The Worldly Antenna - Woodland Park Zoo

The Worldly Antennaof

International Bug Club

Issue 5 April 2009 Number 1

†Updates

WPZ Bug Club

Brookfield Bug Club

RWPZ Bug Club

Dallas Zoo Bug Club

MontlakeElem

Bellevue Montessori

Snohomish Bug Club

Papua New Guinea

International Bug Club updates!

Hello Bug Club members and families! Welcome to a new issue of The Worldly Antenna! We've compiled some Bug Club news and ideas for exploring the world of arthropods.

We are excited to share some great news from Papua New Guinea - see page 6!

Enjoy your spring bug investigations! Remember to write down or draw your bug observations (bring a journal outside with you!) and share them with your Bug Club leader and with The Worldly Antenna! We would love to hear about your bug discoveries!

Sincerely,

Erin and KatieInternational Bug Club Coordinators

FPCSTacoma

Woodland Park Zoo Bug Club

Photos by Katie Remine

Snail Races and How to Draw Bugs!Woodland Park Zoo Bug Club had a fun fall -- we conducted snail investiga-tions (which snail traveled the fastest?) and practiced drawing bugs using the book "How to Draw Insects".

Drawings by:Top (left to right):Andrew, Adam, Connor

Bottom (left to right):Souma, Aleah

Dallas Zoo Bug Club

On April 19 we will celebrate our last Bug Club with Arthropod Architecture. I believe the

group will have a lot of fun learning about the different types of structures arthropods create

and use for homes. With spring upon us and warmer days ahead I look forward to taking the

group outside to explore for signs of arthropod homes.

On behalf of the Dallas Zoo Bug Club I would like to say thank you to everyone who

has assisted us with a program or special activity. It has been a fun and rewarding three

years. The children that I have met along the way have gained a lot from the bug world.

This connection to the bug world will only enhance their appreciation of nature in general.

Although the Zoo’s education department has decided to take a different route bugs will

always be apart of their programs.

I personally would like to thank all the parents who allowed their kids this opportunity to

learn about invertebrates; the many volunteers who have joined us along the way; to Roger

Williams Park Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo, Brookfield Zoo and Papua New Guinea Bug Club; as

well as Tim Brys our Zoo’s bug expert for his dedication to the program and finally to all the

kids I have met along the way….may you never out grow your bug period.

Thank you,

Amy Sackett

Dallas Zoo Bug Club Leader

Santa Fe CollegeTeaching Zoo Bug Club

In September we started our very first Bug Club meeting! We had a total of 6 participants that explored taxonomy, insect senses and metamorphosis. There are two great students in our Zoo Animal Technology program that have helped out with the planning and implementing of this program.

Zebra longwing butterfly - the Florida state insect

Photo from Florida Division of Historical Resourceshttp://dhr.dos.state.fl.us/facts/symbols/symbol.cfm?page=1&id=5

Roger Williams Park ZooBug Club

In September, RWPZ Bug Club learned about all the different types of pollinators and the important role they play in our ecosystem. We took a walk through our wetlands to search out different types of pollinators and then finished our adventure in the butterfly exhibit! In October, we took a look at decomposers and met the zoos hissing cockroaches and millipedes. We finished the day with each child making a miniature worm bin to take home and start composting.

In November, we celebrated an Insectivore Thanksgiving and talked about the importance of bugs as a food source. We took a walk around the zoo and found different types of animals that eat insects, and got to witness feeding enrichment for several of them, including the Giant Anteater!! We also met some insect loving animals, including a hedgehog, up close and personal.

We’ve also had a busy winter! In January, we investigated what happens to insects during a New England winter and discovered that there are many insect survival ad-aptations. After a winter walk through the zoo’s wetlands in search of insect evidence, we located a few galls and then made our very own replicas complete with pipe-cleaner insects to take home. February we compared insect senses to our own and met a few of the zoo’s residents – the African Giant Millipede and a Red-Kneed Taran-tula. The millipede taught us about antennae before we made our own and antennae headbands. March was “M” for Metamorphosis where we met a few more of the zoo’s resident insects – the Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches and even found out what the mealworms we feed our insectivores look like all grown up. At the end of the day we played a fantastic new game – Metamorphosis “Go Fish”- with an objective to be the first to obtain a card for all four life stages of insects like the Karner Blue Butterfly and the American Burying Beetle.

Papua New GuineaBug Club

Papua New Guinea Declares First National Conservation Area - Culmination of 12 years work by Woodland Park Zoo and Conservation International with local landowners

The southeast Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea, home to some of the

most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth, has created its first national

conservation area to preserve forever a swath of pristine tropical forest larger

than Singapore. The decision by the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government,

in concert with local communities neighboring the newly established YUS

Conservation Area, results from more than a decade of work with conservation

biologists from Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and Conservation International

(CI).

Named for its three main rivers—the Yopno, Uruwa and Som of the Huon

Peninsula—the YUS Conservation Area covers 187,800 acres (76,000 hectares

or 760 square kilometers) of tropical forest stretching from PNG’s northern

coast to interior mountains.

A hallmark of modern conservation, the new protected area offers multiple

benefits for both wildlife and people. “By creating the country’s first national

conservation area, the PNG government and people have established a much-

needed safe zone for the irreplaceable biodiversity it contains,” said Dr. Lisa

Dabek, field conservation director at Woodland Park Zoo and director of the

zoo’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program. “Just as important, the protected

area will contribute to long-term efforts to address the climate change threat

by preserving critical forest habitat.” In particular, the forest is critical habitat

for Matschie’s tree kangaroos, a species listed as Endangered by the IUCN and

one of Earth’s more unique creatures with a bear-like head, bushy tail and

marsupial’s pouch.

While the land remains under local ownership, villagers have formally

committed to prohibit all hunting and development such as logging and

mining within the conservation area.

A celebration of the YUS Conservation Area planned for April in the

Teptep village will involve all the participating communities, along with

PNG government officials and representatives of Woodland Park Zoo and

Conservation International.

Outdoor Arthropod Explorations

Spider Web Investigations

Have you ever watched a spider spin its web? How often do spiders move, repair or rebuild their webs? Now is a great time to observe spiders and their webs! With a few basic tools, you can observe spiders closely and discover their secrets!

You will need: paper, pencil, a clipboard or other surface to write on, a spray bottle with water, and a magnifying glass.

First, you’ll need to make a basic map of a small area in your yard (or the park, or wherever you are doing your spider web investigations). On your map, you’ll want to include some basic landmarks and a compass rose (indicating which way is north).

Next, explore the area you have mapped and look for spider webs! Mark the locations of at least two or three webs on your map. For each web, write down a few observations: Can you see a spider in or near the web? Are there any insects caught in the web? Is the web complete or damaged? You can also draw a sketch of the web. Spraying a light mist on the web with your spray bottle, and using your magnifying glass, can help you to see the web more clearly.

Photo by

Luc Viatour

Over the next several days (for as long as you want to!), check back on each web every day and record new observations. What kinds of webs and spiders did you find? What changes do you see in the webs over time? Did you observe the spiders repairing or rebuilding their webs? What did you learn from your observa≠tions? Did you think of any new questions about spiders and their webs that you want to find out more about? If you did, you can, of course, find more information on the World Wide Web!

Calendar

Submission and Publication Dates for 2009 Bug Club Leaders, please compile submissions for The Worldly Antenna from your Bug Club and have them in by the “Submission” date below. You can send stories, photos (high resolution), drawings (scanned), ideas for bug club activities, or bug explorations for Bug Club families to try together at home. Send your submissions to [email protected]. We look forward to your contributions!

Submission Publication

June 15 June 28September 14 September 27December 1 December 13

Come to the desert for some quality time with people like you who love bugs! Workshops and field trips will be available for adults and for families.

July 28 - August 2, 2009

Hosted by

Sonoran Arthropod Studies Instituteat the Esplendor Resort in Rio Rico, AZ

http://www.sasionline.org/

Invertebrates in Education and Conservation Conference!

The Worldly Antenna - Woodland Park Zoo

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Transcript of The Worldly Antenna - Woodland Park Zoo