It is so much fun discovering the world around you! There is so much to explore, and there are especially many, many bugs to observe, including insects, spiders, roly-polies and more. You can see them crawling across the ground, flying in your yard, eating plants and even hiding under a rock or log you flip over. But who lives in the bark on your trees?
This experiment lets us discover just that. Watch the video to see how to make a trunk refugia to find out what insects and arachnids may be living in the bark on the trees in your yard.
Once your trunk refugia is made, tie it to a tree. Then you just have to wait patiently for the critters to move in. Tie it onto the bark low to the ground or in the middle. With a ladder and an adult’s help, try tying one higher up on the trunk or onto a tree branch.
Will you find different species in these different locations on the tree? Do you have other types of trees in your yard? Do you think you will discover different species there?
Here's what you will need to make your trunk refugia:
Corrugated cardboard
A box cutter
A drill
Tape
String
A needle
A bin (to open up refugia and observe specimens)
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