The Judy Moody Star Studded Collection - Megan Mcdonald [33]
Judy was dying to ask Ms. Stick Bug a question. She raised her hand, holding it as straight as a shortnose sturgeon. At last, Stephanie called on her.
“Do you have any northeast beach tiger beetles?” asked Judy.
“No, I’m sorry we don’t,” said Stephanie. “Those are endangered in Virginia and that would be a good specimen for our collection.”
What kind of endangered species museum did not have any northeast beach tiger beetles?
“Do you have any cave isopods?” asked Jessica Smartypants Finch.
“What’s an ice-o-pod?” asked Rocky.
“An isopod is a crustacean like a sow bug,” answered Stephanie. “Think of it like a pill bug, or a wood louse. You’ll find those in Arachnid Hall.”
“Ick! A louse is lice!” said Rocky.
Judy still couldn’t see why they didn’t have any northeast beach tiger beetles. After all, they had a bunch of creepy crustaceans, licey isopods, and pillbuggy pests.
Judy raised her hand again. She wanted to sound as smart as Jessica Finch.
“Excuse me,” she said. “Do you have any two-toed sloths here? Tropical treehoppers? Nocturnal aye-ayes?”
“We don’t have a rain forest exhibit,” said Ms. Stick Bug. “But it’s a great idea. Maybe someday.”
The whole class got to touch an orange-foot pimpleback pearlymussel shell and hear a story about a Dismal Swamp shrew.
“Everything in this whole place is endangered,” said Frank.
“My grade in Science is endangered, too,” said Judy.
The very next morning, Judy started her own search for a real live northeast beach tiger beetle. Before school, she grabbed a peanut butter jar from the recycling bin and ran out into the backyard. She tapped on tree bark. She crawled through itchy grass. She peered down into the dirt.
“Here, beetle, beetle,” called Judy. “Don’t be endangered.”
She did not find one single beetle. All she found was an acorn hat, a slug, and a not-recycled candy wrapper.
“Judy!” called her Dad. “What are you doing out there in your pajamas?”
“Looking for a northeast beach tiger beetle,” said Judy. “They’re endangered. Mr. Todd says saving endangered species begins in your own backyard,” said Judy.
“Not before breakfast in your pajamas,” said Dad. “All the beetles are still sleeping.”
At school that day, Judy searched for a picture of her beetle. And a few facts. She looked in the dictionary. She looked in the encyclopedia. She looked in bug books. She even looked on the computer. No luck. Most of the beetles in the computer were the John Lennon and Paul McCartney kind of Beatles.
The next day was Saturday. Frank Pearl called Judy. “Can I come over?”
“Not unless you bring a northeast beach tiger beetle with you.”
“Okay,” said Frank.
“You found one?” Judy asked. “For real?”
“Not a live one. But I found a picture of one. Do you have any stamps at your house?” asked Frank.
“What’s stamps got to do with anything?”
“Just go see if you have any stamps. Stamps with bugs.”
Judy put down the phone and ran to find some stamps in her parents’ desk.
“Just boring old flags,” she told Frank.
“Well, I have gazillions of stamps and —”
“How come you have so many stamps?”
“I collect them. I was pasting some in my album when I saw your beetle on one of the stamps.”
“Bring it over right away,” said Judy. “Tell your mom it’s an emergency.”
Half an hour later, Frank rang the doorbell. “Finally!” said Judy, pulling him into the living room.
Frank put his stamp album on the coffee table and opened it up. He turned to the Insects and Spiders page. “Look at all the beetles,” said Frank. “That’s a lady beetle — those are good luck. And there’s a dung beetle, a Hercules beetle, and a spotted water beetle. Even an elderberry longhorn beetle.”
“Which one is it?” Judy shrieked. Frank pointed to a beetle with a shiny green head and eyes like an alien. Printed below the beetle it said Cicindela dorsalis dorsalis.
“That’s not a northeast beach tiger beetle,” said Judy. “It’s some kind of a Cinderella beetle.”
“It’s Latin,” said Frank.
“Latin? Don’t they have any beetles that speak English?”
“Read what it says underneath.”
Northeast beach