Insects

Weighing in on insect populations

Insects are possibly the most overlooked and undervalued animals on the planet. Without them, our entire ecosystem would not survive. So we were concerned, a few years ago, to hear that insect populations are in decline, possibly even crashing. According to one study, 40 percent of the world’s …

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Nanotagging Monarch Butterflies — Very, Very Carefully — at Fields Pond

Once inside the front door of the Nature Center, summer visitors to the Fields Pond Audubon Center have been greeted by a display of Monarch Butterflies.  Beginning as either eggs or small caterpillars, we collected these from the plethora of milkweed plants that grow all around the Nature Center.  …

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Let plants thrive in July

Happy summer! It's late July, but don't believe the hype about summer being mostly over. Ecologically, there are still three important months left of the growing and blooming season before we get to fall. Each of those months is special and important is its own way. July's focus should be letting …

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What is an Insect BioBlitz?

What's one of the best ways to spend a beautiful Saturday in July?  Catching “bugs” at Fields Pond!  And that's exactly what more than two dozen of us did on Saturday July 13th at the Fields Pond Insect BioBlitz.  Armed with nets, magnifying lenses, and clear jars, we documented everything from …

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