Rolling Hills Middle School

 

Wooly Bear caterpillars, called that because they are fuzzy and often brown (or in this case, brown and yellow), turn into tiger moths when they are adults.  They eat many wild plants such as wild mustard and radish, and can be seen on our campus several times a year, wandering across the ground to look for the perfect place to go into a cocoon and turn into a moth.  They are not poisonous and can be held safely and gently.

 

 

 

Ladybugs are small, red and black beetles.  They eat aphids and other tiny insects which makes them really good pest-control.  We were startled by a population explosion when they hatched on our campus in early spring!  Their larval form is long and skinny, but the adults are round and their bright color and pattern also makes them a favorite image of many children.

 

 

Cucumber beetles are in the same family of insects as ladybugs, but they are pests which can destroy crops easily.  They are green with black spots.  They eat mostly young plants and can sometimes spread bacteria or fungi that also hurt plants.

 

The pillbug, sometimes called a sowbug or “rolly-poly”, is a type of creature called an isopod.  Its protective shell is in pieces like armor, and it rolls up in a ball when threatened. 

 

Skippers are part of the Hesperiidae family of butterflies.  They are called skippers because of their quick movements as they dart from flower to flower, low to the ground.  They come in many colors and patterns, but all of them have antennae that hook backwards.  Some types look so much alike that even scientists have trouble telling them apart!

 

This Monarch butterfly hatched in a classroom at Rolling Hills!  Monarch butterflies are about four inches wide with their wings spread out.  They are black, orange, and white (dots).  They eat only milkweed plants when they are caterpillars and drink nectar from flowers when they are grown up.  They flap their wings but don’t make sounds.  They rest in big groups and some fly thousands of miles between the United States and Mexico.  They create smiles on the faces of those who see them.