The Magic Zone kids (from our partner Mo’Magic’s summer program) came to get a lesson offered by CommunityGrows in bug identification on Monday, July 22, 2013 in Koshland Garden. They started out by listing all the bugs they’ve seen in Koshland Garden—those that fly, those that crawl and those that wiggle. Then the fun began. Turning over tree-stump seats and hidden away spots, the youth discovered pill bugs, ants, spiders, centipedes, milipedes, earwigs, worms, snails and slugs. Reminded to be slow and careful, they made every effort to pick the bugs up gently and put them in the large white bucket for all to see.
There were lots of questions and curiosity prevailed. What’s the difference between a centipede and a millipede? [Millipede means “thousands of feet”. Has two pairs or four legs on most body segments. Centipede means “hundreds of feet”. Has one pair or two legs on each body segment. Although neither has anywhere near “hundreds of feet” the centipede generally has fewer legs than a millipede. Millipedes are non-toxic, but centipedes do contain some venom that can cause irritation].
It was a great class with such engaged students. They hardly knew they were learning. And they had loads of fun!