Little Rascal

Look at this sweet, adorable face - who could ever imagine he'd get up to ANY mischief?

This delightful little "innocent," punished me for leaving him behind while I enjoyed myself Downeast 350 miles away, surveying northern lakes for invasive plants. I returned with an American Arrowhead specimen that was perfect for pressing and preserving whilst still in spectacular and delicate flowering glory. I took special care to keep it well watered and protected whilst packed in the car on the long journey home, making sure not to let anything brush against its delicate, papery-thin petals.

Once back home, I stood it on the kitchen counter in a basin of water, ready to be pressed the following day, but before I could finish my morning coffee, I saw that Cattus mischiefous had jumped DOWN off the counter (from which he is prohibited) and was licking his lips with relish. When I investigated, the only possible edible thing I could find on the countertop was ... my Arrowhead specimen ...

Yes, indeed, that little rascal had gnawed the juicy fresh flower off the top of the flower stem, as well as a few off the side! Some flowers were already past peak, but he picked the good ones! What a naughty little scamp - the very part that I was most concerned about preserving! He's lucky he still breathes (it took a whole day after the act before I could bring myself to photograph the damage)!

But seriously, I found it so hard to remain angry with him (he's unbelievably adorable), and was concerned he may get sick after chewing them off, so checked up on Google and found he wasn't in ANY danger. Now I can laugh about it, but I'll have to try pressing a new sample.

I also found him on the dining table later that day, licking his lips again. Uh-oh. When I checked the table, I saw that he'd pushed the lid of the butter dish back in order to feast on one of his favorite forbidden snacks. In all the months he's been with us, he's never opened the butter dish before (and we always leave it out). Well, now we keep an elastic band over the lid. What a little rascal.