bug_candy

voices growing in volume.

I heard one child say, "I'll trade you this bug for your moth, I don't have that one yet."

"Naw, but I'll give you this bug for the other one you have." Came a reply.

When I rounded the curve on the trail, I saw several young campers swapping insects. Others were near the lighted sheets, selecting bugs they didn't have. It
reminded me of children in an old country store, crowding around and poking their noses against the glass, all looking at the assortment of candies on display.
Giggles and laughter were heard.

As I stood in the darkness, listening to their cheerful voices filtering through the cool night air, one camper approached me and swapped me a leaf hopper for a
beautiful moth. I thought I had hit the mother lode! I proudly showed showed it off the next day to everyone.

Wednesday, all of us went on a field trip to a gorgeous sunflower field. I took photo after photo of those large yellow flowers. Huge flying bugs, that looked like
bumble bees, collected on the flowers along with honey bees. The bright contrasts in the various shades of yellow on the flowers and the insects made many
beautiful images.

The night before we were to go home, we had to perform skits we'd put together. Campers were randomly placed in groups to act out these skits. It was a fun
time, especially when one of the main entomology instructors pulled out his collection of harmonicas, and played for us. He was a great musician and I thoroughly
enjoyed the night!

I was sad the next day when it was time to leave, because I'd made some good friends. I knew I would miss them, particularly the water and pillow fights we had
by the pool each night. All in all, it was a wonderful experience, and it was fun just being a kid again, swapping my "bug candy."

It was in July of 2006 and I had the privilege of spending five days with the staff and student
campers of Mississippi State University's 4-H Entomology camp, located in Newton County,
Mississippi. I went to observe the staff and students during seminars and study, as they
captured and placed each insect in a collection. As a professional photographer, I really enjoyed
the photo opportunities I had. I always woke up well before most people, put my coffee on to
brew, and as I waited, I took photos of the sun coming up each morning.

The students, all turned campers, were aged eleven through seventeen and really getting excited
working their projects, so it made me feel like a kid again. We would all go out a night equipped
with flashlights and bug jars, to walk through the woods in search of bugs. We'd also hike to
where we had preset white bed sheets, illuminated with a fluorescent lamp to see what had
gathered. Hundreds of insects would land on the sheets and the campers would carefully collect
and seal selected bugs into a 'kill' jar.

One night, I was walking through the inky woods and heard excited voices in distance. I moved
forward carefully, watching for snakes and pushing the tree branches out of my face, to hear the