by Julie Pigott Dillard | Nov 8, 2013
All of you 4-H members with fall herb gardens: Would you be willing to sacrifice your apiaceous herbs to the Black Swallowtail Caterpillar?
Busily devouring dill and fennel, the lime green, black striped caterpillars in the UF IFAS Extension Washington County Office have quickly become a popular attraction. It is fortunate that the South’s climate is warm enough to allow for three generations of this species every year.
Soon, the caterpillars of the Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes asterius ) butterfly species will continue their pupae stage by forming a chrysalis and emerging as one of Florida’s most recognized swallowtail butterflies.
The chrysalis is formed by two glands located inside the caterpillar that secrete silk. The silk threads stick together and harden when exposed to fresh air. The hard, protective coating is usually camouflaged from predators and blends in with the environment. Inside the chrysalis, the process of metamorphosis continues as the adult structure forms while the juvenile structure breaks down. The insects are very inactive during this time as they grow and change. This stage can last from two weeks to an entire season in temperate climates and tropical dry seasons. When hormones indicate it’s ready, the butterfly emerges by splitting the chrysalis open either biting its way out or using spit to soften the ends.
The Black swallowtail has quite a heavy appetite for such a small creature. They eat a variety of plants in the carrot family (Apiaceae) such as dill, fennel, parsley, celery, and carrot leaf. In addition to these cultivated species, they will feast on mock bishopweed, roughfruit scaleseed, spotted water hemlock, water cowbane, and wedgeleaf eryngo. They have also been known to enjoy Common Rue (Ruta graveolens L.).
They exhibit several interesting behaviors throughout their life cycle. For example, when they feel threatened the Black Swallowtail will exhibit yellow antennae-like structures called osmeterium. These flare out and emit a foul odor, like rotten cheese, if one’s finger gets too close.
Even though they are voracious plant eaters and honorable defenders of their territory, butterflies play a vital role in agriculture by pollinating crops and flowers. They’re an indicator of a healthy ecosystem; an abundance and diversity of butterfly species illustrate the overall health of an area. With their acute sensitivity to contaminants and toxins, butterfly populations will not be found in polluted areas. Recognized for their beauty, butterfly watching has also become a popular hobby and pastime.
- Photo courtesy of Donald Hall, University of Florida.
It’s never too early to think about planning a butterfly garden. For more information on creating a backyard butterfly habitat, download this 4-H fact sheet for kids and parents. For more information on this specific butterfly, visit the UF IFAS EDIS website for a publication on the Eastern Black Swallwtail.
Additional Content by:
Matthew Orwat, Extension Faculty I, Horticulture, UF IFAS Extension Washington County
by Whitney Cherry | Jun 21, 2013
Photo Credit: http://montessorimeetmot.blogspot.com/2012/04/neatfun-ideas.html
It’s summer time finally, and our kids are glad to be out of school, but it won’t be long before they are bored and itching for some fun. I’ve put together a boredom buster that you can use at home, in 4-H club meetings, 4-H school enrichment programs, or in 4-H day camps based on this great picture I found. Creating a grass hand print is very simple and doesn’t require any special equipment:
Materials
- Container to plant in (Make sure that the top of the container is large enough for your hand print. Pie plates work great and are super cheap!)
- Potting soil
- Grass seed
- Writing utensil (pen, pencil, marker, etc)
- Scissors (preferable safety scissors)
- Construction paper or card stock
- Water
Instructions
- Using your writing utensil, trace your hand on a piece of construction paper.
- Use the scissors to cut out the image you just traced of your hand.
- Fill your container nearly to the top with potting soil. You will want to leave at least an inch of space.
- Immerse your paper hand print in the water.
- Remove your paper hand print from the water quickly and lay it out on a flat surface.
- Sprinkle grass seed over the paper hand print until it is covered.
- Lay the seed covered hand print on top of the dirt in the container and cover it with about a quarter inch of soil.
- Make sure that the pot receives adequate sunlight and water as directed on the seed packet your seeds came from. In a few days you should have a grassy hand print!
So that’s it! This is a great introductory lesson to gardening or plant sciences, and it’s just plain cool. For more information on 4-H gardening projects, resources, and competitions visit: http://florida4h.org/programs/Plantscience.pdf
by Julie Pigott Dillard | May 24, 2013
There’s a home agricultural movement sweeping the United States. Raising chickens in the backyard, not only in rural settings but also urban and suburban areas, is quickly gaining in popularity. Chickens are very social animals and provide not only enjoyment, but high quality, nutritious eggs. Several websites promote and advocate raising chickens in urban/suburban locales and provide readers information on building coops, breed information, incubation and hatching, growing your own chicken feed and protecting chickens from disease. Search on Pinterest and you’ll find coops and chicken breeds of every shape and size.
Egg incubation and hatching is another aspect of 4-H poultry projects that is awe-inspiring for our youngest to oldest 4-H’ers. To think that a baby chick forms in only 21 short days is amazing.
Raising poultry is a relatively inexpensive and easy 4-H project for youth to begin. Chickens require little space, feed is readily available, and compared to large, traditional 4-H livestock projects, care is minimal. But before you send club members to the local farm supply store or order chicks or fertilized eggs from an online vendor, check city ordinances so that they are in compliance.
In my hometown of Chipley, the rules are quite simple:
- pens must be cleaned regularly and kept sanitary
- pens cannot be within 100 feet of a residence
Tallahassee, however, has three very specific rules with four very specific exceptions. To explore your city’s municipal codes, visit municode.com, select state followed by city. Entering poultry or chickens in the search box should take you directly to ordinances on this subject.
Julie Pigott Dillard is the 4-H Youth Development Agent and Director of UF IFAS Washington County Extension. Having raised chickens growing up, she now enjoys it with her oldest son and parents who have a unique assortment of both production and exhibition breeds. They also teach poultry classes for youth and adults. During the past two weeks, they have hatched two dozen chicks! juliepd@ufl.edu
by Monica Brinkley | May 10, 2013
Sewing is much more than just making a garment or a bag, instead it is the vehicle to teach self-confidence through skill building.
In today’s world, sewing is no longer a necessity as it was in our mothers’ and grandmothers’ day. Most women of that era knew how to sew and could clothe their families by using their sewing skills. Now, sewing can be expensive, so why should children be taught to sew?
The goal of teaching children, and adults for that matter, to sew is to gain self-confidence as they learn a new skill. Hand sewing skills develop finger dexterity and the development of fine motor skills. If you have ever hand sewn you know it can also teach you the value of patience. These skills can be used not only to create beautiful pieces of art and heirlooms to be passed down, they are the same skills needed to mend cloths. Knowing how to put a hem back in pants and skirts as well as how to sew a button back on a garment is extremely important and can be very expensive to have done.
Sewing teaches listening and following of directions. Either a student listens to or reads directions in order to complete a project. Reading and following a pattern is the hardest part of sewing for many people. Throughout life we follow directions. In our modern world we listen to the GPS to aid us in reaching a destination or follow the printed map. Did you make the connection between sewing and reaching a destination?
Not only can basic skills be taught through sewing, there is a lot of science, technology, engineering, and math that can be taught. Many creative people are also great engineers. A lot of the modern sewing machines are computer driven. Just learning to operate some of them takes a technologically minded person. Think of the science that goes into engineering the new fibers that are used to make not only clothing but all the other items we use made of fibers. And the measurement skills, addition, and subtraction that go into sewing are naturally math concepts.
Sewing is much more than just making a garment or a bag, instead it is the vehicle to teach self-confidence through skill building. If you don’t know how to sew yourself, either learn or find another volunteer who has the skill. Let’s teach youth skills they will carry with them throughout life.
by Heather Kent | Dec 5, 2012
You may have made your own pH indicator out of red cabbage in science class, but did you know that you can make pH paper out of poinsettias? Many plants contain pigments (special colored cells) that are responsive to changes in pH. You can extract the pigment from red poinsettias to make your own pH paper at home to test whether a liquid is an acid or a base. “pH” stands for potential Hydrogen and is a measure of the acid/alkaline balance of a substance. Scientists use this measurement in a variety of fields to monitor health of humans, plants, and animals. pH is also an important measurement for maintaining our water quality.
Poinsettias are native to Mexico and Central America. In the US, they are used as annual decorative plants for the winter holidays, but they can be grown as a perennial in warmer climates. They are available in a variety of colors ranging from white to deep red. The so-called ‘flowers’ are actually special leaves called bracts; the real flowers are tiny and usually yellow. For more information on how to select and care for poinsettias, visit the UF IFAS Extension website at: http://solutionsforyourlife.ifas.ufl.edu/hot_topics/lawn_and_garden/poinsettias.html#varieties. Note: Poinsettias are in the milkweed family, and some people are sensitive to the milky sap that comes out when you break off a leaf. Be sure to wash your hands after handling the leaves, and do not touch your face, eyes, or mouth while making your pH paper.
To make Poinsettia pH paper, you will need:
- poinsettia bracts
- scissors or a blender
- ½ cup boiling water
- 2 cup liquid measuring cup
- coffee filters
- rubber band
- toothpicks or cotton swabs
- vinegar or lemon juice (an acidic solution to test pH)
- baking soda solution (1 tsp. in one cup of water, a base solution to test pH)
- adult supervision
Cut the bracts into strips or ask a parent to chop them in a blender. Place the cut pieces into measuring cup. Add just enough boiling water to cover the plant material. Allow the solution to steep until the color is removed from the plant (this usually takes 10-20 minutes). Cover a cup with a clean coffee filter and secure with a rubber band. Slowly pour the liquid into the cup, then discard the plant matter. Remove the rubber band and filter paper and discard. Dip a clean coffee filter into the filtered poinsettia solution. Allow the filter paper to dry. You can cut the colored paper with scissors to make pH test strips, or leave the filter whole to use a color change paper. Use a toothpick or cotton swab to apply a little liquid to a filter paper. The color range for acids and bases will depend on the particular plant.
Create your own pH scale by researching the known pH of common house-hold liquid such as vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice, soda, etc. Test each liquid to determine the color the pH level produces; or design an experiment to find out what happens if you dilute the vinegar or baking soda. Does it change the pH?
4-H is the youth development program of UF/IFAS Extension and is available in all 67 counties in Florida. Youth involved in 4-H science programs apply science, engineering, and technology skills to their projects, develop science literacy workforce skills, and pursue education and careers related to science resulting in a workforce that will create a viable economy and communities for Florida. According to the Tufts University Study on Positive Youth Development, 4-H youth are more likely to: Report better grades, higher levels of academic competence, and an elevated level of engagement at school; are nearly two times more likely to plan to go to college; are more likely to pursue future courses or a career in science, engineering, or computer technology; and have higher levels of female involvement in science programs. 4-H is open to all youth, ages 5-18, regardless of gender, race, color, ethnicity, nationality, creed, or disability.
