During the winter between field seasons I sort through invertebrate samples in the lab. Here is a photo of what one sample looks like. This sample contains invertebrates that I collected from pitfall traps in a native grassland site (a site with relatively little invasive plant species) at TNC Boardman Preserve, OR. I sort through the sample taking out all of the insects and freeze them in case I want to use them later. Then I preserve all of the spiders and arachnids (wind scorpions) in ethanol. I will eventually identify each of the spiders to genus. In this photo it is easy to see all of the different beetles that I collect in the traps. Here is an example of what a pitfall trap looks like. It's a plastic cup that is placed in a hole with the lip flush to the surface. Invertebrates crawl across the soil and fall into the trap. You can fill the trap with a mixture of soap and water or propylene glycol (RV or marine antifreeze -- it's safe for wildlife and the environment). This trap is filled with propylene glycol because in eastern Oregon heat evaporates the water too quickly! I leave these traps out for one week and then pick them up and collect the invertebrates.
0 Comments
It's winter here in Oregon which means that I am back to school taking classes and doing lab work. It also means that I am back closer to all of my friends. I love being back in western Oregon because there are so many magnificent places to visit! This weekend we went to the coast and visited Tillamook for the first time! We had lunch at the local Pelican Brewery and Tap Room, went to the beach to let the doggies play in the sand, and then visited the Tillamook Creamery for ice cream! I had the mango sorbet and Mike had the blueberry and they both were delicious! Here are some photos of the beach! Isn't the West Coast beautiful?
Mike and I decided that we were going to go on a New Year's Diet and get back into shape (this is mostly for me). Which basically means eat like we normally do but try to make some better decisions, i.e. not as much bacon and go running every so often. This is what he made me for a surprise breakfast. I think this would be an excellent breakfast to fill you up during the field season!
Here is an interesting webinar about beneficial invertebrates that I will be sitting in on next week!
Integrating conservation agricultural practices that enhance beneficial insects. TNC Grassland Conservation Network Webinar Monday, January 26th 10:00 PST Gwendolyn Ellen, Farmscaping for Beneficials Program Coordinator, Integrated Plant Protection Center, Oregon State University About the Webinar: Participants will have a general introduction to three different functional groups of beneficial insects: pollinators, predators and parasitic wasps and the importance of conserving their populations within western farming systems. Examples of practices from diverse farming systems in and adjacent to sagebrush steppe, upland savannahs and rangelands will be presented. How to fit these practices within farming systems and other advantages that can be gained from them will be discussed. About the Presenter: Gwendolyn Ellen is the Coordinator of the Farmscaping for Beneficials Program at Oregon State University’s Integrated Plant Protection Center. The FSB Program is now in its tenth year! Gwendolyn holds a BS in Plant Pathology from Colorado State University and over 30 years’ experience in sustainable and organic agriculture. Her diverse experience stems from her work as a farm laborer, farmers market manager, organic vegetable farmer, ornamental and research greenhouse manager, field consultant in agricultural biodiversity and biological pest management, community activist and educator. She has also been a research assistant in entomology, botany, plant pathology, and crop and soil science in land grant universities and an agricultural program manager in the non-profit sector. In addition to her agricultural conservation work Gwendolyn also advocates and facilitates farmer-centric, participatory research and runs her own agricultural biodiversity consulting business. You can visit her website at http://www.ipmnet.org/BeetleBank/Farmscaping_for_Beneficials.html Meeting information ------------------------------------------------------- Topic: Beneficial Insects in Grassland Conservation Date: Monday, January 26, 2015 Time: 11:00 am, Mountain Standard Time (Denver, GMT-07:00) ------------------------------------------------------- To join the online meeting ------------------------------------------------------- Go to https://nethope.webex.com/nethope/j.php?MTID=m1c6f58677a2bb58a33c0226218430afd |
Archives
September 2017
Categories
All
AuthorLauren Smith is currently an assistant professor at Westfield State University researching the effect of grassland restoration on native bee and spider communities. Visit her website here. |