And the Winner Is...
Fourth graders from Beatty Elementary School in Las Vegas made a successful case for their pick for Nevada state insect. Their nominee, the vivid dancer damselfly, was selected from a pool of 70, all submitted by children.
Nevada now has a state insect - the vivid dancer damselfly.
Photo: Flickr user wolfpix (CC-ND license)
In making their case, the Beatty students noted that the vivid dancer damselfly represents the Silver State well, with its blue and silver colors. In their nominating essay, the children also noted the insect's beauty, benefits to the economy, and contribution to Nevadans quality of life.
The vivid dancer damselfly, Argia vivida, is a common damselfly of the American southwest. Though I hoped the fourth graders would consider a rare or endemic species for such an honor, I applaud the Nevada students and teachers who worked so hard to research and select an insect to represent their state.
Debbie,
Why does the US Department of Agriculture permit China or any other Asian Country to
ship products with chippings that have not been treated for bugs or insects?? These insect as you have stated destroyed millions
of acres of our valuable trees. Furthermore,
if those countries continue to use clippings as packing material they should be banned from
sending their products to the USA. The FTC should also get into action and assist the authorities to insure compliance.