Page 131 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2024

also fall under advantageous insects. Dragonflies can manage a wasp population and are a predator to
flies, mosquitoes, and other garden pests. The beauty of dragonflies has inspired art and even Disney as Evinrude is a character in the 1977 movie, The Rescuers as a boat driver of small animals. What an imagination someone had!
The bug is also a threat to predators. Their cousins are the odorous stink bugs. They attack caterpillars, potato bugs, flea beetles, moths, army worms, and more. When not busy attacking predators, this soldier bug will feed on plant sap without ever harming the plant itself. This beneficial bug has a sweet tooth!
or lightening bugs are actually beetles. They glow under their abdomens, usually in summer months. The light
is used to deter predators, attract mates, and attract food. They live in woodland edges, fields, and meadows. Their habitat is becoming scarce. Save the fireflies!
Are good for the environment? Well, not if you are standing in an ant bed; however, ants allow water and oxygen to get to the roots of plants. Ants may take seeds down into the soil so that they germinate. They actually control termites and are also food for birds. There are several varieties of ants, so make sure that you have a helpful variety around your home.
are nature's beauties. They are also great pollinators. If you plant a butterfly garden, your garden will
attract birds and bees, meaning you have a healthy garden. You might talk to children about the life cycle of a butterfly. This helps them understand how everything is important to one another. Butterflies actually make us happy!
Firefly.
• Supply books and resources (fiction and non-fiction).
• Make a bug box from an old shoe box with grass and twigs in the bottom to observe bugs for a bit (and then let them go to back their homes).
• Buy a bug kit.
• Help kids identify the bugs they find.
• Use color sheets to identify parts of the
insects.
• Count the legs and talk about how all
true bugs have six legs.
• Purchase a butterfly kit or an ant farm
at local toy store or amazon.
• Discuss how bees and butterflies help
plants grow and fruit ripen.
• Research the bugs that the children are
around.
• Teach them about the purpose of
insects and our ecosystem.
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