Sometimes you look at something and it seems a bit off.
Take this flower fly:
Why is it hanging down from the branch? Usually they sit upright in flowers, where they feed on nectar.
Let’s take a closer look.
Oh, that’s why.
Do you see it?
Category: Bug of the Week (Page 41 of 218)
The penstemons are flowering.
They are a favorite.
Hummingbirds love them.
So do solitary bees. In fact, the stalks are abuzz with bees.
The digger bees and sweat bees land, and crawl right into the flower in no time.
This is the usual view of a bee visiting a flower. The nectaries are at the base, so the bees push their heads deep inside and suck up the nectar with their long tongues.
Then the bee is off to the next flower.
If you are interested in helping bees and hummingbirds, penstemons are great plants to grow.
A writing friend recently introduced me to the cutest fiction picture book about a snail, Escargot by Daska Slater and illustrated by Sydney Hanson.
You can see for yourself. Sophia reads the entire book in this video:
Although I usually feature nonfiction, fiction children’s books like this one may also inspire us to investigate scientific questions.
For example:
Do snails eat carrots?
Yes, they do. When we raised them years ago, our brown garden snails ate carrots. It was easy to find videos of other kinds of snails eating carrots, too.
What is a snail’s mouth like?
A snail scrapes off food with a radula, which has teeth like a saw blade.
Do snails really have eyes?
Yes, but not where they are shown in the book.
The snail eyes are the black spots at the ends of the upper feelers or tentacles.
What are those other things sticking out of a snail’s head?
The lower feelers or tentacles help the snail taste or smell its food.
Where do snails come from?
Adult snails lay eggs.
Tiny baby snails hatch out of the eggs, complete with tiny shells. Their shells get bigger as they grow.
Would a snail really like vinaigrette on its salad?
No, the vinegar in the vinaigrette could harm a snail.
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Did reading the book Escargot give you any questions about snails? If so, we’d love to hear them.
For more information, see Roberta Gibson Writes.