The first educational event for local home-schoolers, at Paradise Valley Nature Reserve was a great success. The children (and parents!) were such a joy with their interest and enthusiasm. 100 people came!
With lots of insect photos and videos, the presentation shows how insects hatch and grow up, how they breathe (in air and in water), how they feed (different diets, different equipment) and how they stay alive (mimicry, camouflage and other more exotic predator avoidance strategies).
By the end of the presentation everyone was just itching to go insect-hunting. No killing of course, just catch, look and release.
There were some lovely results. Many kids found the skins of cicadas clinging to tree trunks, which have been emerging from their long underground existence, in time for Christmas. Others found crane flies, a soldier fly, a miniature ladybird, damselflies, antlions – both pit building and roaming, some interesting bugs, and many more.
The hands-down winner: a Fool’s Gold Beetle. This is a tortoise beetle of the leaf beetle family.
EASTERaction 