Category: Bug of the Week (Page 46 of 219)

Ant Activities and Books for Kids

December 8, 2017 / Roberta / 0 Comments

For STEM Friday this week we have a new picture book about ants, Just Like Us! Ants by Bridget Heos and illustrated by David Clark.

Although the cartoon illustrations may make it look like this isn’t a serious book, don’t be fooled. It covers all the facts and concepts you would expect in a nonfiction book in a way that will attract the most reluctant of readers. To make it even more enjoyable the author compares what ants can do to what humans do, putting ants in perspective.

Just Like Us! AntsÂ is not simply a rehash of previous children’s books about ants, either. The author reveals recent scientific discoveries, such as how bigheaded ant larvae process food for the colony or how fire ants build rafts to float on water.

Check out this video from BBC that shows fire ant rafts and some of the dangers they encounter while in the water.

(By the way, the winged ant they discuss once the colony makes landfall is not actually the colony’s queen. She is a sister ant that will fly off to start her own colony in the near future. Some ant biologists call the female winged ants “princesses.”)

Back to the book, it you are looking for a fun and informative introduction to the world of ants, then Just Like Us! Ants is for you.

Ant-Themed Hands-On Activities:

Activities inspired by antsincludes marshmallow craft ant
Ant life cycles and nests at our sister blog Wild About Ants
Ants, bees and wasps includes ant drawing lesson

Want to learn more about ants? Check out our growing list of ant books for kids.

Age Range: 4 – 7 years
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers (October 3, 2017)
ISBN-10: 054457043X
ISBN-13: 978-0544570436

Another review at Wild About Ants

Disclosure: This book was provided by our local library. Also, I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.

Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.

Bug of the Week: Another Bougainvillea Caterpiller Moth

December 6, 2017 / Roberta / 0 Comments

Usually when I see a drab brown moth on the wall I don’t get too excited because the different kinds tend look alike even to a trained entomologist. If you can’t identify something, it’s hard to learn much about it.

This moth caught my eye, however, because I do know what it is. There’s no mistaking the fuzzy front legs and …

the tufts of hairs on the antennae. It’s a bougainvillea caterpiller moth, Asciodes gordialis. The antennal tufts means it’s a male.

It probably was attracted to our porch light the night before and was resting during the day.

If you remember, I raised one of these back in June. Discovering this one was like spotting an old friend.

Did you find any insects you recognized this week?

Bug of the Week: November Butterflies and Moths

November 29, 2017 / Roberta / 1 Comment

Here it is the end of November already and we still are seeing caterpillars out and about.

There’s silk, holes and frass on some of the hollyhock leaves.

Those belong to the painted lady butterfly caterpillars, Vanessa cardui.Â

Painted lady caterpillars vary a lot in color. This one may be lighter because it is a color variation or maybe because it just molted.

They feed on a range of plants, from thistles to sunflowers, but painted lady caterpillars always have a patch of silk around them.

The adult butterflies migrate this time of year. We often see them feeding on lantana flowers. You can see adult butterflies in this post from November 2008.

Once I finished taking photographs of those, over on the Texas yellow bells, Tecoma stans variety ‘Orange Jubilee,’ I found another sizable caterpillar feeding.

This is a rustic sphinx caterpillar, Manduca rustica. In the past we’ve found them on desert willow and cats claw vine. (You can see an adult rustic sphinx moth in this previous post from the beginning of November in 2014.) They are common throughout the southern parts of North America.