Month: September 2011 (Page 1 of 7)

Bug of the Week: Click Beetle

You would think that with over one million species of insects on the planet, it wouldn’t be difficult to come up with a new one each week. Some weeks are easier than others. This was not one of them.:-)

I did manage to find this small click beetle, though. I can tell it is a click beetle by the shape of the thorax (the middle segment of the body). It has two spine-like projections on each side.

I could also tell it was a click beetle because it does this when it is placed on its back.

Have you ever encountered a click beetle?

Plants in Space Project

Tuesdays are plant days, so I’m going to sneak an extra post.

Do you remember the Spiders in Space Project? The same group is now conducting experiments with Plants in Space and you are welcome to join along, asking the question, “How do plants grow in space, without gravity?” The idea is to plant the same type of seeds here on earth at the same time as those in space and then look for differences in growth.

This project is for both classroom and homeschool students, as well as for informal science at home.

The experiments have already started. The first seeds were planted Tuesday, September 20, 2011 It is now completed, and the pictures and videos of the results are archived. Don’t worry, however, you can jump into the project with any of the next plantings:

  • Planting 2 will be Thursday, September 29, 2011
  • Planting 3 will be Friday, October 7, 2011
  • Planting 4 will be Monday, October 17, 2011

This video shows some of the results from the first planting.

Wow, dancing plants!

See the website in the link above for all the details, plus you can sign up and download a free instructor’s guide. The one for Spiders in Space was very good.

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