1. About 1,000,000 (one million) species of insects have been named, but scientists estimate that there are millions more yet to be discovered. About half of all the species of insects are beetles.

Assassin bug

2. Spiders are some of the easiest creatures to find on a walk. But don’t look for webs because not all spiders build them to catch their prey. Wolf spiders and jumping spiders walk aroung, stalking their prey before pouncing on it. Crab spiders may wait motionless for hours on a flower, waiting for an insect to come close enough to grab with their powerful legs.

3. Galls are strand growths you’ll often find on plants when hiking. Many galls start when an insect lays an egg on a plant. A larva hatches out of the egg and burrows into the plant. The larva then puts out a chemical that makes that part of the plant grow much faster. soon the growth forms a little shelter around the insect, which helps protect it from enemies. The larva then grows into an adult and digs its way out of the gall.

4. Most of the creatures you discover on a wildlife hike will be small. That’s because 7 out of 10 of the species (kinds) of creatures are insects.