Girl Scouts laugh in the face of 50 mph wind gusts. At least the members of Miller City Girl Scout Troop 20197 do.

The troop earned their Bug and Hiker badges here on The Quarry Farm today. When they arrived at noon, the wind was high and cold. We gathered in Red Fox Cabin first to talk about bugs…insects altogether, because all bugs are insects, but not all insects are bugs. Most importantly, we talked about how important insects are to us all. 

The wild bee boxes on the porch were empty, what with the larva having overwintered and left their crawl spaces in the warmer temperatures of March. But down the hill and along the bank of Cranberry Run, they saw–touched even–the light leathery outer coat of cranefly larva and an egg-laden crayfish, all caught for inspection from beneath the surface of the rain-swollen creek. They also saw a damselfly nymph and aquatic worms.

As we hiked upstream along the Cranberry, farm animals joined us on the other side of the fence, led by turkeys Humperdink, Miracle Max and Inigo. When we entered the gate, we were greeted by donkeys, pigs and the geese. Then the wind rose, bringing a bluster of snow that sent us back to the cabin for hot chocolate and cookies.

Thanks to leader Mandy Verhoff and everyone who got our program season off to a great start (and for sharing these photos.)