September 2008: Bug Hunt!

Thanks again to everyone who came out for our first meeting of the year! We had a great time, despite the rainy weather. After sightings, we played the insect punch game outside, and then we took our nets and our jars out into the damp morning and did a very thorough search for critters without backbones -- the invertebrates.

I'm happy to report that our list was long and impressive, despite the weather! We saw or caught:

• white faced meadowhawks
• other meadowhawk species
• white-marked tussock moth caterpillar
• a different species of tussock moth caterpillar
  
• bumblebee
• blow fly
• spread-winged damselfly (male)
  
• milkweed bug nymphs
• aphids
• long-horned grasshopper (female)
• a species of eupelmid
• several different leafhopper species
• cucumber beetle
• yellow jacket wasp nest
  

Very impressive for a cool, rainy morning!

In addition to the invertebrates, Young Naturalists also caught or saw:

• tadpoles
• leopard frogs
• a spring peeper
• minnows
• great blue heron

We're off to an awesome start for the year!

Remember, our next meeting is going to be about Nature Photography. If you have a digital camera, please remember to bring it. This is a rain-or-shine program; if we can't go outside, we'll bring nature inside. More information will follow!