ITHACA— Tompkins County Public Library is pleased to partner with Cornell University graduate students to offer a 3-week series of lectures about “Backyard Arthropods,” Mondays, March 16, 23, and 30, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, in the Library’s BorgWarner Community Room East.
At this interactive lecture series, attendees will learn how clingy ticks, dairying ants, and talking beetles interact with humans and with each other. On March 16, at “F-ANT-tastic Bugs and Where to Find Them,” the ants of the Finger Lakes region will be highlighted. Participants will be able to examine specimens under a microscope and learn about the diversity of ants found in our region. First-year PhD student Leland Graber, who studies the evolution of ants, will give this lecture.
On March 23, Marvin Cuadera, a graduate student who studies how ticks affect human health in the state of New York, will lecture on “The Fascinating World of Ticks!” At this lecture, participants will learn about the health impact ticks have on humans, including discussion of Lyme Disease. Ticks will be available to be examined under a microscope.
On March 30, participants can learn about insect acoustic communication at “All I Heard Was Crickets.” Attendees will learn how to listen for “talking insects” native to Tompkins County, and will view specimens under a microscope. The lecture will be led by Annette Kang, a PhD student studying interactions between soil, plants, and insects.
These programs are free and open to the public. For more information on TCPL programming, contact smckissick@tcpl.org.