Learning to Pin Moths and Butterflies

Cataloguing diversity is an important part of the work field biologists do.  We learn about life in the cloud forest because scientists capture and count and analyze butterflies and moths in the field.  In order to study them, lepidopterists (people who study moths and caterpillars) pin the specimens they're studying.  

Here are the steps:

At night at the field station, a mercury light gets left on beside a white sheet to attract butterflies and moths.
In the morning, birds go crazy feasting on the insects. 

We capture and freeze some of the butterflies and moths.  This kills them, but painlessly.
Here is the moth I chose to pin: a species of arctiidae.   Its antennae are so fuzzy.

Using forceps we try to place a small pin straight into the moth's thorax.

Next we spread the top wings.  I was surprised by how beautiful the moth was once its wings were spread.
All butterflies and moths have two sets of wings.

Next we carefully slide waxed paper across the wings and place pins around the specimen to set its wings.

Now that I've set the moth, it needs to be left undisturbed for 48 hours to dry out.
I can't wait to see how it turns out. 

Yanayacu Field Station

We arrived at the field station!  It's remote and gorgeous.

Here are my fellow intrepid teachers.

There were so many waterfalls along the road it almost became mundane.

We took a hike and man, was it muddy!  My boot got completely stuck.

Ew.

Can you spot the stick bug?

Playing around with the guide's machete.

Here's my bedroom for the next 6 nights.  I scored the top bunk.

Here's Cha, one of my roommates.  Great view of our research station.
And take a look a the size of that cabbage!

Straddling the Equator

Here I am standing with my two feet on two different hemispheres of the Earth!
Can you use clues in the photograph to determine which foot is on the north hemisphere and which is on the south?
And do you see the moon in the brilliant blue sky?

Believe it or not, I later found out they built the monument and painted the line in the WRONG place!
The true equator is about 150 meters away.  Close enough, I say!

I CANNOT resist a costume and green screen!

There was a spot to try to balance an egg on the head of a nail.
It is a commonly held belief that this only works at the Equator.  Not so.
It's hard, but possible, to perform this feat here at the Equator, in your kitchen, or anywhere on Earth.  Give it a try!

Does a Dracula Orchid Vant to Suck Your Blood?

A

B

C

D

 I was astonished by the complex, lovely orchids growing in greenhouses at Quito's Botanical Gardens.

I wish I were a bee so I could crawl inside.

So, which one do you think is the "Dracula" blossom?

And which one appeals most to you?

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

Avenue of the Volcanoes

Ecuador has a backbone of volcanic mountains running down its center.  Yesterday I visited two spectacular spots along the "Avenue of the Volcanoes": 

Quilotoa Crater and Volcan Cotopaxi.

Quilotoa Crater formed when a volcano erupted violently 800 years ago.
 Slowly it has filled and a gorgeous lake has formed.

I didn't descend all the way to the bottom, but I did walk part of the way around the top.
I could feel how much less oxygen was available to breathe at these high altitudes.

Yes, those are llamas.  And yes, that's a rainbow.  Happy Zappy!

Can you spot the face?

There were signs all over Cotopaxi National Park informing people about evacuation routes.
Cotopaxi is an active volcano.

In fact, Cotopaxi had a big eruption last August.  Nearby towns were evacuated.
Scientists believe a massive eruption is likely to occur in the next few years.
Here's a link to webcams that film Cotopaxi 24 hours a day.

Here's what Cotopaxi looks like on a clear day.

And here's what I saw.  Huge disappointment.

I tried to console myself by admiring moss growing in designs on rocks.

But then, miraculously, the clouds parted and I got a peek at Volcan Cotopaxi.

This is the last time I smiled yesterday.
After this, I got stuck in a horrible traffic jam for many hours heading to Quito.
Oh, and I vomited.  A lot.

A Peek Inside Indigenous Farmers' Home

On the road to Quilatoa Crater, I visited the home of some indigenous farmers.  My mind was blown by how differently people live.

This is the couple in front of their home.  

I felt a little afraid inside the house because it was dark and there were guinea pigs scampering all over the floor.

Bedroom, kitchen, closet, and animal cage all in one space.

Potatoes are the staple food.  This man grows five different varieties in his field.

This is what a potato plant looks like.  You can see two potatoes peeking out of the dark, rich, volcanic soil.

Have you ever seen such a knobby potato?

I wonder if these people would be equally astonished by a visit to one of our homes in Los Angeles?

Saquisili Market

I wish I could take you all on a field trip to Saquisili.  It's a town high in the mountains in the shadow an active volcano.  On Thursdays, Saquisili has a huge market selling EVERYTHING you could imagine:

Lambs and sheep...

Old car tires turned into bowls...

Live chickens...

Llamas...

Pig parts...

Plus you can get your ripped clothes mended while you wait by one of the sewing machine men!

All the ladies wear these hats, sometimes with peacock feathers tucked into the band.

These women are checking on the plumpness of the guinea pigs.
It's a favorite food here.
I don't think I'm adventurous enough to try it.

Even the little girls wear the hats.