The Bug Chicks at Johnson Creek City Park

A magnificent bess beetle.

Kristie does her walking stick
impersonation.

The Bug Chicks are a couple of groovy entomologists who focus on nature education.  They have a presentation on bugs that we really love.  We've seen them in action several times, and thought that the only thing that could really make their presentation better would be if we could share it with our homeschool group.  So we decided to hire them, and asked them to pick a good location so that we could incorporate a bug hunt into the day.  They picked Johnson Creek Park, a lovely gem in Sellwood that many of us had never heard of.  This small park has a nice play structure, access to Johnson Creek for splashing around and looking for creek critters, and a sunny, weedy area that is bug heaven.  The Bug Chicks were superb!  They manage to explain many fascinating things about bugs clearly enough for the youngest kids to learn something, but intelligently enough for everyone to learn  many new things.  Their enthusiasm is very contagious.  You just can't listen to them and not decide arthropods are the most fascinating things ever!  They brought along lots of amazing animals for the kids to see and touch. They also have some amazing movies about insects which are available though web subscription, so everyone nationwide can dig the Bug Chicks!

Kristie explains (with pantomime) why this giant walking stick has wings.

A Madagascar hissing cockroach.

A Western sand wasp.  These interesting wasps feed on plant nectar, but feed flies to their larvae.

A crane fly.

Jasper loves bug scopes.

This one has a mayfly in it, which one of our kids found on the bug hunt.    Mayflies usually live in their adult form for only one day.

Jasper meets a tarantula.

This tarantula will eventually be the size of a dinner plate!

One of their emperor scorpions.  They let the kids get under a blanket  to see them glow under blacklights.  You just haven't lived until you've seen a scorpion glow under blacklight!

This weedy patch may not look like much, but it's bug heaven.

Johnson creek.