July 5, 2023
Aisha Dumbuya - 2023 Fellow
Hello everyone, My name is Aisha Dumbuya and I am a Kindergarten 1 teacher at the Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School in Boston Public School district.
Science Blog:
Today, the group split up and set out at the bright and early time of 8:30 AM. My group, led by Ph.D students Tara and Christian, set out towards Donner Pass which was just across the border in California. After enjoying a scenic drive, we arrived at our first stop just over 50 minutes later near Donner pass. Once we were out of the van and set up, half of the group (my group) went with Christian to use our beat sheets and sticks to collect caterpillars and half of the group went with Tara to collect butterflies and floral count.
In my group, Christian began by explaining to us that we would be doing timed collections which means we would be collecting as many caterpillars as possible in a set time on a specific plant that would change each time. Before each timed collection, Christian gave us detailed descriptions of host plants and what kinds of caterpillars we may find. As an example, before the Lupinus collection he spent a few extra minutes explaining how easy it is to miss the caterpillars on this plant because they look like they are part of the plant and for this reason he drew us a visual of what to look for.
We began with the Prunus Emarginata. With 5 minutes on the timer, we set off to beat as many of these plants for caterpillars as we could and put them into viles or cups with their host plant. Next, we moved onto the Salix plant (willow) for 5 minutes, followed by Lupinus for 10 minutes, then rosaceae amelanchier for 6 minutes, ending with ceanothus for 5 minutes. While we beat the plants for caterpillar collection, Christian did some temperature readings on the plants which was explained as an external reading (part exposed to direct sunlight) and a reading at the bottom of the plant where caterpillars would go to avoid direct sunlight.
Once we were finished with this site, we loaded into the van and drove a few minutes over to the next site which was at Donner Pass which had the most amazing view. At this site we did a 10 minute timed collection of the Quercus vaccinifolia in which we were able to collect more caterpillars. While we were waiting to head over to eat lunch at the Donner Lake Overlook, we went over to look at the petroglyphs that have lasted since Ancient times left by the Ancient Washo People (Wa She Shu) which was very cool to see and a great reminder of those who came before us and once walked the land we stood on. Our final stop was across from the Donner gas station in which we conducted random timed collections of caterpillars from any plant of our choosing before it was time to hop in the van and drive back to campus.
Back on campus, we were lucky enough to hear a talk from Ph.D Candidate Tara in which she spoke about nectar plants and the plants influence environmental stressors in populations of butterflies (hopefully I didn’t describe it incorrectly). As someone who is not an expert, her talk was clear with easy to understand visuals and clear descriptions of what she was presenting. As a whole, we had a great day and once again learned a lot of new information that I can’t wait to incorporate into future lessons or projects.
Personal note:
This was my first time stepping foot into California and I must mention how lucky and grateful I am to have done so on land that was so beautiful. As I looked out on the Donner Pass overlook, I gave silent thanks toward the Native Americans who once inhabited this land for I cannot sit and take in the beauty of the land without acknowledging who the land first belonged to before it was unfortunately and gradually taken over by settlers.
Did you Know?
Did you know that Donner Pass was named after the Donner Party? In the year 1846 settlers were forced to spend the winter in the mountains due to a snow blocked route. Conditions got so bad that they had to resort to cannibalism. They only ate those who passed on. Do a quick google search to find out more!
Hello everyone, My name is Aisha Dumbuya and I am a Kindergarten 1 teacher at the Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School in Boston Public School district.
Science Blog:
Today, the group split up and set out at the bright and early time of 8:30 AM. My group, led by Ph.D students Tara and Christian, set out towards Donner Pass which was just across the border in California. After enjoying a scenic drive, we arrived at our first stop just over 50 minutes later near Donner pass. Once we were out of the van and set up, half of the group (my group) went with Christian to use our beat sheets and sticks to collect caterpillars and half of the group went with Tara to collect butterflies and floral count.
In my group, Christian began by explaining to us that we would be doing timed collections which means we would be collecting as many caterpillars as possible in a set time on a specific plant that would change each time. Before each timed collection, Christian gave us detailed descriptions of host plants and what kinds of caterpillars we may find. As an example, before the Lupinus collection he spent a few extra minutes explaining how easy it is to miss the caterpillars on this plant because they look like they are part of the plant and for this reason he drew us a visual of what to look for.
We began with the Prunus Emarginata. With 5 minutes on the timer, we set off to beat as many of these plants for caterpillars as we could and put them into viles or cups with their host plant. Next, we moved onto the Salix plant (willow) for 5 minutes, followed by Lupinus for 10 minutes, then rosaceae amelanchier for 6 minutes, ending with ceanothus for 5 minutes. While we beat the plants for caterpillar collection, Christian did some temperature readings on the plants which was explained as an external reading (part exposed to direct sunlight) and a reading at the bottom of the plant where caterpillars would go to avoid direct sunlight.
Once we were finished with this site, we loaded into the van and drove a few minutes over to the next site which was at Donner Pass which had the most amazing view. At this site we did a 10 minute timed collection of the Quercus vaccinifolia in which we were able to collect more caterpillars. While we were waiting to head over to eat lunch at the Donner Lake Overlook, we went over to look at the petroglyphs that have lasted since Ancient times left by the Ancient Washo People (Wa She Shu) which was very cool to see and a great reminder of those who came before us and once walked the land we stood on. Our final stop was across from the Donner gas station in which we conducted random timed collections of caterpillars from any plant of our choosing before it was time to hop in the van and drive back to campus.
Back on campus, we were lucky enough to hear a talk from Ph.D Candidate Tara in which she spoke about nectar plants and the plants influence environmental stressors in populations of butterflies (hopefully I didn’t describe it incorrectly). As someone who is not an expert, her talk was clear with easy to understand visuals and clear descriptions of what she was presenting. As a whole, we had a great day and once again learned a lot of new information that I can’t wait to incorporate into future lessons or projects.
Personal note:
This was my first time stepping foot into California and I must mention how lucky and grateful I am to have done so on land that was so beautiful. As I looked out on the Donner Pass overlook, I gave silent thanks toward the Native Americans who once inhabited this land for I cannot sit and take in the beauty of the land without acknowledging who the land first belonged to before it was unfortunately and gradually taken over by settlers.
Did you Know?
Did you know that Donner Pass was named after the Donner Party? In the year 1846 settlers were forced to spend the winter in the mountains due to a snow blocked route. Conditions got so bad that they had to resort to cannibalism. They only ate those who passed on. Do a quick google search to find out more!