Escargot, Anyone?

After the kids were in bed, Leighton and I grabbed a flashlight and went outside to look at our garden. Why did we go out late at night after it was dark? I don't know. Maybe it was because it was cooler then. Maybe because it's fun to shine a flashlight in the dark. Maybe because it was the first chance we got.  Whatever the reason, we were glad we did. 

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves. A rabbit scurried through the yard. An earwig buried itself deep into our corn. And the light bounced around, casting a soft glow on everything it touched.

As Leighton was inspecting our strawberry plants, he found a surprise, or two actually. Slithering around, munching on our precious plants, were two little snails. 

I got out the mini-aquarium, and Leighton filled it with dirt, a stick, and a couple leaves. Then he placed our captives in their new, temporary environment.

Unlike last time, we didn't add 6 other bugs and allow a toddler to run around, shaking the container.

The two of us were so excited to see the snails emerge from their shells and explore their new habitat. We were like little kids in awe of our new "pets."

Jake and Alyssa were just as happy in the morning to see the aquarium when they walked into the kitchen. "What's in there? What is it? What did you get? What's in there???" Since snails are nocturnal, we had to search under the leaves to find them. The kids thought it was funny that we fed them Romaine leaves. They also enjoyed finding the "web" of mucus showing everywhere the snails went.

We're planning to keep the snails as long as they hold the kids' attention. Then we'll transfer them back to the great outdoors. Or, we can cook them up for a Tasty Tuesday.

Escargot, anyone?