the grand bug hunt!

To celebrate Grandparents' Day on September 13, we hosted a Grand Bug Hunt at Huron Natural Area. We set off, with nets in hand, for the meadow trail. We spent a while searching through the long grass, listening for sounds, and looking carefully on plants. 

We were not disappointed! We found:

• grasshoppers galore!
• crickets
• ladybugs
• wooly bear caterpillars
• ants
• praying mantises
• black and yellow garden spiders
• daddy long-legs

Some of these creatures were more photogenic than others. 

hello, praying mantis!

hunting for bugs in the meadow

a blurry yellow and black garden spider

Then we explored a bit of the pine forest, looking under logs to see what kinds of creatures were there. We found:

• worms
• slugs
• pill bugs
• spiders
• millipedes
• red-backed salamander

Our last stop was at the pond, using our aquatic nets to see what insects we could find. We looked under rocks, too. We found:

• leopard frogs
• water striders
• water boatman insects
• dragonfly nymphs
• and more! We're still discovering their features (and their common names!).

dragonfly nymph - a great aquatic hunter!

All in all, a great way for 3 generations to spend a beautiful afternoon together!