By Lisa Cook on May 9, 2014; illustrations by Katy Dockrill
If your little ones love to look at bugs, here's an easy way to collect and study several different kinds in one night. A great activity for your backyard, or try it while you're camping and see if you find some new critters for your collection.
Hang a large white bedsheet from a clothesline or a rope and wait until dark, recommends Tyler Cobb, '07 PhD, curator of invertebrate zoology at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton. Once night falls, shine a bright light onto the bedsheet and wait for the fun to start.
Just as bugs are attracted to your porch light, they will come and land on the illuminated part of the sheet. Then you can help your child gently capture the bug and examine it up close. A cheap butterfly net, readily available in stores in the summer months, makes collecting the bugs easier.
Even though some collectors mount their catches, it's much more fun for the little ones to keep the bugs alive, says Cobb. "Insects are a wonderfully diverse group of animals to watch and study, and the more we learn about them, the more we want to protect them and their habitats."
If you want to keep your catch around for longer than one night, you don't need much more than a clear container with a few air holes punched into the lid and perhaps a few leaves.
If you want to keep your pet for a bit longer, be sure to add some water and learn what kind of food it might eat. Now all you need is a name.
Once you have learned all you can, be sure to release your new friend near where you found it so it can go about its business.
