Blog of the Week: Bug Girl's Blog

A painting of a collection of 374 moths from New Guinea.
Via Wikimedia Commons.

Women are often stereotyped as having a dislike of dirt, a fear of snakes, an abhorrence of bugs. I happen to like snakes, think dirt is a good thing, and embrace the enormous diversity that is the world of "bugs," or, more specifically, arthropods. The number of species of bugs may well account for the vast majority of all known animals species and easily exceeds 1 million. With 1 million+ species from which to choose, how can anyone "hate bugs"?

So, it is with great delight that we highlight a blog today that's about a woman and her love of bugs. The appropriately named Bug Girl's Blog is a wealth of expert information about bugs, palatably presented. (Warning: some entries, especially the limerick contest entries, not suitable for children. This legitimate form of poetry often carries NSFC labels).

Naughty proboscis-related poetry aside, at Bug Girl's Blog, you'll find all the detail and fascinating information about bugs that only a woman with a PhD in entomology can provide. While Bug Girl is happy to write about bugs and collate bug-related naughty poetry, she will not, she notes, be able to identify your bug for you. Remember that 1 million+ thing? No one can identify each and every one.

She will, however, post and discuss videos of the sounds of summer (i.e., cicadas) complete with the related poetry of the ancient Greeks. You'll learn about those bumps on the undersides of leaves--galls--and what their bug-related purpose is. Bug Girl applies critical thinking and skepticism to claims about bugs--and about what kills them--and tells us which bugs we can eat. Mmm. Ants are spicy. In case you're interested, Bug Girl has also posted bed bug coverage. Ewww. Women interested in science careers, in particular bug-related science careers, will also find a wealth of career-related posts. 

Oh, and National Moth Week? That's coming up next July, so be sure to be ready for that. The point of it is citizen science, in which citizens engage in the process of science. In case you didn't know it, moths are pretty cool, often quite beautiful, and rather necessary as pollinators and food. 

You can follow Bug Girl on Twitter @bug_girl.