Not Just for Kids

Jug Bay Animal Adventures

by Ariel Brumbaugh, Junior Reporter

 

Last week I went to Jug Bay day camp. There we did many things to get to know nature better. Here is my journal of what we saw:

(Can you match each animal in bold with the right photograph?) snake and beetle photos courtesy of Jug Bay Sanctuary

 

Monday

First we all thought of ectotherms that started with the first letter of our name. For example Ariel, Aphid, Amoebae. Ariel isn't an ectotherm because I have warm blood. But aphids and amoebas are, since they have cold blood. That's how we learned each other's names.

Then we split into groups. My group walked to the boardwalk where we saw our first cold-blooded animal - a water snake. This three-foot-long gray creature was lying about four feet from the board walk. It was very well camouflaged and still, so that it was almost impossible to see. We passed a dead red-bellied turtle, which no one cared to observe.

Beth, our counselor, showed us the official way to roll logs to find creatures. Roll logs toward you so that if something runs out, it will run away from you.

On our hike back, we saw a red-bellied turtle laying eggs. She was about one and a half feet from head to tail, with gray on top and a red belly. She moved very slowly and tried to ward us off by looking fiercely at us. We left her alone.

 

Tuesday

In the morning we went to the field. We saw bugs, spiders and a velvet ant, which is really a wasp that looks as if it's made out of red and black velvet. The female stings and the male can fly. These wasps are known as cow killers, because when they sting a cow, the cow's nose swells, causing breathing to be extremely hard. After a while the cow dies of lack ofoxygen. When I was stung years ago by a cow killer at Jug Bay, it really hurt.

We also caught praying mantises. Their front legs hurt like prickle bush if you get scratched. We recognized ant lions, gray insects which eat ants. The ant lion digs a pit and when an ant falls in, it can't get out. We also saw damsel flies, lady bug beetles and daddy long legs.

That afternoon, we found green frogs and spring peepers at the stream. We also saw whirligig beetles that float around. When they go under they take a bubble of air to breathe. We went seining and caught rosy-sided dace and chain pickerel.

 

Wednesday

In the morning we went to the turtle traps. Here the summer interns showed us the turtles they had caught, including red bellied, painted, mud and box turtles. On our hike back, we found termites and two best beetles (shiny black bead-like creatures) and larva, all under a log.

That afternoon we went to the pond and found red-backed salamanders, which, of course, had red backs. We saw a two-foot-long black snake and a mole cricket that looks like an earwig. This form of cricket buries itself in the soil, which is where it gets its name.

Thursday

More seining! We caught mummychugs, killifish, yellow and white perch and hogchokers - fish that lay on their sides. Our biggest fish was six inches.

We found a water scorpion, which was really skinny and at first glance resembled a stick. It didn't seem to sting, even when everybody was holding it.

 

Friday

We went canoeing and saw three Canada geese. They were swimming right in front of us. They started flapping their wings and flew across the water. We ate lunch at a dock and then went swimming.

On the way back, we saw a tree so full of sparrows that you could hardly see the green leaves.

I really enjoyed this camp because I was near nature.

 

Last Call to Campers

Liven up your summer with Anne Arundel Community College's Youth Expo programs: 410/541-2325.

Spotlight on Kids Aug. 3-14 (9-3)- Theatrical production, from set, prop and costume design to the excitement of opening night, and kids ages 8 to 14 come together in "Fine Arts Experience," at Annapolis Elementary School. The last day features an evening production of "A Twist on Cinderella." Bring bag lunch: $310.

Sport Jamboree July 27-31 or Aug. 3-7 or Aug. 10-14 (9-4:30)-Kids ages 6 to 12 make new friends, build athletic skills and self-esteem, with lots of pool time and sports play. 8am daycare free; optional 4:30-6 daycare $40. $150 per week w/family discounts.

Fossils Tell the Story July 27-29 (10-11:30am), 28 (10-3), 30 (9-4)-Ages 11 to 14 discover in four sessions of Fossil Collecting how preserved imprints, bones, teeth and shells provide glimpses of extinct animals. Bonus: all-day field trips to Calvert Cliffs and Matoaka Cottages: $80

A Trio of Choices Aug. 3-14 features three choices for ages 11 to 14.

Kids' Calendar

American Girls and You Fri. July 24 (7-8pm)-Join in American Girl fun with stories and crafts, all in the spirit of the loved books and dolls at Annapolis' Barnes & Noble. free, rsvp: 410/573-1114.

Yo-Yo With the Experts Sat. July 25 (3pm)-Yo-yo specialists share their tricks with you, when "Professor Yo-Yo," Stuart Crump, author of "The Little Book of Yo-Yos" and many others come to Annapolis' Zany Brainy. free: 410/266-1447.

Free Fair Fun For Kid Groups Request by Aug. 1-Day cares and kindergartens enjoy the Anne Arundel County Fair for free on Sept. 18, 9am-1pm. Send written request to A.A. County Fair, c/o Diana S. Wilson, P.O. Box 372, Crownsville, Md, 21032 or fax: 410/923-6305.

Dredlocks and Three Bears July 28-29 (10:30am & 2pm)-Ages 5 to 12 take on a twist to an old favorite, when "Goldilocks" turns into "Dredlocks and the Three Bears." Lessons include fire prevention, conflict resolution and cultural diversity, all through this hilarious hike in the woods. Tues. morning at Prince Frederick Rescue Squad; afternoon at Dunkirk Fire Department. Wed. morning at Northeast Community Center; afternoon at Southern Community Center. free: 410/535-0291.

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VolumeVI Number 29
July 23-29, 1998
New Bay Times

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