Bugs - heh... Ya Never Know What They're Thinking - And Something About the Gulf Oil War, Too
Since I do educational outreach programs with living Arthropods (referred to below as BUGS!), I have to actually have bugs. Some people think that’s weird. I’m okay with that. I don’t imagine many would find it surprising that I have always had bugs – or something. I mean Bluegills in the basement bathtub, countless beetles and caterpillars and butterflies in nets and other random containers, tons of rolly-pollies and fireflies… you get the idea. I mean, I drove my Mom nuts!
Scientific Literacy Applied to Everyday Life – you can do it too!
Please indulge me a charming aside from A.A. Milne in order to set the stage for my essay…. (don’t worry, it’s charming)The House at Pooh Corner (pg 93-94)In Which Pooh Invents a New Game and Eeyore Joins In
A Naturalist's Take On Nature Deficit Disorder
I complain every time we have a family dinner at my sister’s house. Don’t get me wrong, I like my family and everything, but she moved with her daughter and son way out to the remotest parts of central Ohio and it takes forever to get there. But certain benefits are hard to measure.This is her son, my nephew, with the smaller of their two Great Danes in the background. I’ll try to spare you the ‘cutest-nephew-in-the-world, proud uncle’ stuff.
Ground-Nesting Wasps - Great To Watch If You Get A Chance - Keep A Sharp Eye Out!
One day last summer, I was making a feeble stab at cleaning the deck (or as I like to call it the “backyard basement!”) There was a long, thin plastic planter (junk) with dirt in it sprouting some grasses that had happened there on their own. I noticed a commotion in the soil and saw a treehopper partway stuck in a little hole, wiggling around to try to get in the rest of the way. Strange bug behavior! I realized this was actually the prey of a ground nesting wasp.
Kill the Spider - at least don't let your Brown Recluse Loose!
When I am out doing bug programs I am often asked (with a slow-down-to-look-at-an-accident wince); “where do you keep all these bugs? Do they stay at your house?” I explain about the shelves with the lights, or the bug room and usually digress into a shopworn lecture on respect and the difference between invited and uninvited guests.And the position I take on respect is this: that respect is a matter of making good decisions based on your understanding of the situation. The better you understand, the more respectful your decisions will be (unless you’re trying to be bad). The less you understand, the more likely you should be to do nothing – learn more.
