Story Photos
 Mark Morris High School biology teacher Larry Byman talks about bugs and butterflies as he shows his collection to a group at the Longview Public Library on Wednesday. Greg Ebersole / The Daily News
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Science teacher shares insect collection at Longview library
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 11:37 PM PDT
By Carrie Pederson
Printable version
E-mail this articleMark Morris biology teacher Larry Byman’s insect collection at the Longview library is bringing children a little closer to the world of the creepy, crawly and sometimes beautiful.
Byman’s collection of termites, cockroaches, earwigs, dragonflies, butterflies and moths have been on display in the basement of the library since it kicked of it’s summer “Catch the Reading Bug” program in June.
On Wednesday afternoon, a small group of children hovered over Byman’s collection. They watched intently as Byman explained the mysteries of the intricate butterflies and moths.
Viceroy butterflies get protection by looking like the bad-tasting Monarch butterfly, Byman explained, pointing to smaller and larger versions of the orange and black butterflies.
“Male giant silkworm moths have real bushy antennae to find their wife,” Byman said, of a brownish moth.
Byman, who became interested in insects at the end of his university career, has collected close to 200 specimens, he said.
Insects are both our friend and our foe, “beneficial and harmful in numerous ways,” Byman told the children.
Alex Roberts, 6, learned that is favorite insect, the bee, is a helpful insect.
“We’re heavily dependent on pollinating insects for fruit,” Byman said.
Misquotes, on the other hand, can spread diseases like the West Nile virus and equine encephalitis, which inflames membranes around the brain.
Some insects, like termites, are both helpful and harmful, Byman said. Termites break down wood in the forest, but they also break down the wood in homes.
Termites have to eat their own droppings before they can digest wood, Byman told the children. “Their first meal is termite poo,” he said, getting laughs from the children.
“They become a pest when they start gnawing on our homes,” Byman said. “Virtually every home in this area has either termites or carpenter ants and people don’t know it.”
He recommended children go outside with flashlight wrapped in red cellophane at night to look for ants around their homes.
Byman’s students at Mark Morris do a more in-depth study on insects as a final project in biology class.
“It ties all aspects of biology together— genetics, cells and botany,” Byman said.
Children can get more exposure to bugs, and reading, in the final days of the library’s summer program.
For more information, visit http://www.longviewlibrary.org/programs.html or call 442-5301.
spiralibrary wrote on Jul 25, 2008 5:28 PM:
The Summer Reading Program (in the sense of reading for prizes) continues until August 16.
I would like to say that for a "basement" our lower floor has lots of windows and sunshine. I never thought of the ground floor (same level as the parking lot) as a "basement"! But, again, thanks for a SUPER article!
Jan E.V.W. Hanson
Youth Services Librarian "
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