ATBI Teacher Intership
Mood:  energetic
Topic: Biodiversity

May 27th 

I will focus on my critter interactions of the day. First, we searched for millipedes. I found 3 different species in 2 minutes. Amazing! I picked up a Polydesmida. It smells like cherries and it pooped on me! Yes, I have been pooped on by a cherry smelling millipede. Then, I got a Apheloria virginiensis. This one did not poop on me!  My favorite was the Narceus americanus. This one had the cutest face. Next, we went to catch butterflies and inventory them for the ATBI. This is where I discovered that I am the moth whisperer. I didn't need a net. I just raised my arms and began to sing. They just flocked to me. Well, it almost happened that way. What really happened was I caught two moths and they would not leave me. They walked around my shoulders. I tried to put them on trees and they came back. What can I say? I am very moth charismatic. We checked the snake tins after butterflies. Well, we found a milksnake. We checked the insect traps and the canopy trisects. Overall, it was a good day. I am very excited and can't wait to see what the next day brings!

 May 28th

So, this will be short. Don't pick up a ticked off millipede. As nice and sweet as they were yesterday, they were equally ticked today. And, well that little booger excreted hydrogen cyanide (HCN) all over my hands. Now my hands are stained and stinky. It looks like I have purple birthmarks on my fingers.

 

May 30th

Today we checked insect traps for the Emerald Ash Boring beetle.  This is important work because we are trying to catch it early, if it is indeed here, to prevent the decimation of the park's ash trees.  We checked two sites, Cades Cove and Foothills Parkway.  The traps consist  of Bright pruple boards covered in sticky goo.  Researchers have found that these beetles are attracted to that color.  The first site was difficult to get to.  We had to go through barbed wire and more poison ivy than I have ever seen.  The Foothills Parkway site was interesting. It was off an abandoned road.  In addition to insect traps, we took nets to catch butterflies. They are currently being researched for the Biodiversity inventory.  We always bring a GPS system to record our coordinates.  This way we can find our way back if we need to research the area further and to identify where the species have been found.  The Appalachian Brown is the butterfly we are most interested in now.  It has not been officially recorded int he park but we have our suspicions that it is here.  This is all very exciting.  I feel like a treasure hunter.