eyes of the river people, more little science

Did You Say Water Skitter?

Before the valley freezes I thought we would dip into some of the variations in aquatic habitats; streams, ponds, creeks, even ditches! Believe it or not this is the introduction into Insects & Bugs.  I would hope for a Skitter or two but the snow in the mountains tells me not a chance!

 

MATERIALS: Hand lenses, collecting jars for water samples. Further examination can be done in shallow pans.

Our goal to fetch water from a stream, a creek, & a pond, clearly labeling each one and simply observe the differences. 

Our Creek will be This little guy (shown above with our 3 Little Scientists) just off the Shore Line Trail at Red Butte. 

 Our Stream will be Red Butte Creek. (this may add a twist since it was recently in the news for this.)  A very sweet employee of Red Butte Gardens let us in the Authorized Personnel Entrance, very nice of her to authorize us!  Because of the spill the stream is in rehab so to speak & we couldn't get to it any other way than from inside the garden gates.

 

Our Pond will be the pond at Sugar House Park. 

 

 

Are you asking what the difference is between a stream & a creek?  A stream is larger than a creek usually feed by creeks and flows with gravity.  A creek is smaller and can be seasonally dry.  So why is the stream at Red Butte called a creek???? I don't know why, but it sure makes my job harder! And I am not the first this is great fun- Let's Read Classics. So just remember river, stream, creek, brook...what were we studying?!?! Oh yes, insects & bugs and we are going to have to start that whole terminology thing again.

 

An insect is: Any of numerous usually small arthropod animals of the class Insect, having an adult stage characterized by three pairs of legs and a body segmented into head, thorax, and abdomen and usually having two pairs of wings. Insects include the flies, crickets, mosquitoes, beetles, butterflies, and bees.

A true bug is: True bugs usually have soft flat bodies, well-developed antennae, and stink glands. They include the water bugs, water striders (SKITTERS!), bedbugs, cinch bugs, lace bugs, and assassin bugs. (remember that guy?! my bad)

An arachnid is: Any of various arthropods of the class Arachnids, such as spiders, scorpions, mites, and ticks, characterized by four pairs of segmented legs and a body that is divided into two regions, the cephalothorax and the abdomen. Also called arachnoid.

A arthropod is: Any of numerous invertebrate animals of the phylum Arthropods, including the insects, crustaceans, arachnids, and myriapods, that are characterized by a chitinous exoskeleton and a segmented body to which jointed appendages are articulated in pairs.

COOLEST BLOG: Arthropods

That should hold them until next week....