Here's an example of our schedule-

7:30:  We meet for Breakfast in the dining hall. It's very cute and the food is great!


Those are models of honeypot ants! They eat a lot of nectar then hang around in the nest (literally!) and feed the other ants.
8:30:  We meet in the lab to go over our plan.


Out into the field!

We collect the caterpillars by holding these "beat sheets" under the plant and whack the branch. The caterpillars fall on to the sheet and we put them in a cup and label them. They go back to the lab.

12:30:  Back for lunch. Some days we brought bagged lunch.

   

Then back to the lab to enter all the caterpillars into a spreadsheet. They each get a number. Then we photograph them. Would be easy if they would just stand still :) 

Supper at six. In the evening there are presentations by the scientists about ecology topics such as caterpillars and their role in the food webs. So many other organisms depend on them for food!

I gave a presentation on ecology to students outdoors in the schoolyard. 

Bed around ten! We sleep in dorm like cabins like Nature's Classroom :)

  

Southwest Research Station

We are now in the Chiracahua Mountains way down in Southeastern Arizona. We are at the Southwest Research Station. Again we are hunting caterpillars but are seeing a lot of amazing things! 



We have been looking for caterpillars on the plants and trees and taking them back to the lab. It is important to document what kind of plant they are on and where you find them.
We have seen a couple of roadrunners, deer, and today a big rattlesnake!! A little scary but you just have to be alert and careful. I was about four feet away when it started to rattle so I had plenty of space to get a good look.


There was a big forest fire here in 2010. The forest will probably change because climate change has made winter a bit warmer so other trees will move in. This will affect what kinds of animals and insects live here. The forest will come back but it will be different.

Santa Rita Experimental Range

Hi all!!
At the Santa Rita Experimental Range south of Tucson. It's an amazing place but the internet is spotty! I'll try to get some pictures in:)

We started our caterpillar collection and I am learning the "experimental design" associated with this research study. Because there are a lot of different people collecting data it is really important that we do it exactly the same way so our results are correct.

We are looking at the relationship among the caterpillars, the plants they eat, and the parasitic wasps that lay their eggs on the caterpillars as a food source for their young- more on that later....

We collect them and bring them back to the lab where we give them a number, identify them and take their picture. We are keeping them in our"zoo" to watch them grow and see if they have the parasitoid.

Met the Earthwatch Team!!

Met my team this evening after a relaxing day at the hotel. I thought it would be a good idea since I will be out in the field the next week!



Lots of beautiful flowers!
My teammates are all really nice- some elementary and high school teachers from California, New York, and New Jersey. We went to a great Mexican Restaurant.



Early bed tonight- have to rest up for the big adventure tomorrow!!

A cacti fairy land

A wonderful day in Arizona. In the morning I went to a park in the city then to the Art Museum. It was really nice with western themed art, plus Native American pottery and Navajo rugs.

This afternoon and Evening I went to Saguaro National Park. The Saguaro cacti are those tall ones with the arms you see when you think about the desert. 

I was surprised at how dense the plants were- and so many different kinds! I hiked a little but not too much as it was very hot- heard it was hot in Ashburnham too:)  I saw a bunny and a couple of little lizards too. Lots of birds!

It was nice to be in a national park as they are celebrating their 100 anniversary this year! This is the Visitors Center.

I am really looking forward to meeting my Earthwatch team tomorrow!!

They are not kidding when they say it's hot...

I have arrived in Tucson and am spending the weekend before I meet up with my team!
I had a nice flight to Phoenix (about 5 hours) then I rented a car and drove to Tucson (about an hour and a half. It was an interesting drive- so flat!! It really is the desert!
I have to admit I stopped at an outlet mall. They had fans outside on the walkways and places you could go to be "misted" with water!


My hotel is nice. I had dinner at that cafe'- quesadillas. Lots of Mexican food here-delicious.


The vegetation is so different. Look at the trees- what differences do you see? Why are they so different?


The houses are really different too. I like this one:) They are small and have flat roofs. Why are ours slanted? What does that say about the climate in New England compared to here in Arizona?



Tomorrow I am going to walk around downtown then go to the art museum when it gets too hot!
Hope everyopne has a fun weekend- use your sunscreen!

Getting ready!!

Hi
Getting ready for my big adventure! I am VERY excited! I have been researching the weather out in Arizona. I know it has a desert climate and will be hot ....    Yikes!!


Very hot!! They do say it is a "dry heat" so it does not feel as hot. Why is that? Leave a comment if you know :)
It is also their monsoon (rainy) season- believe it or not! We may have a couple of downpours so I have to be prepared for that as well.


Have to bring a lot of sunscreen, a good hat, and light long sleeve shirts and hiking pants.

Yay!! on sale :)

Background - the study I will be working on

 

   Climate Change and Caterpillars in Arizona

Earthwatch Scientists: Dr. Lee Dyer, Dr. Harold Greeney, 

Dr. Tom Walla, and Andrea Glassmire

THE STORY
On this project- Climate Change and Caterpillars in Arizona- we examine the factors that affect interactions among plants, caterpillars, and their natural enemies. This is an important area of study for both agricultural and basic ecology. This three-tiered study system allows for insights into “tri-trophic” interactions— in other words, it examines the relationships among three distinct levels of the food web. You will conduct caterpillar research in the deserts and mountains around the Southwest Research Station in the Chiricahua Mountains and the nearby Santa Rita Experimental Range in the Coronado National Forest. Other Earthwatch teams conduct work throughout the year in forests and mountains in Nevada and California; a rainforest at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica; a cloud forest at Yanayacu Biological Station in Ecuador; and in urban areas, swamps, and bottomland hardwood forests around New Orleans, Louisiana.

The natural enemies of caterpillars that the project studies are called “parasitoids.” They include many species of wasps and flies that kill caterpillars by depositing their eggs on them. This ensures that the parasitoids’ offspring will have both a safe environment in which to grow (inside the caterpillar) and a good supply of food (caterpillar tissue). We are rearing caterpillars of over 300 species and recording the mortality caused by the parasitoids. In addition, we isolate specific chemical compounds from some species of caterpillars and food plants to examine them as potential defenses against parasitoids.

By comparing the results from different sites, we can test hypotheses about the effects of climate on interactions between caterpillars and parasitoids. Our study also collects essential natural history information about plants, caterpillars, and parasitoids. Based on our data, we are developing models to predict which parasitoids might be used to control specific insect pests of human crops, which will benefit farmers who are attempting to control pests without using pesticides. Some of the species that we study (such as army worms and owl butterfly caterpillars) are agricultural pests; others (such as some rare day flying moths) are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. The caterpillars are fascinating: they come in a spectacular diversity of shapes, colors, and forms that function to defend them against their enemies. Many of the species found by this project will be new to science.