An Environmental Education & Citizen Science Guide

AN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION & CITIZEN SCIENCE GUIDE TO WESTERN FIREFLIES

Michelle Sagers

A capstone project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education: Natural Science and Environmental Education

Hamline University

St. Paul, Minnesota

August 2020

Capstone Facilitator: Kelly Killorn Content Reviewer: Patrick Kelly Peer Reviewer: Krista Andersen

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………….3

Interpretive Firefly Walk………………………..………………………………………….....5 Firefly Photos……………………....…………………………………………………………..11

Observation Form………………………...…………………………………………...19

Post Survey……………………………………………………………...……………..21

At Home Curriculum………………………..………………………………………………..23 Suncatcher Craft……………………………………………………………………....24

Lifecycle Wheel……………………………………………………………………...... 25

Firefly Parts………………………………………………………………………….....28

Flashlight Activities…………………………………………………………………....30

Community Organization Presentations………………………………………………...32 Youth

Presentation……………………………………………………………..……...32

Adult Presentation……………………………………………………………………..32

STEM & Community Fair Activities……………………………………………………….34 Simulated Flash Pattern Recording Activity……………………………………..….34

Recording Form……………………………………………………………………...... 35

Wetland Dilemma’s

Activity………………………………………………………..….36

Kindergarten Field Trip Curriculum……………………………………………………....43 Onsite Program………………………………………………………………………...43

Classroom Program………………………………………………………………..….50

References………………………………………………………………………………….....56

Introduction

This guide provides the resources needed to educate the communities in

Northern Utah and Southern Idaho about our rare local fireflies. Scientists are still working to locate populations throughout the western states using Citizen Scientists sightings through a Community-Based Science Initiative. The project was designed to answer the question: How can Citizen Science be used effectively within environmental education to foster environmental change?

Additionally the project was designed to meet educational needs in order to expand the citizen science base for the project and protect these rare insects and the wetlands they inhabit. The programs found in this curriculum guide are being implemented through a local nature center. Each program was designed to acquaint participants with fireflies and their wetland habitat as well as introduce them to the concepts and benefits of being a Citizen Scientist.

Through the use of Citizen Science within these curricula, Environmental

Educators foster environmental awareness and increase conservation attitudes and behaviors. Engaging in Citizen Science prepares youth to face the environmental issues of the future, and prompts everyday citizens to alter behaviors, such as increasing civic engagement, decreasing their carbon footprint, and more.

Curricula in this guide include programs for adult and youth community organizations, a kindergarten field trip curricula for use both on nature center property and within the classroom, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and community fair activities, an online curriculum, and an interpretive guided firefly walk.

This curriculum will best be used annually in the months leading up to and during the firefly season which usually runs from late May to early July with the exception of

STEM night programs and kindergarten field trips which will need to be done during the school year.

Successful implementation of this program will not only expand the citizen science project and aid researchers but also foster environmental change by engaging our communities in local environmental issues on both a civic and individual level.

The Wondrous World of Fireflies An Interpretive Firefly Observation Walk

Audience: Family Groups Date: Held annually for a week in June at 9 pm each night Location: Firefly Park Time: Approximately 1.25 hours Universal Concept: Beauty, wonder, intrigue, love of nature. Materials: macroinvertebrate samples, pictures, light bulb, glowstick, thermometers, clipboards, pencils, firefly reporting sheets and red flashlights, surveys, and bookmarks.

Check-In (5 min): While folks are checking in, pass around the pictures found on pages 11-18 to give everyone a chance to see them before it gets too dark. Refer back to those mental images during the program.

Intro (5 min): Welcome and remember firefly etiquette! ● DO NOT try to catch fireflies. ● Keep on the trail at all times. Off-trail, you may tread on a firefly, harm their habitat, or disrupt mating rituals. ● No lights! Fireflies need darkness to signal to their mates. Flashlights and other light sources should remain off as much as possible. ● Talk in quiet voices.

Begin by asking participants what they feel when they think of or see (if they’ve seen them before) fireflies? Fireflies evoke a sense of awe and childlike wonder. They transform unremarkable landscapes into luminous wonderlands and take our breath away. But what do we actually know about these charming insects? Tonight we’ll investigate the intriguing stories of the mysterious firefly. Tales of courtship, gifts, deceit murder, and the unknown.

Stop 1 (10 min): What Are Fireflies?

Can anyone tell me what exactly are fireflies? Give participants a chance to respond….

Fireflies are a type of beetle. There are 2,000 different species of fireflies and about 170 here in the U.S. (Note: What species are our Utah Fireflies? We don’t exactly know they are probably part of the Pyractomena genus) Fireflies undergo complete metamorphosis similar to frogs and butterflies. The adult fireflies you’ll see tonight only live about two weeks. They are on a sort of speed dating course where their only focus is to find a mate and lay eggs before completing their lifecycle.

(Refer to the life cycle chart on page 13. Spend time reviewing each life cycle phase and answering any questions) Most species lay eggs in the soil. Once the eggs hatch the ravenous larvae inject a paralytic to immobilize their prey and special chewing mouthparts to eat anything they can including snails, slugs, and worms. This can last for up to 2 years before they pupate and emerge as adult fireflies. Adult fireflies are so focused on finding their firefly soulmate that many species don’t even eat. Those that do, eat a little pollen and nectar. The exception being the “Femme Fatales” which we will talk about later.

Transition: Let’s move on to our next stop to investigate our fireflies home.

Stop 2 (10 min): Where do Fireflies Live?

Ask participants if they’ve ever seen fireflies at any other locations, what did these locations have in common? Look around you, what do you see in this habitat? (Give participants a chance to answer) the common denominator between all these habitats is water! What else lives in this water? What can you hear, see, and smell? Remember our hungry ravenous little firefly larvae. Their prey; things like these guys (show macroinvertebrate specimens if available) need water!!

Fireflies can be found on every continent except Antarctica, from the mangrove swamps of Asian to African Jungles, Smoky Mountain hillsides and you guessed it right here in Firefly Park. (Refer to photos of fireflies in different global habitats on page 18)

Conservation in Action—Firefly Park Though originally a part of Elk Horn Ranch, the first permanent pioneer settlement in Cache Valley, this land has remained largely undeveloped and wild for the past 150 years. As a natural wetland, this land provides an important habitat for hundreds of species of plants, birds, and insects, including fireflies. Knowing the rarity of fireflies in Utah and the importance of protecting land for future generations to enjoy, the City Council purchased this land in 2015 in an effort to preserve and protect the native

7 wetlands and its inhabitants. Since then, thousands of people from all over the state have come here to see these wondrous creatures.

Wetlands like Firefly Park are the best habitat for our Western Fireflies. However, we are still trying to map out where all our firefly populations are within the Western United States and we need your help. Scientists at the Natural History Museum of Utah and Brigham Young University have been working since 2013 to map out Utah’s fireflies. Show Utah Firefly Map found on page 12. When you spot a firefly anywhere in the Western States including Utah, Idaho and Wyoming report it to us or to https://nhmu.utah.edu/fireflies. (pass out bookmarks with this information at the end of the tour)

Transition: Let’s move on to a better firefly observation area to investigate how and why fireflies flash.

Stop 3 (Firefly Observation Area 15 min): Behavior- Why do Fireflies Flash? Now let’s investigate how and why fireflies flash and then become firefly scientists ourselves.

Does anyone know how fireflies flash?

Like many other organisms, fireflies are bioluminescent. Can anyone tell me other bioluminescent organisms? Answers could include algae, many species of fish, jellyfish, etc. (Refer to pictures of other Bioluminescent organisms on page 17 and have brief discussion) Jellyfish use their bioluminescence to deter predators. Firefly Squid and other Octopi use bioluminescence to communicate. Bioluminescent mushrooms attract more insects to help spread its spores.

This bioluminescence is created in a firefly’s abdomen. (Briefly review insect parts: head, thorax, abdomen) This happens through a chemical/enzymatic reaction. (When oxygen combines with, adenosine triphosphate(ATP) and the chemical luciferin in the presence of the bioluminescent enzyme luciferase light is produced.) Similar to a glowstick. Glow Sticks work through a chemical reaction and were actually inspired by fireflies. Fireflies are able to control their flashing patterns by regulating when and how much oxygen they take into their abdomen. This wondrous glow or bioluminescence is really efficient. Think about this light bulb (pull out light bulb). It emits only 10% of its energy as light. Where do you think the rest of that energy goes? If you said heat, you’re right. (Note: LED bulbs are of course better than incandescent bulbs, but do still produce some heat.) Of course, that much heat wouldn’t be good for the health of our

8 little fireflies. Fireflies produce what we call a cold-light meaning 100% of their energy is emitted as light, not heat! Imagine if our light bulbs could produce cold-light!!

Why do Fireflies Flash?….

Now we know how they flash, why do they do it? Allow participants to spend a few minutes observing flashing fireflies prompt them with questions like…

What do you think they are saying to each other? Why are some moving and some not? Why are some flashes brighter or longer than others?

Fireflies flash to find a mate of course. Adult fireflies only live for about 2 weeks, not a whole lot of time to date. Their only goal is to find a mate and lay eggs to the extent that they often go hungry the whole of their adult lifespan, though some may eat a little nectar or pollen. Females often sit on a plant or the ground flashing while the males fly around looking for their lady mate and flashing. Depending on the lady’s response back a male will know if she is interested. Each species has its own specific flash patterns, a sort of visual Morse Code. Depending on the species, females and males may have the same or different flash patterns.

Males then give their new lady a gift. What kind of gift might you purchase for a lady firefly? (Allow the audience a few moments to think and respond if they wish to) Answer: A gooey packet of protein-packed sperm. Scientists refer to this as the nuptial gift and have found that the larger the gift the more eggs a lady firefly will have and the longer she will live.

Now there are a few deceptive lady fireflies out there who use their flash patterns not just to attract a new beau but also for dinner delivery. Lady fireflies of the Photuris genus will use their flash patterns to mimic other firefly species only to eat the unsuspecting fellow when he arrives. They do this to steal toxins from their unsuspecting victim which fend off predators like frogs and birds. However, we don’t believe our lady fireflies here in Firefly Park practice this behavior, so we don’t have to worry about our poor firefly males getting eaten during their 2-week speed dating course.

Activity: Flash pattern recording (10 minutes or however long participants stay actively engaged in the process)

Inform the audience that they now have a chance to become citizen scientists themselves.

Divide the group into pairs or family groups. Pass out pencils, clipboards, recording sheets, and red flashlights.

Procedure: Describe how to record firefly flash patterns by timing yourself for 20 seconds and recording the number of flashes you see within a specific area. Demonstrate how to do this. Timer says go and counts quietly to 20 (1 Mississippi-2 Mississippi) and tells the observer when to stop counting. The observer stands still not moving their head or eyes and counts the number of firefly flashes they can see in this position. Observers should stand in the same place for all three 20 second observations. Red flashlights should only be turned on when absolutely necessary to record data. If there is enough moonlight we might not need to use red flashlights. The light holder should turn their back to the viewing area to shield light. Participants can swap roles so everyone gets a chance to observe and record.

Allow participants to scatter out, record sightings, and enjoy watching fireflies. Recording data like this can help us to determine things like what species we’re looking at, if males and females have the same or different flash patterns, if populations are remaining stable, growing or decreasing, etc.

Wrap up: (Gather up supplies)

Conclusion (10 min): The mystery of the disappearing fireflies

I hope you enjoyed entering the wondrous and intriguing world of fireflies. Before we end tonight we have one last mystery to solve. The mystery of the disappearing fireflies.

Firefly populations across the globe are decreasing. (Note: Scientists don’t have a quantitative number, however, the anecdotal evidence is strong that firefly populations have indeed decreased) After learning about our Fireflies tonight, can you guess what might be causing this decline? (Allow participants to think about it discuss with each other and answer)

Habitat Loss, Pollution, Climate Change, and Light Pollution are all impacting not only fireflies but other native wetland species.

Habitat Loss: Since the American Revolution the United States has lost ½ of its wetlands or 60 acres every hour. (Dahl, 1990) Add to that climate change and drought, wetlands are quickly disappearing. Wetlands are a highly productive and biologically diverse habitat. Did you know that nearly one-third of all plant and animal species listed as endangered in the United States rely on wetlands for their survival? Protecting our wetlands not only will help our wondrous little fireflies and numerous other little critters, but also ourselves by enhancing our water quality, controlling erosion, and sequestering carbon.

Pesticides including those targeted for mosquitos are a major concern. Neonicotinoids are a chemical related to nicotine and are one of the most common insecticides used. Residue can accumulate in pollen and nectar of treated plants.

Light pollution, too much light at night confuses fireflies. Lights from our homes, cars, and stores make it harder for fireflies to find their mates resulting in fewer fireflies next season.

How can you help?

● Minimize light pollution in natural areas, especially when in known firefly habitat. ● Look for naturally based pesticides and herbicides if possible. ● Combating climate change by minimizing your carbon footprint. ● Help us spread the word to others to report firefly sightings!!

I’d encourage you and your family to pick something small you can do to help protect our wondrous little firefly friends. It could be looking at your lawn and garden care products and making more eco-friendly choices, turning your lights off, or simply sharing what you’ve learned with others. Together we can make a difference for the many creatures who call these wetlands their home.

You are welcome to stay and enjoy watching the fireflies until 11 pm. Remember not to catch fireflies and to minimize light pollution! Please take the time to fill out and return our brief survey to me and remember to report any firefly sightings.THANK YOU for coming! (pass out bookmarks and surveys)

Firefly Photos

Light Pollution in the U.S.

(Falchi et al.,n.d)

Sighting Map

(Western Firefly Project, 2019)

Firefly Life Cycle

(Lewis, September 2017)

Firefly Eggs

Photo Credits: Left Photo (Cardinet, n.d) Right Photo (Lewis, June 2017)

Firefly Larvae

Photo Credits: Top left (Schulze, n.d) Top right: (Albers, n.d) Bottom left: (Purrington n.d) Bottom right: (Neal, n.d) Adult Fireflies

Notice the straight line the wings form down the back. This is one way to identify beetles from other insects.

Photo Credits: Top:(Medford, n.d) Bottom: (Western Firefly Project, 2019) Other Bioluminescent Organisms

Firefly Habitats around the Globe

Photo credits top to bottom: (Fireflies in the NC Mountain, n.d), (Flickr. Where to watch fireflies in Vietnam, n.d) , (Mexico News Daily, 2016)

Firefly Observation Form

You will record three 20-second observations. Please stand in one place for all three observations.

Date _June , 20___ Location: Firefly Park

Select the weather/environmental conditions present at the time of observations.

Temperature ____(F) Precipitation __None, __Foggy, __Light Rain, __Heavy Rain Cloud Cover __Clear, __Light Clouds, __Partly Cloudy, __Overcast Wind __None, __Slight breeze, __ Moderate wind, __Strong gusts Artificial light source __None, __Visible within habitat, __Visible near habitat, __Visible but far from habitat

You will record and submit three 20-second observations. Please stand in one place for all three observations.

Observation Begin Time ______ Entry 1: In the first 20-second period, how many fireflies did you see? ___None___1-5, ___6-10, ___11-25, ___26-35 ___36-45___ 45+

Entry 2: In the second 20-second period, how many fireflies did you see? ___None___1-5, ___6-10, ___11-25, ___26-35 ___36-45___ 45+

Entry 3: In the third 20-second period, how many fireflies did you see?

___None___1-5, ___6-10, ___11-25, ___26-35 ___36-45___ 45+

Approximately how many different flashing patterns did you see?

___ None____ One ____Two ____ More than Two____ Not Sure ____

What was the most common flash pattern observed?

__ single, __ double, __triple, __flicker_____other, __ unknown

Additional Field Notes: Include any comments about what you saw or did not see.

______

______.

Thank You for being an amazing Citizen Scientist!!

Firefly Walk Post Survey Questions: (For Nature Center Use Only)

1. Did you know we had fireflies in the Western U.S. before participating in this program?

YES NO

2. How likely are you to share what you learned tonight with friends, family, and coworkers?

Absolutely I’ll be sharing with everyone I know

I’ll probably share with a few people

I probably won’t be sharing with anyone

3. How likely are you to participate in future Citizen Science Projects?

I’ll be actively looking for other Citizen Science Projects to be involved with right away!

I’ll probably be more likely to be involved if something comes my way.

Citizen Science isn’t for me

4. Will you be more likely to make choices to benefit our wetlands following this program

YES NO

If you answered yes please check any you feel you will be more likely to do

Purchase naturally based pesticides/fertilizers and other lawn/garden care products. Be more cautious about my contribution to light pollution i.e. only using light when I need it not over lighting etc.

Support/vote for laws & policies which protect wetlands and/or be more civically engaged in environmental issues.

Minimize my carbon footprint through other actions such as water conservation, recycling, minimizing plastic consumption, etc.

5. Do you feel your attitude towards fireflies and wetlands have changed at all following this program? Why or Why not?

______

______.

6. Any additional comments?

______

______.

Staying Home Curriculum Guide

Background Information Did you know we have fireflies right here in Utah and Idaho? Fireflies, also called lightning bugs, are beetles and both males and females light up as a way to attract mates and deter predators. The oldest specimen collected in Utah is housed at the Natural History Museum of Utah and was collected in 1929. Fireflies are not new to Utah, but we have much to learn about them. They are most often found in wet habitats from May-June and start flashing around 9:45 p.m.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! Report your firefly sightings this season!!! Visit https://nhmu.utah.edu/fireflies to submit your sightings and view the sightings map. Note: please do not catch fireflies. Disappearing wetland habitat, light pollution and pesticides are taking their toll on firefly populations. Let’s give them a break and not catch them too!

Firefly Resources

Learn with our Naturalist Educator in this short video about fireflies. Western Fireflies.

Canyon Conversations: learn more about fireflies by watching our Canyon Conversation.

The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle best for preschool-1st grade

“How to Survive as a Firefly” by Kristen Foote best for children 2nd-5th grades.

For Adults & Older Kids try watching this TED Talk by Sara Lewis: The Loves and Lies of Fireflies

Firefly Suncatchers

Create your own firefly suncatcher!

Materials: Clear contact paper, black construction paper or cardstock, colored tissue paper, pipe cleaners, tape, and scissors

Step 1: Cut out the shape of the body using the contact paper. Note: don’t peel the backing off yet Step 2: Use the black paper to cut out 2 wings and 1 head. Step 3: Cut pipe cleaners to the desired length for the antennae and tape to the back of the head Step 4: Cut or tear tissue paper into small squares Step 5: Peel the backing of the contact paper. You may want to use tape to tape the edges of the contact paper down so they don’t curl while you work. Step 6: cover the contact paper with the tissues squats Step 7: Attach you head and wings Step 8: Hang your suncatcher in a window and admire your handiwork!!

Firefly Life Cycle Wheels Did you know Fireflies go through Metamorphosis just like a Butterfly?

Learn about the life cycle of a firefly and create your own Firefly Life Cycle Wheel. You can print and color the one found below or draw your own. Once your Life Cycle Wheel is complete review each stage of the life cycle using the information below.

Firefly Eggs- Female fireflies lay about 100 eggs. They lay their eggs in damp soil or under mulch or leaf litter. Some species deposit them on living plants instead of in the soil. It takes about 3-4 weeks for an egg to hatch into a firefly larvae. Firefly eggs can glow too!

Firefly Larvae- The longest time period during a firefly’s life cycle is the larval stage which can last anywhere from 1 to 2 years. Firefly larvae hatch from an egg in late summer and live through the winter before entering the pupa stage. As a larva grows it outgrows its exoskeleton(a hard outer covering) many times replacing it with a larger one each time. Firefly larvae look like small worms and also glow giving them the nickname glow-worms. Glowing tells predators to stay away, we taste NASTY!! Fireflies eat slugs, snails, worms, and other insects. They inject a poison into their prey which paralyzes the prey.

What’s a Pupa? This is the stage when the firefly undergoes metamorphosis (completely changes). During this time the adult structures like wings are formed. Pupae cannot move and are defenseless. They usually dig a chamber in the mud to hide in during this stage so they are not found and eaten by predators like birds. The exoskeleton forms a hard exterior shell to protect it while it changes. It usually takes 10 days for a firefly to complete metamorphosis. Butterflies have a pupation stage too, in butterflies we call it a chrysalis.

Adult Beetles- Adult fireflies are a type of beetle. There are actually 2,000 different kinds of fireflies WOW! Adult fireflies may eat some nectar or pollen, though most adults do not eat at all. Adults only live about 2 weeks and their only goal is to find a mate and lay eggs.

Print the life cycle wheels on cardstock and color. Cut around the circles and cut out the triangular window on the cover and use a round-head fastener to allow the wheel to turn.

Label the Parts of a Firefly

Answer Key

Firefly Talk -Flashlight Activities!

How and why do fireflies flash? Fireflies Abdomen light up due to a chemical reaction. The light produced is a "cold" light; that is, the chemical reaction produces nearly all light and no heat. The light flashing is regulated according to a genetically fixed pattern and is used by the adults for courtship. It is one of the means by which the males and females recognize members of their own species. Each species has a distinctive pattern of flashes, varying in flash number, duration, interval between flashes, motion accomplished during the flash, the height of the flash above ground, and so forth. There are over 2,000 species of fireflies. Here in Utah, we know of only two!

Firefly Flashlight Games: Grab a flashlight and head outside after dark to try the following games!!

Flash Pattern Mimicry: Fireflies find mates by looking for a flashing pattern that matches their own. Grab a friend, parent, or sibling and head out to the back yard. Take turns creating your own firefly flash pattern by turning your flashlight on and off for long or short bursts and having the other player try and mimic or copy your flash pattern.

Firefly Hide and Seek… A firefly’s flash pattern is how they find one another. Play a game of hide and seek using your flashlight. Take turns sending one player to hide with a flashlight. The hidden player must use their flashlight to flash a pattern every 30 seconds until the other players find him or her.

Firefly Codebreaking

Can You Speak Firefly? Develop your own firefly code using flashlights. What do fireflies say??

They might say I taste NASTY, predators stay away…. They might say I’m here come find me!! They might say wanna go on a date??

Grab a notebook and a friend and create your own code. For example, 3 long flashes could mean I taste bad or 2 short flashes might mean come here. You can use the International Morse Code found to the right to give you ideas of potential flash patterns. Once you’ve developed your secret firefly language go outside and try and talk to each other.

Community Organization Programs Adult Program Audience: Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions Clubs Time: 20-40 minutes Adult community programs consisted of an oral PowerPoint presentation ranging from 20-40 minutes depending on the time constraints of the group and the interest of the group. Most groups spend 10-15 minutes asking questions following the presentation

Powerpoint Presentation: Firefly Slides Recorded Presentation: Western Fireflies

Youth Program

Audience: 4-H, Girl Scouts, and Cub Scout groups Time: 1 ½ hours

Introduction (10 minutes): Introduce yourself and learn student names. Ask each student to tell you their name and one thing they like about insects.

Tell students that today we will be learning about a type of insect called fireflies. Fireflies are beetles. Show a picture of a firefly. What makes fireflies so special is their ability to glow or create bioluminescence. Ask students if they can think of any other living organisms, plants, or animals who create bioluminescence? Show photos of bioluminescent organisms found on page 17 and briefly discuss why they do it i.e to communicate, protection from predators, find a mate, etc.

Fireflies create bioluminescence by using chemicals and enzymes in their abdomen. Ask students if they remember where the abdomen of an insect is. Briefly draw out the parts of an insect, head thorax, abdomen.

Ask students if they think this would create heat. Show glow-stick and light bulb and talk about cold-light. Fireflies produce 100% cold-light meaning they produce no heat.

Fireflies glow not just as adults, but also as eggs and larvae. Does anyone know what metamorphosis means? Discuss the Firefly Life Cycle using the pictures found on pages 13-16 of this guide.

Activity 1 Firefly Life Cycle Wheel ( 10-15 min) Allow youth time to color and put together a life cycle wheel (template found on pages 26-27)

Storytime (20 minutes): Read the Story “How to Survive Being a Firefly” by Kristen Foote pausing to answer any questions youth may have.

Flashlight Activities (30 minutes)- Fireflies use light to communicate with each other. Larvae might tell predators to BACK OFF I taste nasty and Adults are looking for mates! Use the instructions found on pages 29 and 30 to help students create their own firefly code using a dark room. Modify the code to be simpler or more complex depending on the age range of the youth.

Create Your Own Firefly (15-20 minutes) Materials needed: small glow sticks, empty plastic bottles, pipe cleaners, construction paper, googly eyes, tape, glue, and scissors. Fireflies should have 6 legs and 2 pairs of wings, crack and insert one glow stick into each firefly and enjoy!

Conclusion: Ask youth where fireflies live and how they can help them. Show them the map of Utah firefly sightings from the Natural History Museum of Utah found on page 12. Look for fireflies in wet areas such as near rivers, lakes, marshes, etc. Be sure and report sightings to https://nhmu.utah.edu/fireflies.

STEM School Night & Community Fair Activities

The portable box pictured below opens and closes for easy transportation and can be taken to schools for STEM Nights as well as community events. When plugged in lights within the box simulate firefly flash patterns. Participants can record the flash patterns they see just as scientists in the field would in real-life. To tie this mock Citizen Science activity to the importance of wetland preservation follow the flash pattern recording with a wetland dilemma card.

Recording sheets and wetland dilemma cards are attached on the following pages.

Simulated Flash Pattern Recording Firefly Citizen Science!

Scientists can not be everywhere at once, they sometimes need help from everyday people like you and me. One way you can help this summer is to report fireflies you see between late May and early July. Visit https://nhmu.utah.edu/fireflies to report your sightings.

Flash pattern recording: Scientists can learn a lot simply from watching and recording firefly flash patterns. Each species of firefly has a different flash pattern. Observing their patterns can help us to figure out what species live where. Gathering data year after year can also tell us how our firefly populations are doing. Are they decreasing or increasing?

Let’s learn how to do this with our pretend firefly population in this box.

1. Count the number of flashes you see in 10 seconds. You can have a friend count slowly to 10 or SNC staff can time you.

I saw ______flashes in 10 seconds!

2. Now focus on just one firefly. Is it following any sort of pattern? Does it flash once(a single), twice(a double), or three times (a triple) or maybe it’s a flickering firefly and it’s too fast to tell.

The firefly I watched flash pattern was a (circle your response)

Single Double Triple Flickering

Congratulations you just became a Citizen Scientist!!!

Wetland Dilemmas

This activity can be used in conjunction with the Simulated Firefly Flash Pattern Observation activity or as a stand-alone at school STEM nights and community fairs.

Materials Needed: Laminated copies of scenario cards and a basket to hold them in.

Background information: Wetlands are critical habitat for many wildlife species up to one-third of all U.S. federally endangered species rely on wetlands. Wetlands also provide many services to us such as storing and filtering our water. We make choices everyday which can impact wetlands, the wildlife that lives there, and ultimately ourselves.

Procedure: Have each participant(s) draw a card. Have them read the scenario on the card and decide how they would respond to each scenario. Discuss their choices with them. Questions to consider while helping participants are:

Could they have made a better choice? Is there a better option not listed as a choice? How might the choice they made in each dilemma impact the wetland ecosystem, fireflies, and other wildlife that live there?

Dilemma Cards:

Kindergarten Wetland Experience (Onsite)

Audience: 1 Kindergarten class (Approximately 20 students) Location: Nature Center Nibley Property Time: 1 hour Schedule: Introduction: 10 minutes entire class ( Break class into two groups) Bioblitz and Food Web activities 20 minutes each swap 2 groups between activities. Groups rejoin for 10 minutes of Ecosystem Tag before heading to the bus.

Programs are subject to change based on weather, temperature, road conditions, public health, and safety concerns.

SEEd Standard K .2: LIVING THINGS AND THEIR SURROUNDINGS Living things (plants and animals, including humans) depend on their surroundings to get what they need, including food, water, shelter, and a favorable temperature. The characteristics of surroundings influence where living things are naturally found. Plants and animals affect and respond to their surroundings.

Standard K.2.1 Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to describe patterns of what living things (plants and animals, including humans) need to survive.

Materials: Firefly pictures (found on pages 12-16), Firefly diet samples, 3-4 inexpensive digital cameras, flagging tape, and wooden stakes, hand lenses, web of life tags, ball of string, scrimmage vests, firefly tag component cards,

Preparation: U se flagging tape and wooden stakes to mark out 3 areas (each approximately the same size) ensure space contains plenty of different plants for the Bioblitz Activity. Avoid areas where any harmful plants such as cow parsnip( which can cause dermatitis) may be.

Introduction ( 10 minutes): We are located near a wetland. It is home to many unique plants and animals. Do you notice or can you think of any other plants or animals that might be here in the wetland? One unique animal that lives here is the western firefly. Fireflies rely on wetlands for their survival during each stage of their life. Show pictures from pages 12-16 as you talk about each life cycle stage and how the wetland provides the food, water, shelter, temperature, etc. fireflies need to survive.

Eggs- As eggs, the wetlands provide shelter. Adults lay eggs under the soil or maybe inside a hollow log. Wetlands provide them with a shelter to lay their eggs and leave food in for their larvae. The eggs incubate for about 2 weeks before hatching into larvae. Larvae/Pupa- The Larvae rely on the wetland to provide them with food and they eat a lot because they probably won’t eat once they become adults. What do you think a firefly might eat? Once students have had a chance to respond show them the samples of snails, slugs, and other arthropods that firefly larvae eat. During the winter the wetland provides shelter to keep the larvae warm as they hibernate by digging burrows under the mud. After the larval stage, they form a hard outer covering and pupate (this means they change into an adult) like a caterpillar changing into a butterfly. Adults: Adult Fireflies need the wetland to find a mate which they do by flashing/glowing. The wetland then gives them somewhere safe to lay their eggs. Can you think of anything else fireflies need that they get from wetlands?- G ive students a chance to respond. Other ideas that might include the right temperature/weather conditions etc.

Activity #1 Bioblitz Activity (20 minutes): S plit students into 3 groups and if possible, assign a teacher or chaperone to work with each group. Each group will receive a digital camera, a hand lens, and a worksheet for the teacher or chaperone to complete. Explain that there are many different kinds of plants and animals found in this wetland habitat. Each living thing gets the things they need to survive from the wetland and interact with each other like the case of firefly larvae eating snails and slugs. The higher the number of species we can find the healthier the wetland is. If we find a lot of different kinds of plants and animals here the wetland is doing its job and providing plenty of food, water, shelter and anything else living things need to survive.

Wetland Web of Life ( 20 minutes):

1. Assign each student a living organism tag which they will hang around their neck. Each card depicts a component of the wetland ( sun, water, cattails, muskrats, fireflies, etc.) the student will become the component found on their tag,

2. Everyone will stand in a cycle to symbolize the wetland ecosystem. Begin with a few simple food chains. For example, start with the sun. The person with the sun tag holds the end of the string and asks who needs the sun? Algae: the ball of string is passed to the algae student. Who eats algae? Snails. The ball of string is passed to the snail student and so on until the chain is complete.

3. Now try forming a Web. Starting with any one component, use the ball of string to connect the component to another related component. The relationship may be that the second component eats the first (e.g. plant connected to muskrat). Or the relationship may be that the first component needs the second to survive. Continue until everyone is connected to several people in several ways. Discuss each relationship as the game is played. 4. Once everyone is connected remove one component of the web. (e.g there is a severe drought) the water person shakes their string. All players who feel the string shake begin shaking their string as well. Continue until it’s obvious that every component is affected by the removal of just one component.

Firefly Tag (10 minutes) 1. Count students off into fours. Have all the ones go to one area, twos, threes and fours to another area. Mark two parallel lines on the ground about 10 yards apart using sports cones. Have the ones line up behind one line. The rest of the students will line up behind the other line facing the ones. 2. The ones become “firefly larvae” Ask the students what firefly larvae need to survive (Food, Water, Habitat/shelter) The firefly larvae will wear a colored scrimmage vest to distinguish them from the twos threes and fours who will be habitat components. Firefly larvae are seeking either food, water, or shelter. Before each round firefly larvae will decide what they are looking for and grab the appropriate habitat token. Twos, threes, and fours will also grab a habitat token. 3. Once students have their tokens in hand they will line up behind their respective lines once the teacher says go each will clearly hold up their token. Larvae will run to the habitat component they need. NOTE: when more than one larvae reach a habitat component only the first to reach that component survives. 4. When larvae reach their habitat component they bring that student back to the larvae side of the line and that student becomes a larva. Larvae that fail to find their component become part of the habitat and choose to be food, water, or shelter for the next round. 5. Play as many rounds as there is time for students may confer with each other and decide to all be the same habitat component this is okay. Discuss the results of each round who survived and why, how might this apply to the wetland there are currently in.

Conclusion: Briefly review what students learned before allowing them to board the bus

Web of Life Tags (Cut out laminate and thread string through)

Firefly Tag Component Cards (Make enough copies for all students to play laminate for reuse)

Kindergarten Wetland Experience (Classroom)

Audience: 1 Kindergarten class (Approximately 20 students) Location: School Classroom Time: 1 to 1.5 hours

This program may be used as a stand-alone or as a follow-up program to the field trip experience. It may be led by nature center staff or provided to teachers to use as they wish following the onsite field trip.

SEEd Standards: K.2: LIVING THINGS AND THEIR SURROUNDINGS Living things (plants and animals, including humans) depend on their surroundings to get what they need, including food, water, shelter, and a favorable temperature. The characteristics of surroundings influence where living things are naturally found. Plants and animals affect and respond to their surroundings. „

Standard K.2.4 Design and communicate a solution to address the effects that living things (plants and animals, including humans) experience while trying to survive in their surroundings. Define the problem by asking questions and gathering information, convey designs through sketches, drawings, or physical models, and compare designs. Emphasize students working from a plant, animal, or human perspective. Examples could include a plant growing to get more sunlight, a beaver building a dam, or humans caring for the Earth by reusing and recycling natural resources.

Materials: prepared beforehand for Wetland Erosion Activity- Six empty 2-liter soda bottles (pre-cut for erosion experiment), string, soil, mulch, plants whatever is easily available, Introduction: Ask students if their actions affect the plants and animals that live in wetlands? Allow some time for discussion. Next, ask if wetlands help them in any way? Today we are going to explore how we can care for wetlands and what they do for us.

Wetland Erosion Activity ( 10 minutes): One very important thing wetlands do for us is to clean our water. We are going to do an experiment to show how wetlands do this. Have one student at a time come up and help set up 3 different “habitats” using the 2-liter bottles. One will have bare soil, one with leaf litter or mulch on top of the soil and one with plants. Refer to the picture for set up. Once each habitat is ready use a watering can to create rain over each “habitat” until fully saturated. Watch the water that drains out to see which one produces the cleanest water. This may

52 take some time so you can check back in on the experiment throughout the day.

Larvae Food Race (20-30 minutes): You will need a large space to play this game such as a gym or outdoor area. Use tape or cones to outline 2 boundary lines on each side of the space. Through this game, students will explore the experiences fireflies have while trying to survive and how they interact with their environment and the other organisms in it.

1. If students are unfamiliar with what a firefly larva is, begin with a brief introduction to the four stages of firefly life: egg, larvae, pupa, adult. Outline game rules before beginning.

2. Students will begin the game as a newly hatched firefly larvae in need of food. Have students line up on one side of the game space. As larvae, they are in as much food as they can get so they have enough energy to pupate and become adult fireflies. Firefly larvae food is snails and worms YUMMY! Each student must make their way crawling/wriggling like a larva to the opposite side of the game space and gather as many paper food chips as possible. In order to survive, they need to gather at least 3 chips. Yell freeze partway through the game and have students curl up in a ball for a few seconds to stimulate winter hibernation.

3. Once they reach the opposite side of the game space have each student turn over their paper food chips. On the back might be a picture representing something that happened to them while gathering food.

4. Discuss the results. a. Have those who didn’t gather 3 chips raise their hands. These larvae did not gather enough food to survive and change into an adult firefly. Discuss what could cause this i.e. weather conditions limit the amount of food etc. b. Does anyone have a picture of an animal such as a bird, spider, or frog on the back of their food card- you were eaten by a predator. While the chemicals that make firefly larvae glow stop many predators from eating because they taste so nasty and could make them feel sick a few hardy predators don’t mind this. c. Does anyone have pictures of snow on the back of their card? What do you think the snow might represent? You didn’t burrow deep enough in the mud over the winter to stay warm and froze to death. d. Does anyone have a picture of chemicals on their card? What do you think happened to you? Perhaps pollution got in the water from a storm drain or pesticides were used nearby which hurt you.

5. Play as many rounds as you have time for. Mix it up and have students try different forms of locomotion to make it harder or take away food chips to stimulate a lean food year.

Storyboard Creation (20-30 minutes): Students will receive a 4-part storyboard to sketch/draw the different experiences living things experience in the wetlands. Part one they will sketch what they picture a wetland to look like. Part two they will sketch something a wetland animal experiences such as a firefly larva hunting, a beaver building a dam, etc. Part three they will think about what a plant experiences for example growing to get more sunlight or being visited by a bee or butterfly who spreads their pollen. Part four draw something humans can do to care for wetlands for example picking up trash.

Conclusion (10 minutes): Allow students to share their storyboard with the class to demonstrate what they learned!

Larvae Food Maze Chips You’ll need 3 food chips for each student playing. Glue the predator/snow pictures to the backs of a limited number of chips, approximately 6 chips for every 20 players.

Food Chips- Print enough for 3 per player

Glue to back the food chips enough for 6 per 20 players.

Storyboard Creation

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