Adirondack Family Time™

By Diane Chase My children can spend hours scouring the countryside for grasshoppers... or are they crickets? Well, it would depend on what time of the day it is. Here are just a few quick facts to help tell the difference.

Ebony Jewelwing Adirondacks For Kids: Be a Bug Detective while you are playing outside or along a nature hike and look for this damselfly known for its bright body and black wings. It can be seen buzzing about usually during the summer months of July and August.  The Ebony Jewelwing is a type of damselfly. This bug eats large quantities of aphids, flies, mosquitos and other insects! Just the type of outdoor friend we like to have. Not only is this little creature beautiful but very helpful.  That said, it also is a meal for birds, dragonflies and bats. Well, we all can't be at the top of the food chain. 

Okay, not really a fly but still trapped in a web. Here nature is at work right on the side of our house. We didn't even need to visit a mountain or trail to see nature at work. My son's only comment, "Wow!" Just waiting for a meal This insect struggles to free itself from the web The spider just patiently waits for the insect to tire out Breakfast, lunch and dinner Fast and efficient There you have it. Just another day in the lives of kids in the Adirondacks.

By Diane Chase Can you name one difference between a damselfly and a dragonfly? Here are two insects that adults and kids can meet walking an  Adirondack nature trail  or canoeing on a pond . It's all in a name! Dragon flies will actually eat Damsel flies if given the chance. It is easy to remember if any fairy tales come to mind where the dragons capture the damsel (another word for young girl) Dragonfly at rest Another difference is that when a dragonfly lands with its wings spread out while the damselfly rests with wings tucked in like a bird. Damselfly at rest