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.