September 16 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Insects are extremely specialized in their habits, and because of this it is often possible to learn which ones are around us just by noticing the characteristic patterns and objects they create as they go about their lives. Participants will search for signs such as egg cases, cocoons, webs, burrows, droppings, galls, leaf mines, and the various ways insects nibble, fold, roll, and tie leaves. Learning about insects through studying these signs will give participants a new appreciation for their complexity, diversity, and interrelationships with other living things. Charley is a freelance naturalist based in western Massachusetts and conducts plant and wildlife surveys throughout New England. He is the lead author of the field guide Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates and writes an insect-themed blog, “BugTracks.”