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Jezebel Vargas, 7 smiles as she holds a giant African millipede during the Insect Discovery Lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
An eastern lubber grasshopper is seen crawling on a child’s hand during the Insect Discovery Lab at the Napa County Library.
Jordyn Manchester holds a giant thorny phasmid as kids reach out to touch it during the Insect Discovery Lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Jordyn Manchester holds a giant thorny phasmid as kids reach out to touch it during the Insect Discovery Lab.
A darkling beetle is seen crawling on a child’s hand during the Insect Discovery Lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
A 240-legged millipede. A giant grasshopper. A spindly stickbug. And a hissing cockroach.
Dozens of Napa kids got to touch, and even hold, these unusual insects during a recent event at the Napa library.
The bugs came to the library from the Insect Discovery Lab in San Francisco. The educational outreach program was designed to inspire school-aged children about invertebrates and how to preserve the biological diversity on earth, said its website.
Rose Cereda, 7, described her encounter Wednesday with a darkling beetle.
“I saw a cute little black bug on my hand, and it just stayed still,” she said with excitement.
More than an inch long, black and shiny, the beetle seemed completely at ease as it was gently held or touched by the young guests. And it was definitely Rose’s first time holding such a big beetle.
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The 7-year-old doesn’t have any pet bugs at home, “but I do have a toy pet fish. Her name is Glitter, but I changed it, so now it’s Sparkles.” However, Rose said she has seen some “wild bugs” around her house, like a spider “that bites you and makes a little itchy spot.”
Thomas Olson, 10, carefully touched the delicate legs of the darkling beetle as Insect Discovery Lab host Jordyn Manchester held the bug in her hand.
What did it feel like? “When it started to move, it tickled a little bit,” said Thomas.
He’s never seen a darkling beetle before, “but we get a lot of stinkbugs at our house.” Besides the beetle, Thomas said he was hoping to see a stick bug from the Insect Discovery Lab.
Aleph Monge, 5, was one of the first in the group to meet the eastern lubber grasshopper. It looked a little bit like the character Hopper from “A Bug’s Life,” but this bug actually can’t fly. Instead, the grasshopper will often climb trees to eat tender, new leaves, according to a University of Florida entomology report.
“I put it in my hand,” Aleph said of the grasshopper, which was about 3 inches long. “It felt a little bit sticky.” If he could touch or meet any other creature, he’d like to see a tarantula, the youngster added.
Athena Tolentino, 8, loves insects. “I love that they’re cool and sometimes creepy,” at the same time.
The best thing about insects is “that they come in all different shapes and sizes and have defense mechanisms of all kinds.”
She’s never held bugs this big, said Athena. “I was really scared to hold them, but they turned out really, really cute.”
Did you know that the di Rosa center is hosting art and nature camps this summer?
This Napa youngster doesn’t see a lot of bugs at home. “Well, there’s rolly pollies and ladybugs,” she remembered. She once saw two scorpions at Connolly Ranch, said Athena. “One was dead; one was alive."
If she found a bug like these insects at home, instead of squishing it like some adults might be tempted to do, Athena said she would “scoop it up and take it outside.”
Next up, the kids met a giant African millipede, which happens to have 240 miniature legs. The dark brown and black, worm-like creature featured a ribbed/segmented body that was about 8 inches long.
As the millipede smoothly traveled from palm to palm, each bug admirer described the sensation differently.
“It felt like wheels on your hand,” said one kid.
“It felt ticklish,” said another.
“The millipede felt like Velcro on your hand,” said Athena. “I really liked his long body and his legs are teeny tiny. He’s like the dachshund dog,” of insects, she said.
When Manchester introduced the Madagascar hissing cockroach to the group, the host explained that the brown and black insect, more than 2 inches long, could scurry quite quickly. That meant being still while holding the bug was very important.
“If you are calm, the cockroach will be calm,” she said.
Summer events for kids: https://bit.ly/3aF1Ip5
The bug encounter is just one of several special events that the Napa downtown library is hosting this summer. Come July 20, the children’s librarian will host a “storycraft” time for kids ages 3 and older. On July 18, the library will host a family movie night featuring the animated film “Luca.” On July 21, kids ages 7 and older can meet up at the library to make an interactive “slider” card.
For those children who complete the summer library adventure program, a reading rewards celebration will be held on July 26 at the library.
Children reach out to touch an African millipede during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Children reach out to touch an African millipede during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
A child holds a Madagascar hissing cockroach during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Children react to an eastern lubber grasshopper as she shows to kids during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Eric Olson, 7, Ian Olson, 5, Thomas Olson, 10, and Colin Olson, 2, react to a Madagascar hissing cockroach during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
A darkling beetle is seen crawling on a child’s hand during the Insect Discovery Lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Children are seen looking at books about bugs during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Jordyn Manchester holds a giant thorny phasmid as kids reach out to touch it during the Insect Discovery Lab.
A giant thorny phasmid dangles form Jordyn Manchester’s arm as she display the insect to kids during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Tzitziki Hernandez reads a book about bugs to her sister Leilanii, 7, during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Kids reach out to touch an eastern lubber grasshopper during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Jezebel Vargas, 7 smiles as she holds a giant African millipede during the Insect Discovery Lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
An eastern lubber grasshopper is seen crawling on a child’s hand during the Insect Discovery Lab at the Napa County Library.
Jordyn Manchester holds a giant thorny phasmid as kids reach out to touch it during the Insect Discovery Lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Kids react to an Australian walking stick during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Kids react to an Australian walking stick during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
An eastern lubber grasshopper is seen crawling on a child’s hand during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Jordyn Manchester holds an eastern lubber grasshopper as she shows to kids during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Leilanii Hernandez, 7, pets an eastern lubber grasshopper as she shows to kids during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Children react to an eastern lubber grasshopper as she shows to kids during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Children reach out to touch an African millipede during an insect discovery lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
You can reach reporter Jennifer Huffman at 707-256-2218 or jhuffman@napanews.com
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Jennifer Huffman is the business editor and a general assignment reporter for the Napa Valley Register. I cover a wide variety of topics for the newspaper. I've been with the Register since 2005.
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Jezebel Vargas, 7 smiles as she holds a giant African millipede during the Insect Discovery Lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
An eastern lubber grasshopper is seen crawling on a child’s hand during the Insect Discovery Lab at the Napa County Library.
Jordyn Manchester holds a giant thorny phasmid as kids reach out to touch it during the Insect Discovery Lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
Jordyn Manchester holds a giant thorny phasmid as kids reach out to touch it during the Insect Discovery Lab.
A darkling beetle is seen crawling on a child’s hand during the Insect Discovery Lab at the Napa County Library in downtown Napa on Wednesday.
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