Bug Eyes!

How did you feel when you arrived at Coyote Nature School?  A few of us were happy for the warmer weather and it looked like the bugs all around us were happier too!  Were you able to find some bugs on Sunrise Field when you first arrived?  Beaver was on the lookout for moths.  How many did you find? How many found you?

After listening to the story Bug Zoo, we realized that bugs can be collected in containers but are happiest when they can experience the freedom of nature.  Catfish mentioned the outdoors has more space for flying and moving around.  Did you enjoy moving around when we played Rock Paper Scissors Bug Life Cycle?  How many times were you able to move from the egg to the cocoon/chrysalis to the moth/butterfly stage?  Did you enjoy moving from one stage to another?  Looks like we also like the freedom that being outside gives us.  

How is our living space different from that of an ant or a centipede?  Off we went with our sticks and strings and created our own mini-trails.  Thanks Dragonfly for providing us with some mini creatures to move along our trails.  Beaver, what made you decide to put a bridge over your trail?  Why did you use maple keys on your trail, Grey Wolf and Monarch?  Lots of creative ways to make the mini trails fun for our mini characters.   Did you see any live bugs interested in following your trail?

Snapping Turtle found a bent branch that made a great support for our Turtle Tower in Cedar Hideaway. Water Strider added some smaller branches and Catfish found some sticky plants (called Cleavers) to help fill in the gaps. What else could you use cleavers for? Maybe we will work on it some more next week? 

We can see you Water Strider and Monarch!

Grey Wolf used cleavers for a nature boat.

Grey Squirrel’s book let us know that bugs make sounds just like us. She also had a scavenger hunt for us to do.  

After lunch, Antman arrived!  He let us know about noises that bugs make but also about all the things they like to do and eat!  Ants love to eat hornets and some bugs like flies love to eat poop!  They also clean up things for us in nature like the dead squirrel we saw on the hill at the Hall.  In the Hall, we had a chance to see honey bees, hornets, wasps, super bugs and of course Antman’s favourite…ants! 

While some of us studied about ants and other bugs, Dragonfly and Otter were working at the Bug Hotel construction site.  Some bees don't use or make a hive. They are known as Solitary Bees and don't mind being by themselves. Except they do mind getting too cold or wet. What kind of plants make a good choice for solitary bees? Hope your Bug Hotel attracts lots of bees and other bugs when you set it up in your yard!  Remember to give them lots of space and don’t worry… even if they leave, they may be back again to visit!

After exploring for bugs in Mystery Forest our ticket back to the hall was to say one fact we had learned about bugs.  Talk to your family about one or more facts you learned from Antman.  We shared as a group in Mystery Forest, can you think of more?  What do ants like in their habitats?  Who are the hardest working bees?  What happened when we touched the Super Worms?  When you are out exploring, remember to put on your bug eyes!  Happy Trails!

Snack time on Butterfly Hill.