Category Archives: Prairie Insects

Photo of the Week – June 22, 2012

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One great thing about insects and spiders is that they can be found almost anywhere.  One great thing about kids is that they love to explore.  Putting those two together creates a terrific way to get kids interested in nature. 

It’s been fun watching my kids explore our yard – let alone the prairies I drag them to.  I’ve tried to foster a sense of discovery and excitement about the kinds of creatures we can find all around us.  I’m not an entomologist, but I’m enthusiastic – and we can find an insect in the yard and learn about it together.  I don’t care whether my kids grow up to be prairie ecologists or not, but I do want them to grow up with an awareness of the world around them.  Insects are an easy and accessible place to start.

My son Daniel with a katydid nymph he found in our yard.

Upon Closer Inspection

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This weekend, our family visited my in-laws in Sarpy County (south of Omaha).  While we were there, I grabbed a couple hours of photography time during an evening and morning when the wind was nearly calm.  In the evening, I poked around a little prairie planting in the yard.  The next morning I walked a grassy cropfield edge. 

From a distance, neither area looked like it had much going on. Very few flowers were in bloom, and there wasn’t much obvious insect activity.  As always happens with prairies, though, there’s always much more than meets the eye – sometimes you just have to get down on your knees and look for it.  I took some of my favorite photos from those couple hours and made them into a brief slideshow.

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