Synergy: Celebrating Insects

INSECTS are small invertebrates. These arthropods usually have six legs and one or two pairs of wings. They also have a well-defined head, thorax, and abdomen. Although they are sometimes considered pests, they serve essential roles in nature.

To understand a concept, it’s useful to read a cluster of books related to a theme. Explore these recently published books for young people:

WHAT’S INSIDE A CATERPILLAR COCOON? written by Rachel Ignotofsky answers commonly asked questions about moths and butterflies. This beautifully illustrated picture book brings the insect world alive for young readers. ARC courtesy of Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

PLEASE DON’T BITE ME!: INSECTS THAT BUZZ, BITE, AND STING written by Jazzy Pakpour and illustrated by Owen Davey examines pesky insects including lice, mosquitoes, wasps, cockroaches, bedbugs, and fleas and the reasons they’re often misunderstood. Children will enjoy the simple, attractive illustrations and interesting scientific facts. ARC courtesy of Flying Eye Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

CATERPILLARS: WHAT WILL I BE WHEN I GET TO BE ME? written by Kevin McCloskey is part of the Giggle and Learn series. Combining scientific information with a fun approach, learners explore the life cycle of moths and butterflies along with their important role as pollinators. Of particular note is the picture book’s use of speech bubbles and other sequential art techniques in storytelling. ARC courtesy of TOON Books, an imprint of Astra Publishing House.

IT IS TIME: THE LIFE OF A CATERPILLAR by Lizzy Rockwell is a science book for beginning readers. Exploring the life cycle of a butterfly, the book uses short sentences and key terms to introduce the science concepts through an engaging story. ARC courtesy of Holiday House.

EYEWITNESS INSECT from DK is a highly-illustrated reference book exploring a wide range of insects. This newly updated DK Eyewitness Book provides information about anatomy, behavior, habitats, and compares related creatures. ARC courtesy of DK.

Synergy: Butterflies

BUTTERFLIES are insects with a four-stage life cycle. Part of the Lepidoptera order, some butterflies like the painted lady migrate over long distances. Butterfly gardens contain plants that provide nectar for adult butterflies and a habitat that nurtures the stages of their development.

Encourage students to learn about the butterflies common to your area, then involve them in designing a butterfly garden to attract these creatures.

Read the recently published informational children’s picture book, then learn more at the websites:

THE STORY OF A BUTTERFLY by Margaret Rose Reed explores the life cycle and habitat of the Painted Lady butterfly. Two friends take a field trip to a butterfly garden along with their class and decide to make their own community garden. The storybook approach introduces young readers to the science of butterflies along with the joy of learning. The picture book concludes with additional information about the Painted Lady butterfly and a comparison of moths and butterflies. ARC courtesy of Sourcebooks eXplore.

BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS OF NORTH AMERICA is a database providing information about the wide range of Lepidoptera found in North America. Readers are encouraged to participate in their online project.

To search the database, go to https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org.

To read about the Painted Lady, go to https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Vanessa-cardui.

BASICS OF BUTTERFLY GARDENING from the North American Butterfly Association provides the basics of starting a butterfly garden.

To read the article, go to https://nababutterfly.com/start-butterfly-garden/.

Digital Spotlight: Ph.H. Gosse Collection

The P. H. GOSSE Digital Collection contains color drawings of insects.

Contents: The digital collection contains 49 color drawings of butterflies, caterpillars, moths, beetles, dragonflies, and other insects.

Classroom Connections: Involve students in selecting a drawing to use in a science project. Ask them to label the image and research the insect.

To visit the collection, go to http://diglib.auburn.edu/collections/phgosse/.

Tech Review: National Pollinator Week

NATIONAL POLLINATOR WEEK is June 15-21, 2015. Pollinator Partnership is an informational website the promotes the health of pollinators that are critical to food and ecosystems. There’s also an app available called BeeSmart: Pollinator Gardener that guides users through the process of selecting plants for pollination.

Sponsored by dozens of government agencies, industries and corporations, non-profit organizations, and foundations, the website includes guides, helpful resources, and ways to get involved with protecting pollinators.

The “About Us” section explores information about the project’s mission, people, partners, and projects. The What Is Pollination? page answers FAQs about pollinators and pollination. Check out the Projects page for links to many ongoing activities related to pollination. The SHARE (Simply Have Areas Reserved for the Environment) page provides step-by-step instructions for how to plant for pollination. Users can even share their project online.

The “Planting Guides” section provides free information and guides for selecting plants based on your ecoregion by zip code.

The “Useful Resources” section links to dozens of websites focusing on topics such as bees, education, farming/ranching, gardens, hunting/fishing, monarchs, medicinal plants, and more.

The “Get Involved” section explores many ways that individuals can have a positive impact by making a difference in the lives of bees, birds, butterflies, and bats. The page includes PDFs on pollinators that can be downloaded and printed, activities for kids, and other resources.

The 2015 “They Don’t Eat Their Pollinators” infographic focuses on carnivorous plants of North America and their pollinators. This poster would be excellent as part of a display featuring books and other materials about the importance of pollination.

To visit the website, go to http://www.pollinator.org.

For resources associated with Pollinator Week, go to http://www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2015.htm.

Download the 2015 poster at http://www.pollinator.org/poster2015_ab.

To download the BeeSmart app, go tohttp://www.pollinator.org/beesmartapp.htm