insects
INSECTS So many kinds, So many places! The boy you see pictured on the right looking at an insect. Flies, ants and crickets are all insects too. There are so many kinds of insects. Insects are everywhere! Can you name some insects?
No matter where you are, there is probably an insect near you. Insects are in air and in the water. They creep in the Artic snow. Others scamper around in the desert.
Insects may seem like pests to you. Some insects eat our clothes, buildings and crops. But insects are very important. Many different animals need them food.
Insects are important for people too. Bees visit flowers and that helps fruit grow. They also make sweet honey.
What makes an insect an in-
How can you tell if a creature is an insect? All insects have three body parts. These are the head, thorax and abdomen. Insects also have six legs. Most insects have one pare of antennae and one or two pares of wings
Look closely at the picture above to the right and below. Can you see six legs and three body parts? Do they have antennae or wings?
Some insects are very easy to see. They are very colorful. They may have special markings. Brightly colored insects often taste bad. They make other animals sick. Animals learn to stay away!
Many animals try not to be seen and blend with their surroundings. This insect looks like the leaf upon which it sits.
Parts of an insect
On a piece of blank paper draw and label the insect you see above.
Insect Life Cycles Insects may look different at each stage of their lives. Most insects go through four stages. The stages are egg, larva, pupa and adult. The eggs of this insect were laid inside cells. After a couple days, each egg hatches into a larva. The tiny larva stays curled up inside the cell. The larva eats food made from the pollen and honey. This food makes the larva grow.
Then, the cell is covered with wax. Inside the cell, each larva turns into a pupa. In the pupa stage, the insect goes through a big change. Soon, an adult crawls out of each cell. The larvae of different insects do not look the same. These larvae will become insects you know well. What will they look like as adules?
You guessed it! The larva above is becomes a beautiful butterfly. Butterflies are so many different colors and do not look at all like the larva or pupa stage.
Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Now you know quite a bit about insects, what they are, how they look and how they grow from eggs to adults. Study the definitions of the vocabulary words you have learned in this chapter.
Words to know about insects
Characteristic - a feature of an animal or plant. Environment - the surroundings of a plant or animal Insects - a group of animals that have six legs and three body parts. The three parts are the head, thorax, and abdomen. Most have antennae and wings. Parts of an insect Antennae - the long, often slender, “feelers” on the head Head - top part of an insect upon which the antennae and eyes sit. Thorax - the middle part of an insect upon which the wings and legs sit. Abdomen - the bottom part of an insect in which eggs are stored. Life Cycle - the stages in the life of an insect. Some insects go through four stages. 1. Egg - the first stage 2. Larva - the form of an insect that hatches from eggs 3. Pupa - the form of an insect between the larva and adult stage. The pupa has some sort of covering to protect the insect. A cocoon is one kind. 4. Adult - a fully grown insect. The adult female lays eggs to begin a new life cycle.
Other words to know related to the environment and growth of insects. Marsh - soft, wet land that is sometimes covered with water. Offspring - a new plant or animal produced by a parent. Pupate - a change to a pupa. Variation - difference
No matter where you are, there is probably an insect near you. Insects are in air and in the water. They creep in the Artic snow. Others scamper around in the desert.
Insects may seem like pests to you. Some insects eat our clothes, buildings and crops. But insects are very important. Many different animals need them food.
Insects are important for people too. Bees visit flowers and that helps fruit grow. They also make sweet honey.
What makes an insect an in-
How can you tell if a creature is an insect? All insects have three body parts. These are the head, thorax and abdomen. Insects also have six legs. Most insects have one pare of antennae and one or two pares of wings
Look closely at the picture above to the right and below. Can you see six legs and three body parts? Do they have antennae or wings?
Some insects are very easy to see. They are very colorful. They may have special markings. Brightly colored insects often taste bad. They make other animals sick. Animals learn to stay away!
Many animals try not to be seen and blend with their surroundings. This insect looks like the leaf upon which it sits.
Parts of an insect
On a piece of blank paper draw and label the insect you see above.
Insect Life Cycles Insects may look different at each stage of their lives. Most insects go through four stages. The stages are egg, larva, pupa and adult. The eggs of this insect were laid inside cells. After a couple days, each egg hatches into a larva. The tiny larva stays curled up inside the cell. The larva eats food made from the pollen and honey. This food makes the larva grow.
Then, the cell is covered with wax. Inside the cell, each larva turns into a pupa. In the pupa stage, the insect goes through a big change. Soon, an adult crawls out of each cell. The larvae of different insects do not look the same. These larvae will become insects you know well. What will they look like as adules?
You guessed it! The larva above is becomes a beautiful butterfly. Butterflies are so many different colors and do not look at all like the larva or pupa stage.
Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Now you know quite a bit about insects, what they are, how they look and how they grow from eggs to adults. Study the definitions of the vocabulary words you have learned in this chapter.
Words to know about insects
Characteristic - a feature of an animal or plant. Environment - the surroundings of a plant or animal Insects - a group of animals that have six legs and three body parts. The three parts are the head, thorax, and abdomen. Most have antennae and wings. Parts of an insect Antennae - the long, often slender, “feelers” on the head Head - top part of an insect upon which the antennae and eyes sit. Thorax - the middle part of an insect upon which the wings and legs sit. Abdomen - the bottom part of an insect in which eggs are stored. Life Cycle - the stages in the life of an insect. Some insects go through four stages. 1. Egg - the first stage 2. Larva - the form of an insect that hatches from eggs 3. Pupa - the form of an insect between the larva and adult stage. The pupa has some sort of covering to protect the insect. A cocoon is one kind. 4. Adult - a fully grown insect. The adult female lays eggs to begin a new life cycle.
Other words to know related to the environment and growth of insects. Marsh - soft, wet land that is sometimes covered with water. Offspring - a new plant or animal produced by a parent. Pupate - a change to a pupa. Variation - difference
