Earthwatch Day 8

As we sat outside waiting for our morning ride and enjoying the birds, I realized this would be our last full day here. Time was going fast, and I (we all) had gotten very comfortable here. As Junko wandered around the wildlife feeding area, her keen eyes spotted this awesome caterpillar. In true caterpillar hunter fashion, she noticed lots of frass (caterpillar droppings) on the ground under a bush, and then looked for the source. Of course Prof Lee wanted to take it back to the lab with us.

Today I would be working in the “zoo”. The zoo was set up in the

Technical Equipment Laboratory which made us proud to work because the door said “researchers only”. There were racks set up on which we hung all the caterpillar specimen bags. To rear them properly, you had to clean the frass out of each bag and add more food if necessary. Our job was to check all of the caterpillars in each collection bag to see if any had died, pupated, or showed evidence of a parasitoid. It was important to not mix the bags up, and to record any important observations for Prof Lee to check. Sawako was so good at this. Her keen eyes and careful hands made it look easy. Whenever I couldn’t find the caterpillar(s) in the bag, she’d be right there to spot them.

At one point we ran out of a couple of different types of host plants to feed some of the caterpillars. Mike Singer directed me where to find them on the premises. As I was collecting some branches just outside the lab, I found this amazing caterpillar! After showing everyone my proud find, I released him back to his home.

While we were working in the lab, some of us had a chance to help Angela (Postdoctoral research associate) with her research. She is studying how caterpillars defend themselves against parasitoids by implanting indicator beads in the caterpillar to mimic parasitoid eggs. She then dissects the caterpillar to see how its body reacted to the foreign substance. A few of us were able to use the dissection tools and microscopes to dissect some caterpillars and search for the indicator beads. After getting over my empathy for the caterpillars, I tried it out and found it to be quite amazing. To see all the intricate parts of the insect laid out in such a beautiful pattern reaffirmed my appreciation for these tiny creatures. Whatever Angela learns from her research may someday help humans in combating foreign substances.

For our last night, we decided to go into the town of Rodeo, New Mexico to hang out with the locals and play some pool. Junko and Sawako especially liked the juke box. We watched Prof Lee, Mike Singer, Dave Wagner (Wags) and his friend Mike, play some great games of pool. As always, someone in the group was looking around for nighttime creatures outside and spotted another Vinegaroon! As it climbed up Wag’s leg, we were informed that it gets its name from the acetic acid mist it can spray to defend itself. And it really smells like vinegar! On the way

home, Wags and Mike fixed their eyes on the road searching for rattlesnakes. They often feed at night, and the warmth of the road draws them out. Score! We spotted one and all jumped out of

the car. It was a young Mojave rattlesnake. When we heard that its toxin is much more potent than others, we backed up, and I used the zoom lens for the photo!