16 Apr This week in 9th grade…
…the biology class enjoyed a sunny, outdoor adventure at Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, to see macro-organisms in their natural habitats. They explored the waters of a rain-fed pond and a floodwater marsh, discovering unique organisms that they had never seen before. The water was surrounded by algae and various plants, providing a shelter for the variety of pond/marsh life including fish, frogs, snails, and a wide variety of insect larvae. Students used nets and buckets to gather samples containing Boatman Fly larvae, worms, beetles, fresh pond shrimp, damselfly larvae, side swimmers, and even a leech! Many of these macro-invertebrates were then viewed under microscopes where parts of these amazing tiny creatures that normally could not be seen with the naked eye were examined. The field trip improved the class’s knowledge of water organisms, which complemented their current study of the Kingdom Protista. Seeing these incredible creatures in their natural environment was just one more example of how beautiful and intricate God’s design of His world truly is.
