Greetings everyone!

I hope you're all excited for the upcoming summer weeks of our program! I wanted to let you know that I will be out of town for the next four weeks. I know you’re going to have a great time and learn lots with Ted, Molly, Christian S., and Christian E.

While I'm away, I encourage you to explore our garden and look for insect relatives. June is a busy time for many insects, so there's plenty to see. Pay special attention to the bee houses and observe the various insect activities around you.

Bees are particularly active now, setting up their nests. If you look to the east of the garden, you'll see the white honey bee hives. Remember, honey bees are just one of the 4,000-5,000 bee species in North America. Keep an eye out for other bees visiting our herbs and flowers. Some may be gathering soil for their nests, while others might visit the large pine tree for resin. The mulch we use creates a nice humid microhabitat for them (termites, pill bugs, worms, earwigs, small beetles and true bugs, spiders, etc.). There will be insects in our greenhouse, too – so keep an eye out there as well.

The lady beetle larvae feeding on aphids and/or other insects on the pine tree (and occasionally dropping onto our picnic table) will soon be pupating. If you find any larvae on the table, please move them back to the tree trunk so they can continue their work. Feel free to share some watermelon with them before moving them.

I would really love to see what you discover! Please photograph any insects you find and share them on our iNaturalist page where I can help you identify them. You can also text the photos to me at 402-327-1574. FYI – there is a macro clip on lens hanging in the shed (to the right when you open doors) to help you take close up photos of what/who you see in the garden.

Additionally, I wanted to encourage you to share your photos on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Ted, Molly, and I share photos there, and we'd love to see the program from your perspective as well.

Enjoy your time in the garden and greenhouse. Happy planting, happy growing and happy insect hunting! Facebook: this is a private group. Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/298729175783366 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hoopatunl/ iNaturalist project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/hoop-of-learning-garden-at-unl

Kind regards, Louise

Dr. Louise I. Lynch-O’Brien (she/her/hers) Assistant Professor of Insect Biology & Insect Science Program Coordinator, Nebraska One Health Extension Coordinator University of Nebraska–Lincoln Department of Entomology ENTO 109E, Lincoln, NE 68583-0816 llynchobrien@unl.edumailto:llynchobrien@unl.edu Call/text: 402-327-1574