This month in your garden!
Buzzing, flying, crawling and munching. Bugs are everywhere! There's an estimated 10 quintillion bugs on the Earth, that's a 10 with 18 zeros after it. We couldn't live without bugs, they pollinate our plants, decompose waste and make some pretty useful products.
Somewhere between 82% and 95% of the fruits and vegetables we eat require insects to pollinate them, everything from the chocolate in the ice cream you're eating on a hot summer day to the refreshing watermelon is thanks to a tiny bug!
While some bugs are not garden friends, japanese beetles and squash bugs can be a gardener's nightmare, we can also recruit beneficial bugs, such as praying mantis, to help combat these pests.
Bugs need your help to survive. Due to climate change, habitat loss and pollution numbers of bugs are declining. Check out this short video that helps explain what you can do to help out our insect friends.
For adults interested in learning more about insect loss check out the Insect Crisis by Oliver Milman.
Go explore the garden and see how many insects you can find. The attached sheets, one for k-3rd and one for 4-5th grade can help track your bug hunt.
Happy hunting,