The end of the school year is upon us which means my time with the local elementary school garden project is over. On our last meeting we finished planting, tidied up the garden plots, and as a treat we released some Lady Beetles. Now, I've never done one of these releases but I hear they are all the rage at grand opening ceremonies and garden breaking projects. I found this release to be equally charming. First, the beetles are shipped to you in a box that you keep cold until the day of the release. Then you warm up the beetles and start handing them out to the kids. They watch with amusement as the insects crawl over their hands and arms and eventually fly off into the wind. Some of them actually stop at your garden and may even stay but that's being overly optimistic. Most of them will be gone within a few hours.
The nice thing about releasing Lady Beetles is you can talk about so many subjects: insects, ectothermic behavior, predator/prey relationships, and the importance of natural control of garden pests. Plus, just watching the joy that these small insects can bring to school children is amazing. The video game generation is momentarily transfixed by these small creatures and is entertained for great lengths of time. I just hope that they have learned that even the smallest animals should be studied and that hard work can transform a bare patch of ground into a beautiful garden. I believe that school gardens not only instill children with ownership but that they really do learn a lot about themselves and the natural world around them. This was one of those projects that fell into my hands and I entered into it reluctantly but surprisingly has given me the greatest rewards. These children and their garden give me hope for the future generations.
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