A Bug's Life

September 16, 2016 | Carolyn

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Male Photinus sp. in flight, emitting a light signal in hopes of attracting a female. Photo by Terry Priest. Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.
Male firefly in flight, hoping to attract a female by sending out a light signal. Photo by Terry Priest. Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Many children are fascinated by bugs. I remember my children's curiosity about the ladybugs and earthworms in our garden and the beautiful dragonflies at the cottage. My own favourite bugs when I was a kid had to be fireflies; watching them on summer evenings was a fun way to learn about bioluminescence. She might deny this, but I also remember that my sister loved to eat ants as a little girl - with all the interest in insects as a sustainable food source I guess she was ahead of her time!

Somehow, as many people grow up, that natural curiosity about insects turns into fear; some of the most common phobias involve insects.

Love them or hate them, if you'd like to learn more about the world of insects join us for Bug Basics on Wednesday September 28. Speaker Emily Macleod is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto who has studied the mating habits of black widow spiders. She will discuss the behaviours, eating habits and secret weapons of the earth's tiniest creatures. School-age children are welcome to attend this talk, so bring your bug-loving youngsters.

 

Program details:


Bug Basics

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

North York Central Library Auditorium

 

There are lots of great websites about insects. Here are a few to check out:

 

 And here are some books about insects:

     

 

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