the evenings with his new magnifying glass and bug book. For research he uses several bug books and also looks the species up on the internet.
His favorite places to find bugs are under rocks, under dead trees, and around trees. He is also always up for a visit to bug exhibits at a museum or at the zoo. And it goes without saying that Leighton is very excited about the Cicadas Brood X!
Going forward, Leighton wants to continue researching new bugs and hopes, one day, to discover a new bug species and name it. He definitely thinks that becoming an entomologist would be a good job for him.
We certainly hope that Leighton continues to enjoy studying bugs and realizes his dreams.
If you are interested in bugs and insects, check out Insects & Bugs for Kids and Insects & Bugs Backyard Workbook, both by Jaret C. Daniels.
If bugs and insects are not your thing, Jaret is also the author of Vibrant Butterflies: Our Favorite Visitors to Flowers and Gardens; Our Love of Bees, and Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Bees & Butterflies: Southeast.
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