The wolf in us all

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Unmasking the truth about nature's monsters.

Possible wolfman sighting by Jill Sublett

Time for some summer fun. 

Ijams summer camps began last week, and wouldn't you know, it was on a full moon. This brought out Max, the Southside Where-Wolf, who made a guest, albeit in chains, appearance at the Monster! Nature Day Camp.

The second, third and fourth graders, got to interview a werewolf, an unfortunate monster. For 28 days, Max is a normal man, a mechanic who specializes in vintage MG repair. Then on the night of the 29th day — every full moon — he becomes a werewolf and pitches a super bad temper tantrum. He goes berserk!

This time, after his hissy fit, the wolfman broke from his chains and raced into the forest, but the camp kids were able to track him. They found Max waking from his delirium in the woods by the river, somewhat embarrassed by his lycanthropic conniption.

Max warned all the campers that learning to control their tempers was hard but they could do it, because you often hurt someone you love with your beastly outbursts. 

Not everything in nature that seems like a monster, be it spider, snake, wolf, bat, hawk, crawdad, vulture or creepy, crawly millipede, is a monster. But these animals are not pernicious, they have their role in the natural world. Monster! Nature Day Camp is designed to separate the fact from the fiction and to have a little fun doing it.

- Photos by Augusta. Monster wranglers, Chloe and Fireball.

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