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9:30 am
Wonder Bugs Preschool Program: Spittle Me This (Wednesday)
$9 – $10
What is bubbly, sticky, white, and hiding on a green plant? A spittlebug nymph hide-out of course!
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Did you know that some invertebrates have a brood pouch, where they carry their eggs and young? ![]()
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The OAKS After-School students recently found an inactive invertebrate under a log and the group was completely stunned to witness a baby walking out of it! This nature observation raised a lot of questions: “Is this a baby roly-poly?“ “Is the mom dead?” “Aren’t they supposed to lay eggs?” ![]()
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Rolly-pollies (also called pillbugs) can easily be confused with sowbugs. Both pillbugs and sowbugs are oval in shape with segmented bodies, seven pairs of legs, and antennae. To distinguish them from each other, pillbugs have rounded rear ends, while sowbugs have two tail-like appendages (uropods). Also, pillbugs can roll into a tight ball when disturbed, while sowbugs cannot. The OAKS students likely found a baby sowbug because it tried to scamper away instead of roll into a ball. ![]()
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Despite their name, both of these invertebrates are not insects. They are actually terrestrial crustaceans in the order ‘Isopoda’! Like their ocean ancestors, these land isopods breathe through gills, which makes them heavily reliant on ambient humidity to survive. To preserve moisture, these critters prefer wet, damp areas under logs, stones, and mulch.![]()
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Just like many crustaceans, both female pillbugs and sowbugs have a brood pouch (called a marsupium) on their underside. The females carry their eggs in the pouch until they hatch. Even after hatching, the young isopods stay in the pouch and continue to grow and receive nourishment through their mother’s marsupial fluid.![]()
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Pillbugs and sowbugs typically overwinter in their adult stage. They hide in damp protected areas to avoid freezing temperatures and predators. We are not sure if the female sowbug found by the OAKS students was dead or overwintering, and it sure was surprising to find a young isopod alive and active at this time of the year! ![]()
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What signs of winter do you see? Visit us for a hike or take a walk around your neighborhood looking for cyclical events influenced by seasonal changes.![]()
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#PhenologyFriday #PillBugs #Sowbugs #BroodPouch #WIEnviroEd #NatureIsEverywhere #NatureIsForEveryone #EveryBodyOutside
