livingfamilytravelmediahome decor

I buzzed over to Montreal this weekend

To push myself up into the higher ranks of the Mother-of-the-Year contest, I took Stella to Montreal this weekend. Yes, we went shopping and got Mommy & Me pedi’s & mani’s!

Did I have you convinced — even momentarily — on that one? Okay, okay. We know my Stella would never entertain such notions. But I did go to Montreal.

And I just may be up for Mother-of-the-Year, too! Because, surely, spending the weekend looking at tarantulas, cockroaches and giant beetles has to count for something. (Please, please tell me it counts for something!)

Here is a highlight from our visit to the Insectarium. This is a praying mantis enjoying a lovely little snack — the head of a live cricket.

mantis sma

Watching this praying mantis with a mix of fascination and horror is my girlfriend Pam, who joined us with her son, who is also 7 years old. You will not be surprised by the look on her face to know that she is saying: “This is SO DISGUSTING! But I JUST CAN’T look away!”

pam sm

Now, as much as you are probably dying to hear more about these sweet little creatures, I don’t want to spill too much. Details will be forthcoming though in articles for the Ottawa Citizen and The City Traveler.

In the meantime, I will share some tidbits with you that are bound to come in handy in the week ahead.

  • There are lots of ants in the world: Only 2% of insects live in social groups, but they represent more than 50% of the total biomass of all insects.
  • Insects are very romantic: When night falls, it’s time for walkingsticks to engage in their two main activities: eating and mating. They even eat while mating, over a period of hours.
  • Humans are weird: Young men in the Waiapa tribe of Brazil are initiated into their tribe with a ritual that involves suffering in silence while they are being stung by ants trapped in wooden tubes against their skin.

And one final, completely unnecessary piece of information:

  • My weight is equivalent to 3.5 million ants.

Comments

  1. Can’t wait to read about the insectarium and its residents in your upcoming articles!

  2. Ooooh… sounds like a cool road trip with The Boy.

  3. Looking forward to reading all about it! Might be a good day trip the my boy and I this week.
    K

  4. er, for my boy and me, not the my boy….

  5. Oh, we love the insectarium! Am looking forward to reading your take !!

Speak Your Mind

*