Wednesday Explorers Club ~ the Beetles

The other day I was sitting on the porch looking at grass and there, scuttling between the blades, was a brilliant green beetle. We've got lots of beetles; there are coppery Japanese beetles nibbling leaves and flowers in my garden, orange beetles hanging out on milkweed, ladybird beetles in a rainbow of hues from yellow and peach to bright red, as well as darker beetles in blacks, browns, and purple.

There are more than 400,000 different kinds of beetles, and they are a diverse group. Go out and look at them and you'll see what I mean.

Besides the obvious - color and size - check out their antennae (you might need a magnifying lens). Some are long and thin, like filaments or strings of beads; others have clubs at the end or look like they have fingers that can open and close.

Look in different places: in puddles, wading pools, under rocks, on plants, in the grass. Check for beetles at different times of the day; some fly by night, and lightning beetles even make their own lights.

Here's more about beetles from San Diego Zoo. And if you're still wondering what's the difference between a beetle and a bug, check this out.

So head out to hang with the beetles for a day or a week. Take your notebook and colored pencils so you can capture their beauty.

Archimedes Notebook is taking a break from book reviews for a few weeks so I can spend this summer being a curious naturalist. I'll be heading out with my notebook and camera - so you might find some new Wednesday Explorers Club adventures posted. But for the most part I plan to indulge in non-digital exploration of my world. I invite you to turn off your computer for a few hours each week so you can explore the world around you.

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Wordless Wednesday

Archimedes Notebook is taking a break from book reviews for a few weeks so I can spend this summer being a curious naturalist. I'll be heading out with my notebook and camera - so you might find some new Wednesday Explorers Club adventures posted. But for the most part I plan to indulge in non-digital exploration of my world. I invite you to turn off your computer for a few hours each week so you can explore the world around you.

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Ants

Lately we've been finding ants in the house. Last summer it was odorous house ants - the ones that, when squished, smell vaguely like coconut. This time it's black carpenter ants. They're larger and tougher than the odorous ants and, as far as I can tell, have no smell when stepped on.

The carpenter ants live somewhere outside, probably in one of the nearby dead trees. They wander about in search of food. I've found them on the counter beneath the cake, but not eating cake; they prefer fruits and insects.

This week head out and explore ants in your neighborhood.

• what color are they?
• how big are they?
• follow them - where are they going?
• what are they carrying?
• do they gather at a food source and eat, or do they carry food back to their home?
• and if they carry it back, do they share the load with a friend or carry it themselves?
• what do your ants like to eat? You can find out by leaving bits of different kinds of food on a piece of paper and watching what they take.
• do your ants follow trails? If so, what happens if you pick them up and put them down somewhere off the trail?

Archimedes Notebook is taking a break from book reviews for a few weeks so I can spend this summer being a curious naturalist. I'll be heading out with my notebook and camera - so you might find some new Wednesday Explorers Club adventures posted. But for the most part I plan to indulge in non-digital exploration of my world. I invite you to turn off your computer for a few hours each week so you can explore the world around you.

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Field Trip!

 In spring, my yard was covered with yellow flowers - dandelions, hawkweed, and buttercups. The yellow flowers are still there, but now I'm noticing a new color coming into the landscape.

PINK!

Everywhere I  look.

Purple-flowering raspberries. Roses. Red clover. Thistles. Pinks. Smartweed. Chive blossoms - though they're more of a lavender than pink, but still pink-ish.


 So your mission this week is to head outside and see what colors you find in your yard, neighborhood, vacant lot, wild area beyond the mowed grass at the park, roadsides, fields, meadows.

Take along something to record your observations: a notebook and colored pencils, or a camera. Are there different kinds of pink? What insects are on the pink flowers?

Archimedes Notebook is taking a break from book reviews for a few weeks so I can spend this summer being a curious naturalist. I'll be heading out with my notebook and camera - so you might find some new Wednesday Explorers Club adventures posted. But for the most part I plan to indulge in non-digital exploration of my world. I invite you to turn off your computer for a few hours each week so you can explore the world around you.