Help scientists gather research from your own backyard when you join the Firefly Watch, legacy.mos.org/
fireflywatch. If you can commit to spending 10 minutes in your backyard one evening each week throughout the summer, you can become a citizen scientist. Did you know that there is more than one type of firefly? Visit the Virtual Habitat to learn to identify the three main groups by flash color, pattern and location. Did you know that fireflies are not bugs or flies, but beetles? Read more about this and other fascinating facts when you visit Understanding Fireflies.

Australia's Museum Victoria explains the creepy crawly creatures we call Bugs, museumvictoria.com.au/bugs. Did you know there are more than 10 million species of bugs? They haven't all been discovered yet, so you might be able to find a new one in your own backyard! Bugs Are Amazing, and you will be impressed when you see their Bug Homes. Humans aren't the only engineers; insects create mounds, tunnels and nests with materials they gather. Now try to catch some bugs for the cabinet at the museum in the Bug Catcher Game. The Field Guide can help if you get into a jam.

Are you fascinated by fireflies? Annoyed by ants? Worried about wasps? Learn about insects of North America — what they eat, how long they live and where to find them — at bugfacts.net. This site is full of information on everything from how insects develop to how far a praying mantis can see. Did you know that some types of cicada larvae may live underground for as long as 17 years, but once they emerge as adults, they live only a few weeks? Print the Insect Checklist and see how many of these critters you can spot around your neighborhood!

Nearly one million invertebrates are known to science. Learn about one of the most beautiful types at Butterfly School, butterflyschool.org. Moths are similar to butterflies; learn which one develops in a cocoon. On average, adult butterflies live for only two weeks. The transformation from caterpillar to butterfly is an amazing process. Learn how to find and care for a caterpillar, and experience its metamorphosis first hand in Raising Butterflies and Moths. Then Make a Butterfly House of your own to keep it in.

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History shines the spotlight on often overlooked bugs with Farmers, Warriors, Builders: The Hidden Life of Ants, www.mnh.si.edu/ants. Ants are a dominant force in their ecosystems. Click on Photo Gallery to see these critters in action as they gather impressive amounts of food. Go to videos and watch “Lord of the Ants,” or catch a glimpse of the red wonders as they act as a team to build a lifeboat. Now that you see the world from an ant's point of view, give credit where it is due.

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