Diurnal to Nocturnal – Insects & Arachnids After Dark

Join us for Insects & Arachnids After Dark, an evening hands-on science field experience that starts with a guided walk along a nature trail at sunset in search of the small but remarkable creatures that come alive after dark. Using red-light flashlights and UV lights, we’ll look for movement, glowing clues, eye shine, web builders, hunters, and other nighttime behaviors while exploring how insects and arachnids are specially adapted for life in the dark. Along the way, participants will sharpen their observation skills and learn how to notice the field marks and characteristics that help distinguish one species from another.

This program also invites you to be part of community science. As we document what we find, participants will help observe, describe, and assist volunteers with recording species using iNaturalist, contributing valuable sightings that can support wildlife knowledge and biodiversity tracking.

After the trail walk, we’ll gather in the classroom to examine and compare the species observed, practice identification techniques, and discuss the clues that help naturalists tell one arthropod from another. This field activity is made possible through a Special Use Permit to access the Refuge after closing time.

Field Trip Leader: Professor Candido Diaz, Stetson University

Professor Diaz’s academic passion has always bounced between physics and biology. Ultimately, he obtained a degree in Physics and Astronomy from Vassar College. He was lucky enough to conduct acoustics research during his undergrad but then found the call of biology too strong. Professor Diaz an Ecomechanist who travels into the field to study the material properties of the glue produced by rare spiders to capture moths. At heart, Professor Diaz loves evolutionary specialist animals and the weird things they can do. These amazing spiders use a combination of strange web structures, pheromones, and a special silk glue to retain hard-to-catch prey.

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