When you work at being curious about everything around you, eventually it becomes second nature. You don’t even realize you’re doing it…until you find yourself sitting on the ground three feet from a ground squirrel, watching it eat for 40 minutes.
At first, we thought our 13-Lined Ground squirrel buddies were eating cute little white flowers. It was an adorable Disney moment like Thumper eating clover flowers in Bambi.
Then I asked myself, do ground squirrels even eat flowers? It didn’t seem likely. Obviously, I *had to* watch them eat to find out what they were really eating. I went into full Jane Goodall Mode. Before I knew it, I was dialed in, sitting on the ground with my camera; committed to observing the rodents for as long as took.
It turns out they were not eating flowers. They were eating grubs. And they were good at it. It took them about one minute to dig up and eat one grub. Then they were onto the next one, all the while keeping an eye on me and my camera as I scootched closer and closer.
They held the grubs like a banana and ate them starting with the head. And with gusto. It wasn’t so much a charming Snow-White-with-her-animal friends moment as it was a Bunnicula moment. Ew. But I had my answer.
Are ground squirrels a bit less adorable in my eyes now? Yes, but now I see they’re gritty and resourceful. They’re helping control the June Bug population.
Doing my own “research” is my favorite. Losing track of time while I’m outside is my favorite.
Do I think everyone should drop what they’re doing and observe the animals around them? Well, yes, but that’s not realistic. What if we could get everyone to commit to choosing curiosity once a day? Look under a leaf, examine a raindrop, follow a caterpillar, stare at the clouds, and peek in the hole. Do it until it becomes second nature. Unleash your curiosity.
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