Insect Ecology @ Au Sable - spring 2024

Growing up, my family and I would often go to the butterfly garden at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY. I loved going there to see all of the different butterflies that they had but admittedly, I was a little bit scared of them. They would flutter around, occasionally landing on people and taking sips from the nectar and sugar water. The more I went, the less scared I was of butterflies and I became much more appreciative of them as well. When I heard we were going to a butterfly zoo for our class, I was ecstatic. Little did I know there would be other insects and arthropods there including beetles, honeybees, stick insects, mantids, cockroaches, assassin bugs, millipedes, and spiders. They also had a few amphibians like frogs, axolotls, and newts.  When we got to the GT Butterfly House & Bug Zoo , Jules, who has been an animal professional for 10 years, welcomed our class and told us a lot of information about different types of giant beetles. Jules...

Lost is a fitting description of the lake that we visited. To anyone else but the drivers, it seemed like we would have trouble finding our way back out of the wilderness. The sandy, gravel road that we first turned onto gradually became more narrow, until the two-track was just barely wide enough for the van. Tires spinning in the loose, deep sand, we finally reached our destination: Lost Lake. The view of the lake was framed by stands of quaking aspen trees, their leaves dancing in the steady breeze. Tall, slender cedars and pines also lined the shore and towered above the deciduous trees around them. Photo credit: David Hoekman After the canoes were unloaded into the water, we each chose our vessel and climbed in with our jars, nets, and paddles. We pushed off from the shore and started our insect-focused paddle clockwise around the lake. The first few strokes were easy. Chaos quickly followed, however, as we got close to the eastern shore of the lake. It seemed that our canoe had...

Imagine a habitat that was so fragile, so sensitive to human disturbance, that minor impacts could remain visible for months on end. Something as simple as walking along the substrate could leave footprints impressed into the landscape that may not dissipate for weeks. Now imagine that this location is also full of biodiversity, a place that countless different species of all different types call home. You might assume that such a place would be off-limits to people due to the potential for lasting damage to the ecosystem. However, Grass River Natural Area bucks that assumption in favor of providing the general public an intimate window into the composition and beauty of such an ecosystem, and while doing so, continues to ensure that the integrity of the landscape is preserved as much as possible. Although partially obscured by grass and trees, the bumpy, unstable nature of the substrate is on display. Photo by me, June 2, 2022. Grass River Natural Area is home to a habitat known as a...

Ladybugs are an important part of IPM as predatory insects (Image Source: PlantCareToday) Since Rachel Carson's release of Silent Spring  in 1962, pesticide use has changed for good. While it has not necessarily gone down in use (barring certain specific pesticides like DDT), the discussion about their harm to human and non-human animals and plants has not stopped.  An example of broadcast pesticide application (Image Source: iStockphoto.com by Getty Images) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has since been introduced as a common and increasing practice. IPM is a system of pest management that attempts to manage pests while causing the least amount of harm to "people, property, and the environment" (EPA, n.d.). The IPM Institute of North America also defines IPM as " a sustainable, science-based, decision-making process that combines biological, cultural, physical and chemical tools to identify, manage and reduce risk from pests and pest management tools and strategies...

  One of the simple pleasures in life is sitting on a dock looking out at a still lake. The breeze is gentle, and the midges make it look like it’s raining on a clear day. You can watch the fish as they flash just below the surface. But my favorite part has always been to look out at the lily pads.  Water lilies are an interesting plant. Their roots require oxygen, but the substrates that the plants are found in are anaerobic or very low oxygen. The clever plant gets around this by pumping two liters of oxygen from the surface down to the roots using a special conducting tissue called aerenchyma and the heat from the sun. This is a widespread adaptation for aquatic plants in this position, as it allows for a low-resistance pathway for gases.  Aerenchyma of an aquatic plant; picture credit to Wikipedia Our canoe adventure at Lost Lake let me paddle out to these lovely plants and really get a good look at them. I observed the lily pads at this lake are yellow water-lilies...

  O n May 27 th My Insect Ecology class went to the Jordan river valley to catch and document any insects we found. It was 57 degrees (Fahrenheit) with a slight breeze, and it was only partially cloudy. The perfect day for a nice long hike at Deadman’s Hill. This hilly, hiking trail boasts a scenic view of the Jordan river valley and Mackinaw State Forest.             So how did this place get its name? Well according to the legend posted on the plaque adorning the hill, a 21-year-old man by the name of Stanley Graczyk (Big Sam) tragically lost his life hauling lumber down the hill. On May 20, 1910, “Big Sam” was heading a team hauling a big wheel of lumber (a cart large full of logs, drawn by domestic labor animals) down a particularly steep hill, when he stumbled and was crushed under the wheels of his own cart. Though he was not the first person to die in the region during Michigan’s logging era, Stanley was so to be marri...

    The  forestry worker climbs a tree, seeking to gain a bird's-eye view over the surrounding forest. As he climbs from branch to branch, he notices a spiny caterpillar with striking coloration at eye level. Seeking to better examine the insect, he picks it up. Immediately, venom-filled spines along the caterpillar's length break off into his skin, injecting their toxic contents. A burst of pain shoots through the worker's hand, and he immediately drops the offending larva. Defensive venoms can be found in several insect groups. Though we generally associate venoms with pain, burning, intense itching, and other unpleasant sensations, new research into insect venoms provides hope for new treatments, pesticides, and other substances beneficial to the well-being of humanity. Giant Silkworm caterpillar (Lepidoptera:Saturniidae) showing envenomated spines | Photo courtesy of Centro de Informações Toxicológicas de Santa Catarina and Wikipedia      The ...