I have time for photos now-text will follow!
Hi Everyone,
Once again, I have to start by letting everyone know that I did not conduct the 'Bugs' study as written. Our students study more insects then most mainly due to access. As part of our Rainforest Biosphere educational materials, we have an extensive collection of rainforest butterflies, moths, and beetles from all over the world. The collection features jeweled scarubs, a Herculies beetle, dung beetles, two Blue Morpho's and an Owl's Head Moth. The entire collection consists of over sixty species of insects including three examples of leaf mimics and the world's largest grasshopper. The students in my school study native insect species in first and second grade which includes the safety issues involved with many of our natives; especially scorpians, black widows, and newly introduced fire ants. I chose not to duplicate these studies and really could not justify counting ants during the colder fall and winter seasons when nothing would be done with the resulting data. In the photos attached, students are drawing and labeling several of the adaptations of some of the insects in the rainforest collection. Next, the children will research camaflauge and mimicry as defense mechanisms. The students will then draw several leaves from the vegetation in the Biosphere. These leaves will then be used to design an insect; a leaf mimic. The students will end this unit with the writing of a mythology from an unknown ancient culture that explains how this invented creature was granted the gift of mimicry for defensive purposes.
Bye for now,
Bill Gilluly, Vanderburg E.S., Henderson, Nevada

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