Off to New Orleans Tomorrow

Today we spent most of the morning in the lab working on the specimens we collected. In the morning we do something called "zoo". This is where we care for the caterpillars that we have collected. It seems like they would be so easy to care for. They are the size of a pin head, what could they possibly need. Well they need a clean place to live and food to eat like most things in life. So we have to clean out the frass or the caterpillar poo out of the bags and then make sure they have enough leaves in the bag of the plant they were eating in the swamp. In addition to the zoo then we also have to identify specimens and we are collecting everyday so it is a process. I found a new one today and tomorrow I hope we get a good picture. It was one of those jellybean ones.

Also this morning I worked on a database for photos. I am trying to organize about 7000 caterpillar photos. Then off to the field this morning and I went off with two other teammates and we did a plot in the thick of all of these briar bushes. The most dangerous thing today I saw was the briar bushes... they hurt so bad and we hacked away a lot of it with a machete.

Tonight the team surprised me with a birthday cake. I was feeling a little homesick today because I miss my students and my family. I got to talk to 7D today and they surprised me with their birthday singing. It was sweet.

We are off to New Orleans tomorrow and leaving the swamp for the weekend. We are spending a little time at Tulane University and tomorrow night is Halloween and according to the researchers that I am with, it rivals Mardi Gras as the most celebrated holiday here.

Happy Halloween!