One of the greatest joys of my life has been the numerous natural history walks I've been able to lead over the years to introduce people to the natural world. My 2019 "field season" opened at dusk when more than two dozen people, many of them kids, arrived in the parking area of Avalonia's Babcock Ridge preserve for a night-time trek to the vernal pool complex I've been happily showing off to any and all. In truth, it was terrible night for a nature walk: way too cold for amphibians and, in all likelihood, way too early to spot anything interesting. But my pessimism didn't pan out, and the kids quickly took the lead to find all sorts of critters. Soon, there were Marbled Salamander and mosquito larvae on display in my collecting pan, but the hit of the evening was provided by a group of deft-handed girls I dubbed the "fairy shrimp whisperers." They braved cold fingers to provide the crowd with great looks at one of the vernal's signature invertebrates.