Earthwatch Day 2

After breakfast in the lobby, Dr. Dyer gave a presentation explaining his research - very fascinating. So what's his research? He collects caterpillars and catalogs information about them in five different areas of the Americas. He identifies and rears them, and looks for signs of parasitism. He is comparing rates of parasitism among the species and how different climates

affect the rate. There are human benefits to this research in terms of controlling agricultural pests, and making comparisons to our immune systems. The research may also provide information beneficial

to understanding how climate change may affect ecosystems. I thought it was very interesting that there are "hyper" parasitoids that feed on the parasitoids of the caterpillars! A fourth trophic level!

He pointed out that Earthwatch participants have contributed a lot of data for his research over the years. At that point, we were ready to go out and get to work! Can't wait to see the critters myself!

The first trip of the day was to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It was a great expanse of natural habit with a wonderful array of exhibits on the flora and fauna of the area.

We got to see lizards, hummingbirds, prairie dogs, mountain lions,

and birds nesting in cacti.

The diversity of cacti and desert plants was incredible!

The weather was extremely hot, but we were prepared with our backpacks full of water.

After l lunch, we were off to our first lesson in collecting caterpillar specimens. We drove to a hillside that Dr. Dyer had already scouted out. He demonstrated how to do the collections, and set us free to get to work. The temperature was about 110 degrees! But the work was so captivating, that you were distracted enough to forget the heat. My group was successful in collecting several caterpillars from Acacia plants. As fun as it was, we were happy to get back to the hotel and cool off.