KABT folks
We had a great time at the KABT Fall meeting at Cowley County College.
Thanks to Michelle, the presenters and others. During the field trip out at Chaplin Nature center a group of us came across large numbers of caterpillars defoliating catalpa saplings. The trees themselves were difficult to identify (since they were defoliated and small saplings) and we weren't sure about the caterpillars. I guessed that they were some sort of horn worm---well guesses sometimes workout. We apparently had found the dark form of the Catalpa sphinx (hormworms). Here's a link that includes images.
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/enpl/bulletins/catalpasphinx/catalpasphinx.htm
or
http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg305.html
or
http://entomology.unl.edu/ornamentals/pestprofiles/catsphinx.htm
Ours matches the dark form in the bottom of this image:
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/enpl/bulletins/catalpasphinx/photo6.htm
or in this image:
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/enpl/bulletins/catalpasphinx/photo2.htm
BW
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Baby BioBlitz
I decided to create an additional post rather than just reply to Randy's original--comments can sometimes get a bit hidden.
The BioBlitz has a lot of potential for KABT members as a field trip theme--it's a chance to learn about KS biodiversity, become familiar with KS natural history, see neat places, meet great people, provide an important service for the state, have a lot of fun, and do a little science along the way. If successful we could make it a tradition--moving it around the state to specific habitats. Do a google search on Bioblitz to see what other projects have accomplished. We can too.
The board has suggested that our first BioBlitz take place at Kanopolis Lake in early June. The area around Kanopolis is a rich mid-grass prairie habitat dissected by canyons and ravines carved from the Dakota sandstone bedrock. These canyons and the springs create unique microhabitats--a blend of bur oak timber, mid-grass prairie and spring-fed pasture streams. Located in the center of the state, the area is an area of overlap for eastern vs. western species.
The idea of the bioblitz is that we (KABT members) would work hard for the weekend to collect, sample and catalog as many different kinds of organisms in each of these groups at Kanopolis. We'll need microscopes, permits, collecting equipment, binocular, cameras, etc. You'll need to bring camping equipment and food for yourself. We plan on camping at the lake and probably headquarter at one of the shelter houses (or perhaps my father's cabin.)
The planning and preparation is just beginning but time is short. Hopefully, we'll get going over the next couple of weeks otherwise we might want to think about waiting until next year to try out the bioblitz concept....
Here's a bit of a start: Here are the groups that Randy D. has proposed we sample during the bioblitz.
BW
The BioBlitz has a lot of potential for KABT members as a field trip theme--it's a chance to learn about KS biodiversity, become familiar with KS natural history, see neat places, meet great people, provide an important service for the state, have a lot of fun, and do a little science along the way. If successful we could make it a tradition--moving it around the state to specific habitats. Do a google search on Bioblitz to see what other projects have accomplished. We can too.
The board has suggested that our first BioBlitz take place at Kanopolis Lake in early June. The area around Kanopolis is a rich mid-grass prairie habitat dissected by canyons and ravines carved from the Dakota sandstone bedrock. These canyons and the springs create unique microhabitats--a blend of bur oak timber, mid-grass prairie and spring-fed pasture streams. Located in the center of the state, the area is an area of overlap for eastern vs. western species.
The idea of the bioblitz is that we (KABT members) would work hard for the weekend to collect, sample and catalog as many different kinds of organisms in each of these groups at Kanopolis. We'll need microscopes, permits, collecting equipment, binocular, cameras, etc. You'll need to bring camping equipment and food for yourself. We plan on camping at the lake and probably headquarter at one of the shelter houses (or perhaps my father's cabin.)
The planning and preparation is just beginning but time is short. Hopefully, we'll get going over the next couple of weeks otherwise we might want to think about waiting until next year to try out the bioblitz concept....
Here's a bit of a start: Here are the groups that Randy D. has proposed we sample during the bioblitz.
o Aquatic invertebrates
o Soil macroinvertebrates
o Birds---
o Mammals---
o Reptiles/Amphibians--
o Insects-
o Mosses, liverworts and ferns
o Flowering Plants--
o Fish--
We need feedback and volunteers to work in the various groups. Respond in the comments if you think you might be interested in any of these groups. Do we have too many? Is something missing? What should we do with the data? How can this help KS bio teachers? All kinds of things come to mind. Give us your feedback.BW
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Blog Revitalization
I apologize to anyone checking on this blog....the posts have been few and far between. In an attempt to revitalized this blog for the biology teaching community, I'm going to expand the official posters--much like Panda's Thumb. To this end I've invited the board members of the Kansas Association of Biology Teachers to become bloggers here at Teaching Biology. Hopefully, they will add more postings, create diversity and develop a resource for biology teachers.
To insure a wider geographical diversity if there are other affiliate biology organizations that would like to participate in this blog in some manner just let me know and we'll see what we can work out.
BW
To insure a wider geographical diversity if there are other affiliate biology organizations that would like to participate in this blog in some manner just let me know and we'll see what we can work out.
BW
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