When most people hear the word “insects,” they usually go in one of two directions. Some think bugs are fascinating little creatures that do amazing things. Others think they’re creepy, gross and something to avoid at all costs. This past Monday at the fifth grade insect expo, both sides were on full display. Students and parents filled Thatcher Hall to learn about bugs that some may normally run away from. The whole event had a mix of excitement and nervous energy. At some tables, you could see kids confidently holding their insect and explaining the cool facts of their chosen bug. On the other hand, and other tables, visitors leaned back, a little hesitant to get too close to a cage and the student holding the insect. It was the perfect example of what happens when you bring creepy and cool together under one roof.
Carter Lee Roper, a fifth-grader whose insect was the millipede, said he learned something that he could not wait to tell everyone about his insect.
“My millipede can glow in the dark, and it can release a toxic gas,” Roper said.
He was even brave enough to hold his bug throughout the expo, allowing other students and visitors to have the chance to hold it as well.
“I really didn’t feel anything,” Roper said, although he admitted that he wasn’t interested in touching every insect on display. For him, spiders were still in the creepy category. “Probably the general spider [was the creepiest] because [it] flies around me at night.”
Roper also said that if he were allowed to become a bug himself for one day, he would choose to be a scorpion because he would be able to use his stinger to protect himself. Another student, Blakely Paxten, worked with the Carolina Mantis. Paxten loved her insect; she thought it had one of the most unique abilities of any of the insects on display.
“My Carolina mantis can turn three colors depending on its environment,” Paxten informed listeners.
Even still, she was not a huge fan of all the insects on display.
“Someone in my class had some kind of scorpion, and I do not like spiders or scorpions,” Paxten said.
Unlike Roper, Paxten never had the chance to hold her insect because, as she put it, “mine would fly away.” Even though she did not get the chance to touch the Carolina Mantis, she noted that she often sees them in her own backyard. The balance between fascination and fear of the insects appeared to define the expo. On one hand, students loved showing off insects that could camouflage, glow, or sting. On the other hand, some visitors looked ready to run every time a bug moved inside its container. By the end of the expo, some kids discovered bravery by touching bugs they never thought they would. Others realized that they were happier keeping their distance. Whichever way the visitors felt, the insect expo proved that insects aren’t just creepy or just cool; they can be both.
The fifth-graders were not alone in pulling this off. Several high school seniors in the Zoology class came to help the younger students collect and identify insects. One senior, Jaylen Patel, admitted that he never really considered himself a big bug fan before taking the class, but his perspective has changed.
“Zoology definitely taught me to like and appreciate these insects more. For example, we use this app called iNaturalist. It’s kind of like Pokémon Go,” Patel said.