Backyard Bug Safari

Flip over one rock in your backyard and you might find a whole hidden world: a pill bug curled into a tiny gray ball, an ant carrying a crumb twice its size, or a spider quietly waiting in a web. You don't need a plane ticket to go on safari -- your own yard is full of amazing creatures waiting to be found.

- The difference between an insect and other backyard bugs like spiders - Where six common backyard bugs like to hide - How to look for bugs safely without hurting them - How to record what you find like a real entomologist

An entomologist is a scientist who studies insects. True insects have exactly 6 legs and 3 body parts: a head, a thorax (middle), and an abdomen (back part). Ants, ladybugs, and grasshoppers are all true insects. But some backyard critters that LOOK like bugs aren't insects at all! Spiders have 8 legs and only 2 body parts, so they're arachnids, not insects. Pill bugs (also called roly-polies) have way more than 6 legs and are actually more closely related to shrimp than to ants!

Different bugs like different hiding spots. Pill bugs and worms love the dark, damp dirt under rocks and logs. Ladybugs and aphids hang out on leaves, especially rose bushes and garden plants. Ants build highways along sidewalk cracks and the base of trees. Spiders spin webs in corners, between fence posts, and in tall grass.

Counting legs is one of the fastest ways to figure out what you found. A true insect always has 6 legs, no more, no less. If you count 8 legs, you likely found a spider or another arachnid. If you count 14 legs on a curled-up gray oval, you found a pill bug!