Entomology -- March 6, 2024

Entomology - Unit 13 in your textbook. Complete the (optional) quiz.

Bryant McDowell, Integrated Pest Management Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Read Bryant's BIO

1. See VMS information for a cumulative list of the classes and field trips you should have logged by now. Make sure you are up to date on logging all your classes, field trips, volunteer hours, and advanced training. 

2. Capture an insect from your environment. Place it in your petri dish (the one you received in your supply bag) and carefully examine all sides of your insect.  (You might find it helpful to place the insect and box in the refrigerator for a half-hour.) Think about what you see. Photograph the dorsal and ventral sides. Use this Pictorial Dichotomous Key  to determine what order you think your insect belongs to. Enter the pictures into iNaturalist, and see what kind of identification you get. 

3. Look over Unit 13 in your textbook. Complete the optional quiz HERE

4. Watch these informative videos and complete the questions

Molly Keck on Insects:  Part I (22:59)

Molly Keck on Insects: Part II (28:05) 

A Bee Short (14:51), presented by Carol Clark, BPTMN class of 2010

Optional Activities

If you have children handy, recruit them for an Insect Scavenger Hunt . Or if you want a real challenge, try this Advanced Insect Scavenger Hunt.

Logging Hours

Log last week's class attendance in VMS if you attended all of class 4. 

(If you missed class, contact your pod guides to schedule a make-up.) 

Opportunity: Init Training-Class 04    

Date: February 28, 2024       

Hours: 3.0 

Description: Laws and Ethics with Mike Mitchell

If you attend the Field Trip to the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center, enter it in VMS. 
     Opportunity: IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST FIELD TRIP, LOG IT AS:  Initial Training: Field Trip (A)

IF IT IS YOUR SECOND FIELD TRIP, LOG IT AS:  Initial Training: Field Trip (B)

Date: March 2, 2024
Hours: 2.5
Description: Field Trip to Blackland Prairie Raptor Center (add more details if you like)

Advanced Training (AT) Opportunities

• LLELA 1st Saturday Nature Walk, March 2nd, 10am-12:30pm, see event details and registration info on chapter calendar

• Tuesday, March 5th, 12:00 noon, TMN Tuesday: Raptor Monitoring Network - 1 hour AT, see the registration link here.

Volunteer Service (VH) Opportunities

Hagerman NWR "Little Sit" Bird Survey, March 2nd, 7-9am, see event details and registration info on chapter calendar

• Bryant's Slide Deck

• Wolbachia Insect Handbook 

• Bugguide.net - for expert help in insect ID

• Common Insects of Texas and Surrounding States - Abbott and Abbott (2020)

• Field Guide to Insects of North America - Kaufman

• Texas Crawdads - book by Sterling K Johnson, et al (2008). This book is out of print, but you might find it in the used book markets.

• List of Reference Books 

• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation - website

• Dragonflies of Texas: A Field Guide - John C. Abbott (2015)

• Damselflies of Texas: A Field Guide - John C. Abbott (2011)

Ant photos from wildlife photographer Eugenijus Kavaliauskas

Here's an article discussing them with links to more of his photomicrography.

WEEK FIVE CLASS UPDATE

Happy Leap Day, Class of 2024!

Your Week 5 pre-work is now available.

Hope everyone came away with something to think about last night.  I know I always do, every time I hear from Mike! One thing he mentioned that was new to me was the concept of “Eco-grief.” I saw a couple of others mentioned this as something they’d like to hear more about! Here’s a LINK Gina shared, if you want to read more about it.

Our field trip to the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center is Saturday beginning at noon.  The rain should have passed, but it may well be muddy. The temperature looks like it should be about perfect by noon: sunny with a high of 80°. (Don’t forget your sunscreen and maybe a hat!) Remember, we don’t have room for guests for this field trip, but the morning activities are lots of fun and open to the public. (There are fees, however!) Please see the SignUp Genius for details, especially where to park. We don’t want anyone parking in the wrong place and getting locked in! 

Just a reminder regarding dress for the field trips and for outdoor volunteering: always wear long pants and closed-toed shoes, even if the weather is warm! We’ve occasionally had people show up in shorts and sandals, which isn’t safe for off-trail excursions. (You can assume all field trips are likely to have some off-trail excursions!) Log this field trip as 2.5 hours. See details in REMINDERS section above. Be sure to notice that you should log this as Field Trip A if it’s your first, and Field Trip B if it’s your second.

Speaking of logging: thirty-six of you already logged last night’s class! Thank you! A few people left out some of the required information in the description, but I corrected those entries this time. Remember that logged classes  always need the “official” topic and the speaker’s name.

There are only three slots left for the John Bunker Sands field trip #1, so if you wanted to attend on the March 23 date, better grab your spot now!

Be sure to get together with your pod and choose a date, time and location for your Bioblitz. Once you have all that, email Arica at pontiac070404@yahoo.com so she can get it on the calendar!

Everyone have a great week, and I hope to see many of you on Saturday!

Cheers,

Lisa

Lisa Travis, Training Director

Texas Master Naturalist, Blackland Prairie Chapter
education@bptmn.org
(817)832-3912

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

  -- Margaret Mead