James Johnson Theodore, the box elder bug

One afternoon on a walk, Ansel found his first box elder bug of the season. Ansel’s always loved catching bugs and it seems as though box elder bugs have a special place in his heart. 

This specific bug he named James (Johnson Theodore). He put him in a jar and filled it with a rock, dirt, some plants, and Cheerios. He watched the bug climb around and would sometimes take it out. 

“James, where are you?” I heard him ask his little friend in earnest one afternoon. He was letting the bug crawl around on his shirt and now couldn’t find him. He was looking everywhere, very worried.  It was a tense five minutes and Ansel was distraught. Then I heard him laugh. “There you are!” The bug had crawled in the crevices of his shirt and under his armpit. “Don’t do that again, Jamesie,” he said with all the love in his heart for his little buddy.