July 2, 2023
Allison Cram - 2022, 2023 Fellow
Hi my name is Allison Cram and I am a Technology Integration Specialist and leader of the Visual and Performing Arts Academy at Brattleboro Union High School in Vermont.
Science Blog:
Today we went to collect caterpillars in the Great Basin. We left the campus in two cars to travel 45 minutes to the site. The road to the site was bumpy and washed out, making the ride quite interesting. When we arrived we hiked up to the plot area to start setting up. The plot area was defined with ropes and an arch of perimeter flags. Within the plot site we were assigned specific species of bushes to begin using our beat sticks and canvas to try and collect caterpillars. The main plants were pinion pine, sagebrush, juniper and rabbitbrush. We found caterpillars in a range of sizes and colors. Andrew and I found a larger species of caterpillar that was a moth and poisonous to touch. These caterpillars were then collected and put into cups with their host plant material, labeled and put in a small cooler. They will be identified and processed later this week in the lab.
I have included four videos I took of Chloe and Dani explaining some of the science behind the project and more specifically how to correctly collect and label the caterpillars
Video One: Part 1, Part 2
Video Two: Part 1, Part 2
We also needed to collect plant food for each of them to be able to feed them later. Dani called this grocery shopping. We then took a break for lunch and finally completed a second plot, gathering the caterpillars when we found them. We did find less caterpillars on the second plot.
Later in the day ... Matt Forister Talk:
We were very lucky to have a talk from Matt Forister who focus is on insect conservation. Initially he talked about the Insect Apocalypse article that was published in the New York Times. Here is the link. The article discusses the fact that there has been a 75 percent decrease in insect populations all over the world over 27 years. In general there is a biomass decline in both insects and animals. Animal populations are down over 69 percent over the last half century. Matt stated we still don't know the whole of the "why" this is happening. To find out why this is happening scientists like Matt are examining butterfly populations in this region. This region is special because it includes both heavily modified areas by humans and not so modified areas by humans. Having these two different areas so closely together enables scientists to compare the areas based on the data they collect. The project of collecting data on butterflies in this area was started over 50 years ago and recently caterpillar data has been added to the project. Matt knows that butterfly populations are declining but is still unsure about caterpillars so the caterpillar data will be added to this study. A few known factors that have affected butterfly populations in this area are the 2019 drought.
Overall:
This project's data is showing a downward trend in butterfly populations starting in the 1990's. This was caused by already warming summers and new pesticides on plants which make the plants toxic for the butterflies to eat. The data also shows that the Mountain areas are not as stable either with the mega drought making the mountains in this area hotter than they have been in 1,000 years. The difference in night and day temperatures is slowly going away. These temperature differences are affecting the butterflies.
What's Next?
Matt hopes to continue to better understand the impacts of climate change with continued research. He also hopes to motivate people to learn more about climate change through education. A new bill was also recently passed in the Nevada government that prohibits the use of some pesticides at home.
Personal Note:
I'm excited to continue to learn more about the project and also participate in the lab work of identifying the caterpillars we collected.
Did you know?
Pesticides in nursery plants are a problem? Some of them have so many pesticides they are toxic to pollinators. Growing your own organic plants is a good way to avoid this.
Hi my name is Allison Cram and I am a Technology Integration Specialist and leader of the Visual and Performing Arts Academy at Brattleboro Union High School in Vermont.
Science Blog:
Today we went to collect caterpillars in the Great Basin. We left the campus in two cars to travel 45 minutes to the site. The road to the site was bumpy and washed out, making the ride quite interesting. When we arrived we hiked up to the plot area to start setting up. The plot area was defined with ropes and an arch of perimeter flags. Within the plot site we were assigned specific species of bushes to begin using our beat sticks and canvas to try and collect caterpillars. The main plants were pinion pine, sagebrush, juniper and rabbitbrush. We found caterpillars in a range of sizes and colors. Andrew and I found a larger species of caterpillar that was a moth and poisonous to touch. These caterpillars were then collected and put into cups with their host plant material, labeled and put in a small cooler. They will be identified and processed later this week in the lab.
I have included four videos I took of Chloe and Dani explaining some of the science behind the project and more specifically how to correctly collect and label the caterpillars
Video One: Part 1, Part 2
Video Two: Part 1, Part 2
We also needed to collect plant food for each of them to be able to feed them later. Dani called this grocery shopping. We then took a break for lunch and finally completed a second plot, gathering the caterpillars when we found them. We did find less caterpillars on the second plot.
Later in the day ... Matt Forister Talk:
We were very lucky to have a talk from Matt Forister who focus is on insect conservation. Initially he talked about the Insect Apocalypse article that was published in the New York Times. Here is the link. The article discusses the fact that there has been a 75 percent decrease in insect populations all over the world over 27 years. In general there is a biomass decline in both insects and animals. Animal populations are down over 69 percent over the last half century. Matt stated we still don't know the whole of the "why" this is happening. To find out why this is happening scientists like Matt are examining butterfly populations in this region. This region is special because it includes both heavily modified areas by humans and not so modified areas by humans. Having these two different areas so closely together enables scientists to compare the areas based on the data they collect. The project of collecting data on butterflies in this area was started over 50 years ago and recently caterpillar data has been added to the project. Matt knows that butterfly populations are declining but is still unsure about caterpillars so the caterpillar data will be added to this study. A few known factors that have affected butterfly populations in this area are the 2019 drought.
Overall:
This project's data is showing a downward trend in butterfly populations starting in the 1990's. This was caused by already warming summers and new pesticides on plants which make the plants toxic for the butterflies to eat. The data also shows that the Mountain areas are not as stable either with the mega drought making the mountains in this area hotter than they have been in 1,000 years. The difference in night and day temperatures is slowly going away. These temperature differences are affecting the butterflies.
What's Next?
Matt hopes to continue to better understand the impacts of climate change with continued research. He also hopes to motivate people to learn more about climate change through education. A new bill was also recently passed in the Nevada government that prohibits the use of some pesticides at home.
Personal Note:
I'm excited to continue to learn more about the project and also participate in the lab work of identifying the caterpillars we collected.
Did you know?
Pesticides in nursery plants are a problem? Some of them have so many pesticides they are toxic to pollinators. Growing your own organic plants is a good way to avoid this.
Nika Blank - 2023 Fellow
Hi everyone, my name is Nika Blank and I’m a science teacher at the Peddie School in New Jersey.
Science Blog:
Today, I was part of a group that was collecting and processing caterpillars in Inclination Village, Nevada. Rachel, Kristen and I worked with Dr. Lee Dyer to learn the visual signs of caterpillar presence in host plants. These included small bite marks in the leaves, leaf houses (that caterpillars make by secreting a substance that “glues” the leaves together), and frass - also known as - caterpillar poop. Lee then pointed out the common plant species in the area that served as host plants for caterpillars. These included, Greenleaf manzanita (Aretostaphylos patila), Pinemat (Ceanothus prostratus), Red Alder (Alnus rubia), White Fir (Abies conclor) and Willow (Salix scouleriano). We initially searched for signs of caterpillars close to a high traffic area but had no luck, Lee hypothesized that this may be because the areas is maintained and could be sprayed with pesticides. So, we went out further towards a more natural, undisturbed area and were quick to find our first caterpillar! We then learned how to use beat sheets, which are canvas sheets attached to a cross section of wood that keep them open. Beat sheets are placed under a host plant to catch all the caterpillars that drop when the plant is whacked with a stick several times. We learned that the key to finding caterpillars by this method is to make the first whack very strong to catch the caterpillars off guard. This is because caterpillars have crochets- little pin-like appendages- on their prolegs. The caterpillars use these crochets to anchor to their host plant during strong winds or other rough movements, so that they don’t fall off. We practiced few times and then set off to collect caterpillars from a specific species of host plant. After finding our first caterpillar, we learned to package and label them for transport back to the lab. After working with our beat sheets for several hours, we went back to the lab to identify, process and photograph the caterpillars we found. On the Alder trees that I worked on, we found a variety of caterpillars. There were some brown and green inchworms of the family Geometridae, several thrashers (Gelechiidae) that would squirm and wriggle when touched and a few other caterpillars of various colors and sizes. In order to process the caterpillars, we first learned how to identify them based on the different number of prolegs they had, presence of “horns” or spikes, and their movements. After sorting the caterpillars by species and host plant type, we were ready to photograph! Lucky for us, just as Lee was showing us how to position and set up the camera, the Noctuidae caterpillar we were looking at was beginning to molt! Caterpillars molt, or shed their skin, in five instar stages, the last of which is when the caterpillar forms it’s chrysalis and begins its transformation into a moth or butterfly! Though this caterpillar wasn’t ready to metamorphose, we were able to capture action photos of the caterpillar shedding off its old skin- how cool! We spent the rest of the afternoon capture close-ups of the caterpillars before wrapping up in the lab for the day.
Personal Note:
Today was a day filled with first time experiences for me- from learning to identify host plants and caterpillars to seeing (and capturing on camera) a molting caterpillar. To do this all among the pines and mountain landscape of the Lake Tahoe area makes it all the more exciting!
Hi everyone, my name is Nika Blank and I’m a science teacher at the Peddie School in New Jersey.
Science Blog:
Today, I was part of a group that was collecting and processing caterpillars in Inclination Village, Nevada. Rachel, Kristen and I worked with Dr. Lee Dyer to learn the visual signs of caterpillar presence in host plants. These included small bite marks in the leaves, leaf houses (that caterpillars make by secreting a substance that “glues” the leaves together), and frass - also known as - caterpillar poop. Lee then pointed out the common plant species in the area that served as host plants for caterpillars. These included, Greenleaf manzanita (Aretostaphylos patila), Pinemat (Ceanothus prostratus), Red Alder (Alnus rubia), White Fir (Abies conclor) and Willow (Salix scouleriano). We initially searched for signs of caterpillars close to a high traffic area but had no luck, Lee hypothesized that this may be because the areas is maintained and could be sprayed with pesticides. So, we went out further towards a more natural, undisturbed area and were quick to find our first caterpillar! We then learned how to use beat sheets, which are canvas sheets attached to a cross section of wood that keep them open. Beat sheets are placed under a host plant to catch all the caterpillars that drop when the plant is whacked with a stick several times. We learned that the key to finding caterpillars by this method is to make the first whack very strong to catch the caterpillars off guard. This is because caterpillars have crochets- little pin-like appendages- on their prolegs. The caterpillars use these crochets to anchor to their host plant during strong winds or other rough movements, so that they don’t fall off. We practiced few times and then set off to collect caterpillars from a specific species of host plant. After finding our first caterpillar, we learned to package and label them for transport back to the lab. After working with our beat sheets for several hours, we went back to the lab to identify, process and photograph the caterpillars we found. On the Alder trees that I worked on, we found a variety of caterpillars. There were some brown and green inchworms of the family Geometridae, several thrashers (Gelechiidae) that would squirm and wriggle when touched and a few other caterpillars of various colors and sizes. In order to process the caterpillars, we first learned how to identify them based on the different number of prolegs they had, presence of “horns” or spikes, and their movements. After sorting the caterpillars by species and host plant type, we were ready to photograph! Lucky for us, just as Lee was showing us how to position and set up the camera, the Noctuidae caterpillar we were looking at was beginning to molt! Caterpillars molt, or shed their skin, in five instar stages, the last of which is when the caterpillar forms it’s chrysalis and begins its transformation into a moth or butterfly! Though this caterpillar wasn’t ready to metamorphose, we were able to capture action photos of the caterpillar shedding off its old skin- how cool! We spent the rest of the afternoon capture close-ups of the caterpillars before wrapping up in the lab for the day.
Personal Note:
Today was a day filled with first time experiences for me- from learning to identify host plants and caterpillars to seeing (and capturing on camera) a molting caterpillar. To do this all among the pines and mountain landscape of the Lake Tahoe area makes it all the more exciting!