Peoria Academy of Science

This dragonfly (commonly called a twelve-spotted skimmer – Libellula pulchella) was photographed by Gordon Adams (a member of our group). The immature stages of dragonflies (and related damselflies) are aquatic and breath by means of gills. The young feed on a variety of small aquatic organisms. The adults typically feed on small flying insects (such as mosquitoes). Many species can be seen flying erratically near streams and ponds. Dragonflies belong to the insect order Odonata. This species is a member of the family Libellulidae.

Scorpionflies are so named because the terminal segments of certain males resemble the sting of a scorpion (a female of the family Panorpidae is shown here). These insects belong to the order Mecoptera. These insects feed principlayy on dead insects. This female was photographed by our member, Gordon Adams (Peoria, IL).  Most scorpionflies are found in woods or areas of dense vegetation in central Illinois.

It is unlikely you have seen this local central Illinois insect (red-headed bush cricket). You may well have heard the noise produced by this insect on a warm summer night. Or, you may have heard its relative, the brown bush cricket. Our member, Gordon Adams, took this photo in his backyard (Peoria, IL). If you look carefully, you will observe this insect cleaning one antenna in its mouth.

This is our tentative schedule of meetings for the year. We invite anyone interested in entomology to participate in our meetings. The schedule may change over the year, so we encourage you to contact us or check the site for updates. For field trips, we often leave at 8 a.m. from the Lakeview Museum parking lot.

All meetings are held (or start) at Lakeview Museum (1125 W. Lake, Peoria, IL). Generally, we start at 9 a.m. (usually on the third Saturday of the month). There is no December meeting due to the proximity to the holidays.

• January 17, 2009 – organizational planning meeting
• February 21, 2009 – update website with current information
• March 21, 2009 – slide show of group’s 2008 trip to Belize (bring specimens, books and related materials)
• April18, 2009 – field trip to Revis Ridge (leave at 8 a.m.)
• April 25, 2009 – Earth Day exhibits at Forest Park Nature Center (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
• May 16, 2009 – field trip to Matthiessen State Park (leave at 8 a.m.)
• June 20, 2009 – field trip to Maury Bruckner’s Prairie near Henry (IL) (leave at 9 a.m.)
• July 11, 2009 – annual butterfly count (call Tracy Fox)
• August 15, 2009 – field trip to Jubilee State Park (leave at 9 a.m.)
• September 19, 2009 – field trip to Dirksen Park (leave at 9 a.m.)
• October 17, 2009 – guest speaker (at Lakeview)
• November 21, 2009 – fumigate Lakeview Museum insect collection
• No December meeting – Happy Holidays

Below is a possible list of the weekends we may have outings to Banner Marsh for night collecting/ observations. These depend on weather conditions – contact Frank Hitchell if you plan to participate.

• May 8 or 9
• May 22 or 23
• June 12 or 13
• June 26 or 27
• July 11 or 12
• July 24 or 25
• August 7 or 8
• August 21 or 22
• September 11 or 12
• September 25 or 26