Friday, July 24, 2009

Do you like Creepy Crawlies?

Outside my window I can hear the sound of cicadas - hundreds, maybe thousands, of them. Their sound is a sign of summer, but I wish they were a little less noisy or could sing a nicer song.

In Japan, many people, especially children, seem to like insects. And there are a lot of big size bugs, too. Even the ants are huge.

In New Zealand, people are not so keen on bugs, that's why we call them 'creepy crawlies'. There aren't very many big ones either.

The most famous big bug in New Zealand is a weta.

Cave weta. Photo: Mike Aviss.

There are about 70 kinds of weta, but some are now endangered. They look similar to a grashopper, but bigger and scarier. The giant weta can be up to 10cm long. Wetas are nocturnal, which means they are active at night. I often saw wetas on the verandah of my parent's house in the evenings.

If you like bugs and get a chance to visit New Zealand, keep your eyes out for a weta.

By the way, thanks for the food sentences. Anymore?


Vocabulary

keen on - like or are interested in.
"I'm keen on going to the fireworks tomorrow."

endangered - in trouble

keep your eyes out for - try to see/find something

3 comments:

  1. Hi! MARK,
    I read your article interestingly.
    When I was a child, but I surely loved that I caught cicadas too. And I used a cobweb to catch cicadas. We installed a circular frame made with wire by one end of a bamboo pole.
    And we moved some cobwebs set in the garden on the circular frame.
    We used such a tool.
    I feel nostalgic for my childhood
    By the way, I have a question.
    The word "crawly" (crawlies) is a noun. Isn’t it?
    However, according to my dictionary, it is only an adjective.
    Is it common as a noun?
    M.ASO

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Mark
    (THis is for checking to post safely)
    Does weta bite or sting person and have poison?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm relieved to see safe arrival.

    ReplyDelete