Back in New York, sometimes it takes a lot of looking to find even an ant-- even in the summer! Now, there is a lot of variety in even just the ants (there are over 44 species of ant in New York City alone), but in my work with BioBus, a lot of the students I teach are very shocked that I bring bugs with me to look at with them. Recently, I've brought along some little mites, rollie pollies, and even some worms. With BioBus I set up a laboratory (a place where scientists work and keep their tools) wherever students are and we investigate those critters using microscopes! I make sure to be careful when I announce that we have bugs and small invertebrates in the room with us! Students sometimes feel excited and nervous at first to work with the invertebrates, so my colleagues and I always explain that it is okay to be cautious and to give yourself space and time if they are not for you. Almost everyone warms up to the worms especially throughout the open lab time. They are so interesting and important! I love learning about interesting invertebrates with students no matter where they live or what their previous experience with them has been. If I go back to Barichara, I'd love to talk to more young people there (when my Spanish is a little better) about how they feel about invertebrates given how many are all over the place, all the time.
Speaking of my Spanish getting better, I had the best, most patient students just last week in Queens. They were English language learners, and they helped me work with them in their own language. They taught me the words for cricket (grillo) and hatching (eclosión)! It was so nice of them to be patient as we communicated in my very basic Spanish.