Swamp Surprises

I spent today in the field with the other teachers and our lead researcher, Rebecca, and her assistants. This project is part of her PhD dissertation research, so she is guiding our field work. We traveled to the nearby Honey Island Swamp today to start our hunt for caterpillars. It was helpful knowing which plants and trees they like the best, but also, we had to look for signs of fresh leaf damage and frass (if you don't know what this is, look it up!)

Here is MYSTERY CATERPILLAR #1. Go to http://www.caterpillars.org/ and look through the photos of Louisiana caterpillars. Find the scientific name for this crazy caterpillar and write it in your response journal!

We found some other exciting creatures in the swamp as well. One of the teachers was reaching for what she thought was a very LARGE caterpillar when she realized it was a small snake, a poisonous copperhead! We also spotted a big fat water moccasin sunning on a log, another venomous snake. Not everything out there was dangerous though! We were so lucky to find the nest of a beautiful Prothonotary Warbler with four eggs, and found anoles and skinks throughout the day.

Here is my challenge for today. Can you find a creature in this photo (besides the tree)? Write down what you think you see (you can look it up online if you like) and explain what is going on in this picture. *HINT*--this is something we just studied!!!

I will tell you more about the caterpillar research project tomorrow. In the meantime, start thinking about what parasites, caterpillars, and climate change could have in common, and enjoy this little caterpillar dance video, directed by Erika, one of the other teachers!