Inspiring Insect Insights

It's possible that most of us only really learn one thing about insects: that we should avoid them.

Considering that many children have a natural fascination for insects and that we probably have more opportunities to interact with and learn about insects than any other type of animal, the lesson of avoidance is a problem. Still, insects can be a doorway to learning more about our environment if education encourages children to open that door.

Green Teacher, an organization that provides teachers with resources and ideas for teaching about the environment, has some tips for helping students explore the world of insects.

The early interest we have in insects should be encouraged, not scared away. As the largest animal group on the planet, insects have a lot to teach us.

Know Your Bug

Identifying insects and arachnids may seem difficult or even uninteresting. In fact, it is often the case that the only time we want to know what these creatures are is when they cause trouble for us.

Still, insects and arachnids are a major part of our world, and they really are quite interesting. If you think about it, of all the wild things around us, they probably spend more time with us than any other. In fact, that fear other creatures have of us doesn't seem to influence them much. That's kind of a cool thing.

With that in mind, maybe we should take a little more time to get to know these prevalent companions. BugGuide is a Web site that helps identify bugs. The site includes a ready-to-use guide and also allows you to submit pictures if you can't ID the creature on your own. Once you upload the pictures, the online community helps determine what kind of crawly thing you have encountered.

Additionally, as you share photos, you contribute to citizen science by helping track encounters with insects and arachnids.

To visit BugGuide, click here.