With the sun shining for the first time in more than a week last Friday, seventh and eighth grade science classes headed outdoors for their biology classes.

Seventh graders, engaged in their first BioBlitz in the Middle School wetlands area, paired up and dug holes, gently shook trees, and caught insects on the fly with nets. A live sample of each species was put in a jar with a mesh lid, recorded, observed, and released.

Eighth graders are conducting the sixth annual survey of pollinators on campus. They are working closely with the U.S. Geological Survey, which helps them design their research and identifies their bees. So far, they are up to 68 species of bees on campus, including 12 species never before recorded in the city!