Gardens are blooming and our six legged-friends are everywhere! Did you know there are both good and bad insects in your garden? The butterfly, lady bug, bee, spider, and praying mantis are just a few of your garden's best friends.
Insect Safari
Go on a hunt for insects in your yard with a check list, a pencil and a magnifying glass to see how many 'friends' or 'foes' you find. For a guide of insects, fun facts and other activities go to https://www.bugfacts.net/index.php
Take a Micro Hike
Using a piece of string, measure a one foot area in your yard to be the trail for each hiker. Imagine you’ve shrunk to the size of a bug. Lay down and begin your hike very slowly, getting close enough to see every detail. Imagine that you are a bug taking a journey on the same path. How many blades of grass would you need to pass? How many insects did you see along that path? Use photos or drawings to recreate what you saw.
An Ant's Trail Tale
Ants use their sense of smell or antennae to get back to their nests when searching for food.
You'll need a grassy yard and 2 pencils. Find an ant's nest in your yard (you might see a hill or a tunnel near or under a rock). Carefully using one pencil, guide an ant onto the second pencil. Gently carry that ant a few steps away from the original point, put it back down and watch what happens. Does your ant find it's way back? How long does it take?
Find more information on the world of insects at Smithsonian Institute and National Geographic Kids
Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs ~ Burris
The Very Hungry Caterpillar ~ Carle
National Geographic Kids Bugs! ~ Evans
Honey Bee ~ Fleming
The Case of the Bug on the Run ~ Freeman
Insect Superpowers ~ Messner
Bug Jokes ~ Rosenberg
The Bug Girl: A True Story ~ Spencer
Good Bugs For Your Garden ~ Starcher
Max's Bug ~ Wells
Hello Garden Bugs ~ Various Authors
Look for more fun stuff from the library on Thursday!