Nature Study Lesson #105: Mosquitos
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Culididae
We are studying invertebrates and the boys became interested in wigglers that can be found in a bucket of water. I read about them in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 411-415. We also checked out of the library a book called Mosquito Bite by Alexandria Siy. It is full of color-enhanced microphotographs that record the life cycle of the mosquito.
As the weather gets warmer, you may be able to find them, too. Look anywhere you can find some standing water and collect a jar full of water and hopefully you will get some larvae or pupae to observe.
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| Alex included a piece from Nature Portfolio from Homeschool Journey |
Then we recorded some of what we learned. Some of us used plain paper for a more nature journaling style and some used the mosquito notebooking pages at Notebooking Fairy for a more notebooking style.
Did you know that mosquitoes are a type of fly? Flies belong to the group Diptera which means, "two-wings." Most insects have four wings but members of this order have only two true wings. The do have two little paddles, which keep the insect's body balanced while it is flying, called halteres that look like tiny wings.
Did you know that mosquitoes are a type of fly? Flies belong to the group Diptera which means, "two-wings." Most insects have four wings but members of this order have only two true wings. The do have two little paddles, which keep the insect's body balanced while it is flying, called halteres that look like tiny wings.
After nature journaling or notebooking, be sure to dump your wigglers out on the ground so they don't develop into mosquitoes!
inspiration and resources:
- Handbook of Nature Study, Anna Comstock; pages 411-415 on mosquitoes.
- Handbook of Nature Study blog; Mosquitoes and the World of Smell
- Mosquito Bite by Alexandria Siy
- Exploring Creation with Zoology I, Jeannie Fulbright
- Nature Portfolio from Homeschool Journey
