Tickling the Butterflies!

One thing you find in Kansas aside from loads of Wizard of Oz references, tornadoes and lots of wind, is grass.

Grass comes in all shapes and sizes. Some are thin, some are tall, some have tassel like ends, and some have bushy tails. Personally, I find it all fascinating. Yes, I know its just grass but it's just kinda interesting. You don't find a lot of interesting things on the prairie so you have to take what you can get.

The later, the ones with the bushy tails (it resembles a fox's tail) is the kind that has taken up root in my front garden. Let's just say I almost needed a machete to hack through the front garden this afternoon when for the first time since April, it got weeded. Apparently it was a good year for weeds.

Talia too has taken a liking to the bushy tail variety.

I have a huge blanket flower plant in the front garden that resides next to the fox tailed grass. I just I bought this year and it has taken over one side of my front garden.

Its a sea of yellow blossoms save for one splash of red from a petunia plant that grew there all on its own. The Kansas wind does its best to leave little surprises to my garden by depositing seedlings when I'm not looking.

The butterflies and moths seem to like the yellow blanket flowers too. T seems to like the bushy grass next to the yellow blanket flowers. She likes the grass not for any aesthetic reason but just because its great for 'tickling'.

Her father taught her this on a few walks we've taken around the neighbourhood. S grabs some stray grass and points it at T and goes 'tickle, tickle, tickle!' The game starts, T squeals and S runs away. Think a game of tag with a piece of grass. The game continues until they both get tired of it.

Oh what fun, right?! Not if you are a butterfly or moth.

T likes to use the fox tailed grass 'tickle' the butterflies and moths. Let's just say, the butterflies and moths are not so fond of being tickled.

As I start to pull the fox tailed grass, T squeals and says "Oh there my tickle grass!"...Oh dear look out bugs. As I pull weeds, I hear 'tickle, tickle, tickle' coming from my right.

She flops the head of the bushy grass on top of the butterflies and moths perched on the yellow blanket flowers. She squeals 'Tickle, tickle!' as she does.

As one can expect, the flying critters don't stay long after Ms Thing starts with the tickling. Its a good thing they don't have stingers or T would be in trouble.

The conversation that follows goes something like this:

T - "Awwwww! Where'd they all go Momma? I want to tickle them!"

Me - "I'm afraid my dear girl, they don't want to be tickled."

T - "But why?"

Fair question but how do you explain why butterflies don't want to be tickled to a curious 3 year old.

Anyone remember this Looney Tunes skit, it just seems appropriate...I will love him and squeeze him and call him George....