BUGS!!!

I love to tell stories about insects and how they connect to us in ways that many of us wouldn’t expect. Here insects are not just 6 legs, 3 body parts, and compound eyes…they are animals that have caused and cured disease, animals that help us farm and others that farm for themselves. They are the animals that invented flying, paper, and houses with built-in air conditioning.

Insects have always been at the heart of my life. From when I first learned how to spell the word ‘entomology’ in second grade to when the word was printed on my degree, I’ve always been an advocate for the insects. This love has taken me into classrooms, beekeeping meetings, fruit crop conferences, farmer’s markets, and many other places all to teach this underrepresented but overly important field. Most recently, I have been teaching preschoolers and grade schoolers through a nature center and have absolutely adored the freedom of question and exploration-based learning.

Now I know what you’re thinking…what is my favorite bug in the world, and I’m glad you asked. Ants! There are ants that can make rafts with their bodies, ants that can swim underwater, ants that use their heads as doors, and even an ant that can explode! If you’re up for an insect story involving any of these topics or any topics of your own, feel free to join me!