Frozen Flies???
Can you survive being frozen solid like a popsicle? Of course not! But, Belgica antarctica is a wingless fly that has this incredible adaptation (and many more) to help it survive the cold harsh Antarctic environment. Believe it or not-it can survive being frozen solid for a long time!!!! Do you know any Ohio animals that can survive being frozen all winter???
The bio-swales, Crestwood Primary School
Nestled in our schoolyard, there is a fly that has similar adaptations as Belgica antarctica! It lives inside this tall yellow flowering plant found in our schoolyard in early September. It is called golden rod. There is a remarkable relationship between this plant and the golden rod fly!
Here my students are taking a habitat hike through the same natural area in our schoolyard in the fall. Notice that the golden rod plant is now brown and brittle. Do you notice anything unusual about the golden rod plant now?
These round structures are called golden rod galls. The golden rod fly lays its eggs in the plant's stem early in the spring. Then, the plant forms this round growth around it. The egg then hatches into a larva and lives inside all winter. It freezes solid, thaws in the spring, and then flies away unharmed by the cold!
To learn more about the galls and the cold-hardy fly inside, my first graders and I collected several of them for Dr. Lee's visit. Since the outside air is so cold this time of year, we stored the galls in the freezer until his visit.
Dr. Lee is an extreme entomologist. This means that he studies insects living in extreme conditions, especially cold weather. He is an expert on the golden rod fly. By studying the golden rod fly in our schoolyard, we can better understand the Antarctic fly surviving at the bottom of the world!
Since so many students were curious about this insect, Dr. Lee conducted scientific investigations with students K-8 during his Crestwood visit. The students used their observation skills as they dissected the gall and made predictions about its contents.
Middle schoolers use scientific tools to examine the larva living inside!
Here's the larva we found inside. It started wiggling and crawling away once it thawed in the classroom!
Students even discovered a parasitic wasp living in the galls too! Dr. Lee taught us how the gall can contain a community of organisms!
Students even discovered a parasitic wasp living in the galls too! Dr. Lee taught us how the gall can contain a community of organisms!
How do you think the golden rod fly is alike and different from Belgica antarctica???
Belgica antarctica, adult
Nature Detective Challenge:
Name an Ohio animal (besides the golden rod fly) that can survive freezing during the winter months. Conduct research and respond back with the answer!
Name an Ohio animal (besides the golden rod fly) that can survive freezing during the winter months. Conduct research and respond back with the answer!
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