Science Sunday Series: A Hidden World - Part 2 - Magnificent and Mysterious Ants

Where:

CFPA Headquarters (16 Meriden Road, Rockfall, CT)

When:

Sunday, January 19, 2014 - 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Who:

Adults

Event Info:

Join us for this exciting Science Sunday Series: A Hidden World! Each month we'll meet on the 3rd Sunday to learn about the secret world of insects found in Connecticut forests and parks. Be a lifelong learner with us as ecologist and Wesleyan University PhD student, Rob Clark, leads an indoor presentation followed by an outdoor scientific exploration in Highlawn Forest. This series is free and open to the public. Participants are welcome to attend all or individual classes.

Part 2: Magnificent and Mysterious Ants (rescheduled from December)
Why are ants important? A talk about the magnificent and mysterious social lives of ants.

Ecologist Rob Clark thinks that ants are the most interesting animals around. Come learn about why he and other biologists consider them to be one the most important insect groups on earth. If you already think ants are neat, that's great! Come with your own questions too. This will be a fun Q & A session with an optional walk at the end. This walk will just be for 'fresh air' if you like the forest in winter: we probably won't find many ants outside December.

The indoor talk will answer questions people have all the time, such as: What species of ants are in my house? What species of ants are in my backyard? What species of ants are in the forest? Why do I see flying ants sometimes? How do new ant colonies get started? How many species of ants are there in Connecticut? Do carpenter ants kill trees? What do ants eat in the wild? Why are there so many ants? Why do ants live in colonies? Do ant colonies always have one queen? Are there "kings" in ant colonies? What do ants do for forests? What animals eat ants in Connecticut forests? What's the deal with fire ants / Argentine ants? Are there any invasive ants in Connecticut or spreading to Connecticut? What does an ant biologist do and how do you study them? How the heck did you get interested in ants anyway?

Dress comfortably and in layers for indoor/outdoor learning.

Pre-registration is appreciated: Sign up for Science Sunday Series: A Hidden World - Part 2 - Magnificent and Mysterious Ants

Directions: http://www.ctwoodlands.org/contact

More on the wonderful Highlawn Forest in Middletown & Middlefield in these videos: