3 Freaks of Nature

FREAKS OF NATURE

Later that afternoon, when Dad, Stink, and his friends got to the nature center, a young guy came out to meet them. "Hi, I'm Jasper," said the guy. He was tall and had a tiny beard on his chin. He wore a hat with a wide brim, a vest covered with little pockets, and rubber boots up to his knees. Dad shook hands with him, and the kids all told him their names. "I'm a grad student at the local college," said Jasper. "And I'll be your guide. Looks like it's just us today, huh? Everybody grab a bucket and a net. Let's head over to the vernal pool." The vernal pool was a small wetland surrounded by trees. Pussy willows and cattails lined the banks. "Are there bobcats here?" asked Webster. "Are there flying squirrels here?" Sophie asked. "You guys!" said Stink. "How about mosquitoes?" Sophie scratched an imaginary mosquito bite.

该页暂无翻译

"Mostly amphibians," said Jasper. "Luckily, they eat all the mosquitoes." "Amphibians are my favorite!" said Stink. "Especially frogs. Also skinks. And newts. I even make up comics about this superhero called Stink Frog." "Sounds cool. What does he do?" "Mostly he fights slime. But he's really good at swimming and he can put his head all the way under and he can jump higher than the Empire State Building. And once he saved the earth from a giant spitball. You know, like Spider-Man and the asteroid." "So, you're into Spider-Man?" said Jasper. "I used to collect Spider-Man comics." "Really? My dad did, too. I'm reading some of his from the seventies!" Dad nodded. "Stink, let's give Jasper a chance to tell us about the pond." "This is a vernal pool," said Jasper. "That means it's a wetland that's here mostly from rain and melted snow. Vernal pools are great habitats for all kinds of frogs, toads, turtles, and salamanders." "I have a Stuffed Animal Baby named Salamandra," Sophie chimed in. "Made of crushed

orange velvet." They walked out onto a short wooden dock that jutted out over the pond. "Shh!" said Jasper. He pointed. Five painted turtles sunned themselves on a rock. A small blue-tailed skink darted across the dock. Two red dragonflies dipped and dived over the pond. Water striders skipped across the surface. "Is that a stick bug?" asked Stink, pointing to a bug that looked like a stick. "A stinkbug?" said Webster, holding his nose closed. "That's a water scorpion," said Jasper. He took them down to the banks of the pond and lifted up

some leaf litter. Curled up underneath was a black salamander with yellow spots. "Spotted salamander?" Dad asked. "Yep. They're making a comeback," said Jasper. Jasper let everybody dip nets and buckets in the water. "Dip your bucket in, take a look, and then put it back," said Jasper. Sophie caught a fairy shrimp in her bucket. Webster caught a diving beetle. And Stink caught... a stick. A stick with glup on it. "Hey! There's a polka-dot jellyfish on my stick," said Stink, pointing to a clear jelly-like glob on the stick.