The buzz started in the carpark at the Wildflower Walk / Ferny Forest, Landsborough, meeting and greeting 11 ready and willing amateur entomologists. We walked through the forest to a cleared area with picnic tables and set up a base to work from.

Our gear kit included our special "Bug Club Citizen Science Entomologist" lanyards with hand lens, 2 handmade "Beat Sheets" and sticks, a butterfly net, collection jars, a microscope, magnifying glasses and journals.

Our aim for the afternoon was freestyle insect observations using our Beat Sheets, butterfly net and by carefully looking under rotting logs and sticks.

We demonstrated how to use a "Beat Sheet" and explained that it requires you to use a stick to "Beat" at vegetation while holding the sheet underneath to collect any insects that fall out. The sheet is then laid on the ground and specimen jars are used to carefully collect the insects making sure they aren't harmed.
We set out looking for insects and took our finds back to our base to share and document our finds with each other.

When we made observations, we used iNaturalist to help us make identifications and record them in our "Bug Club" iNaturalist Project. We let iNaturalist help us guess the species and then over the next few days we wait to get our identifications confirmed. We also made lists in our journals, counted the number of species found and drew pictures.

There were lots of spiders collected and the star of the afternoon was the Four-spined Spiny Orbweaver (Gasteracantha quadrispinosa) which is distinctively shaped and coloured yellow to red. Our specimen was yellow. It builds a vertical orb web approximately 1.5 m across and hangs in the centre of the web to wait for prey (Wikipedia).
Another very interesting observation was the Lacewing Larva or "Junk Bug" that carries the remains of their prey on their backs as a way to camaflouge themselves.

iNaturalist has so far confirmed the Green Jumping Spider (Mopsus mormon), the Stretch Spider (Genus Tetragnatha) which can run over water, and an Entelegyne Spider.

Other insects observed but not yet confirmed were a Pygmy Grasshopper, a Long Green Crab Spider, a Milky Flower Spider, a spider from the Subfamily Salticinae, a Brown Shield Bug, a Lacewing Larva (Junk Bug) and a Green Garden Looper caterpillar.

Satisfied that we had documented our observations, we released our bugs and made plans for our next Bug Club adventure.

To keep up to date with our observations and identifications and for more information about these insects and arachnids join the project on iNaturalist.

Thanks to everyone who came and for your enthusiasm. Your efforts in finding and documenting our natural world matters.

With 12 Citizen Science Entomologists in our group we set out on the circuit track at Mount Tibrogargan, Glasshouse Mountains on the 25/5/22. The weather was cloudy and we were lucky to have just missed the rain. Our aim was to collect insects and record our findings. Our equipment included specimen jars, a beat sheet, magnifying glasses, hand lenses, ultra violet torch and sticks for turning over rotting logs and leaf litter.
Walking slowly along the circuit track we began to 'tune in' and connect with nature. It was then that observations of insects began to be made. We collected specimens in our jars. What a wonderful feeling to share in the discovery of a creature that is part of the ecosystem. To guess or know what it is, to hypothesise about what it's doing, what it eats, what eats it and how it lives it's life.
We walked to a clearing in the forest overlooking the majestic Mount Tibrogargan. This is where we started having a good look at the insects we had collected in our specimen jars along the way. Lots of small spiders were found. We guessed the species of some of them, took photos, made notes and looked forward to getting confirmed identifications from iNaturalist.
At the end of the session and back at our starting point, dusk was upon us when we used an ultra violet torch to find some millipedes. A magical moment to see such a beautiful creature glowing. Did you know that bioluminescence in millipedes is caused by the reaction of a photoprotein that uses magnesium and molecules that contain oxygen.They use it as a defence mechanism.
To date our observations that have been confirmed on iNaturalist include : the Saint Andrew's Cross Spider (Argiope keyserlingi) , an Austral Ellipsidion (Ellipsidion australe), a Green Jumping Spider (Mopsus Mormon), a Badge Huntsman Spider (Genus Neosparassus), an Eastern Bush Orbweaver (Plebs eburnus), an Amorous alternatus, a millepede (Genus Spirobolellus) and although not an insect a Crimson Foot Semi-slug (Stanisicarion freycineti) was also found.
Others that don't have a confirmed identification yet include a Northern Grass Pyrgomorph (Attractomorpha similis), two different species of Orbweavers, a White Cedar Moth, a Garden Jumping Spider, a Spittlebug, a Cricket and a caterpillar of the Genus Orgyia.
That's a total of 17 species found!
For more information about all of the species we found you can use iNaturalist. Go to your Home Screen - select Project (bottom right) - select Bug Club - you will then see all of the insects we have recorded over the last 3 Bug Club meetings. Select a species - select the right arrow next to the name of of the insect - you will then see more photos, a distribution map and a "More Info on iNaturalist.org" tab which will take you to the iNaturalist website where there is even more information.
This journal entry is written from my perspective. You could write your own journal and it would reflect your experience. You could also draw or paint the insects we find.

So much to learn, so many more to find!!