Andrew Virdin - 2023 Fellow
Andrew Virdin is a High School Literature instructor in Estes Park, Colorado.
Lauren Marce Hubert - 2022 Fellow, 2023 Senior Fellow
Hello, I'm a High School science teacher in Phoenix, Arizona. I teach Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Environmental Science.
Science Blog:
Today, we drove to the Bear Valley River area to collect butterflies and caterpillars! Located west of the town of Truckee, not far past Donner Pass, is referred to as Lang Crossing and is one of Art Shapiro's many beautiful research sights. We went specifically to the start of the Sierra Discovery Trail below Emigrant Gap, California. This area is rich with history. The first and indigenous group in the area thrived around six thousand years ago. They were the Nissan, or Southern Maidan, and they utilized all manners of the lush ecosystem. Tragically, after the arrival of beaver trappers in the 1820's, over seventy-five percent were wiped out after exposure to an epidemic. The rest were forced out. It was immediately clear from the interpretive signs that they were ingenious in the medicinal and agricultural techniques. This area was also once used as a passageway to the California gold fields.
The meadow at the entry to this trail was abundant in butterflies and diverse in its catalogue! I was able to catch a few Parnassians, a Tiger Swallow Tail, a Hydaspe fritillary, and a Sulfur butterfly. One person in the group even caught a prized Monarch. Our method was to catch them in the butterfly net, press their wings flat so as to not damage them, and then use tweezers to gently place the butterfly in either a vial or envelope. After the butterflies were in the cooler for ten minutes, professor Matt Forister placed each butterfly on a bush. As they warmed up, they would spread their wings out before being able to fly. Today, we were followed by a documentary film team and were able to provide them with an excellent opportunity to get amazing close-up film.
For context, this documentary about Art Shapiro and his data has been in the making for four years. The film crew has been following Art as well as some of his research proteges from the University of Nevada Reno. They told us that the focus of the film is insect conservation. The hope is to wrap up their footage within a year. Observing the film crew, Matt, and our Teach Earth colleagues work with such a beautiful variety of butterflies was really special. Not to mention, catching butterflies is a skill based on observation and keen timing, and a lot of fun!
After catching a wide variety of butterflies in the meadow, we hiked up the road towards the flume (water aqueduct used, in this case, for hydroelectricity by Pacific Gas and Electric) and the beautiful Bear Valley River head to collect a few more specimens. We broke for lunch before our next task. Once the rest of the Teach Earth crew arrived with Dr. Danielle Salcido, we hiked a ways down the Sierra Discovery Trail. At Christian Connor's direction, we measured off a plot to survey for his work on caterpillar and caterpillar predators. As we'd done on other days, we marked off four quadrants in which we checked one plant species at a time for caterpillars by "beating" the branches of the bush/tree to capture caterpillars and count any major predators (ladybugs, stink bugs, spiders, ants) that also dropped out onto the beat mat. The first tree we targeted was the Abies concolor, or White Fir tree. We found lots of predators but very few caterpillars, which makes scientific sense. We rotated in teams of four, to repeated the same process with other plants in the same plot.
Side note:
Each team had time to wander further down the trail to see an impressively huge Ponderosa Pine near the wetland area. (see video at https://youtube.com/shorts/FUVzwJphJBM?feature=share)
After finishing our plot fieldwork, we piled into the van and headed back towards Lake Tahoe. I strongly doubt that I (Andrew) was the only one who dozed off a bit before our treat in King's Beach. Yes, I (Lauren) did as well. One small group got coffee at Drink Coffee Do Stuff in Incline Village and the other enjoyed ice cream from Sweet Tahoe Time. These were some well-deserved treats. No one was sad about this stop! We returned to campus, a break, dinner, and part B of Dani's talk in which she shared some excellent resources sites for project info and funding.
This was another wonderful field day, our Teach Earth team's last!
Personal Note:
Andrew--This was my favorite site and my favorite activity (catching butterflies). I enjoyed the challenge and the peaceful atmosphere of the location. I loved the diversity between riparian, marsh, and forest environments there with all their possibilities. It was also really neat to be involved, even in a minor way, in the work towards both research and a documentary film.
Lauren -- Catching butterflies can be really challenging. Some are so tiny they blend in with the plants. Others are so fast and wily, you end up jumping around like a fool trying to catch them in the air. But, oh the satisfaction of catching something new! The variety in the meadow was amazing to see, even if I still couldn't catch any of the big orange ones. "I'll get you my pretty."
Did you know?
The Nisenan people, like so many indigenous tribes, were adept at utilizing trees for teas and remedies. For example, they would brew the bark from the White Alder Tree in a tea to help with diarrhea. They also ate oak acorns after boiling and filtering them.
Andrew Virdin is a High School Literature instructor in Estes Park, Colorado.
Lauren Marce Hubert - 2022 Fellow, 2023 Senior Fellow
Hello, I'm a High School science teacher in Phoenix, Arizona. I teach Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Environmental Science.
Science Blog:
Today, we drove to the Bear Valley River area to collect butterflies and caterpillars! Located west of the town of Truckee, not far past Donner Pass, is referred to as Lang Crossing and is one of Art Shapiro's many beautiful research sights. We went specifically to the start of the Sierra Discovery Trail below Emigrant Gap, California. This area is rich with history. The first and indigenous group in the area thrived around six thousand years ago. They were the Nissan, or Southern Maidan, and they utilized all manners of the lush ecosystem. Tragically, after the arrival of beaver trappers in the 1820's, over seventy-five percent were wiped out after exposure to an epidemic. The rest were forced out. It was immediately clear from the interpretive signs that they were ingenious in the medicinal and agricultural techniques. This area was also once used as a passageway to the California gold fields.
The meadow at the entry to this trail was abundant in butterflies and diverse in its catalogue! I was able to catch a few Parnassians, a Tiger Swallow Tail, a Hydaspe fritillary, and a Sulfur butterfly. One person in the group even caught a prized Monarch. Our method was to catch them in the butterfly net, press their wings flat so as to not damage them, and then use tweezers to gently place the butterfly in either a vial or envelope. After the butterflies were in the cooler for ten minutes, professor Matt Forister placed each butterfly on a bush. As they warmed up, they would spread their wings out before being able to fly. Today, we were followed by a documentary film team and were able to provide them with an excellent opportunity to get amazing close-up film.
For context, this documentary about Art Shapiro and his data has been in the making for four years. The film crew has been following Art as well as some of his research proteges from the University of Nevada Reno. They told us that the focus of the film is insect conservation. The hope is to wrap up their footage within a year. Observing the film crew, Matt, and our Teach Earth colleagues work with such a beautiful variety of butterflies was really special. Not to mention, catching butterflies is a skill based on observation and keen timing, and a lot of fun!
After catching a wide variety of butterflies in the meadow, we hiked up the road towards the flume (water aqueduct used, in this case, for hydroelectricity by Pacific Gas and Electric) and the beautiful Bear Valley River head to collect a few more specimens. We broke for lunch before our next task. Once the rest of the Teach Earth crew arrived with Dr. Danielle Salcido, we hiked a ways down the Sierra Discovery Trail. At Christian Connor's direction, we measured off a plot to survey for his work on caterpillar and caterpillar predators. As we'd done on other days, we marked off four quadrants in which we checked one plant species at a time for caterpillars by "beating" the branches of the bush/tree to capture caterpillars and count any major predators (ladybugs, stink bugs, spiders, ants) that also dropped out onto the beat mat. The first tree we targeted was the Abies concolor, or White Fir tree. We found lots of predators but very few caterpillars, which makes scientific sense. We rotated in teams of four, to repeated the same process with other plants in the same plot.
Side note:
Each team had time to wander further down the trail to see an impressively huge Ponderosa Pine near the wetland area. (see video at https://youtube.com/shorts/FUVzwJphJBM?feature=share)
After finishing our plot fieldwork, we piled into the van and headed back towards Lake Tahoe. I strongly doubt that I (Andrew) was the only one who dozed off a bit before our treat in King's Beach. Yes, I (Lauren) did as well. One small group got coffee at Drink Coffee Do Stuff in Incline Village and the other enjoyed ice cream from Sweet Tahoe Time. These were some well-deserved treats. No one was sad about this stop! We returned to campus, a break, dinner, and part B of Dani's talk in which she shared some excellent resources sites for project info and funding.
This was another wonderful field day, our Teach Earth team's last!
Personal Note:
Andrew--This was my favorite site and my favorite activity (catching butterflies). I enjoyed the challenge and the peaceful atmosphere of the location. I loved the diversity between riparian, marsh, and forest environments there with all their possibilities. It was also really neat to be involved, even in a minor way, in the work towards both research and a documentary film.
Lauren -- Catching butterflies can be really challenging. Some are so tiny they blend in with the plants. Others are so fast and wily, you end up jumping around like a fool trying to catch them in the air. But, oh the satisfaction of catching something new! The variety in the meadow was amazing to see, even if I still couldn't catch any of the big orange ones. "I'll get you my pretty."
Did you know?
The Nisenan people, like so many indigenous tribes, were adept at utilizing trees for teas and remedies. For example, they would brew the bark from the White Alder Tree in a tea to help with diarrhea. They also ate oak acorns after boiling and filtering them.