"The Caterpillar"--A Poem by Robert Graves

The Caterpillar (1918) by Robert Graves

Under this loop of honeysuckle,
A creeping, coloured caterpillar,
I gnaw the fresh green hawthorn spray,
I nibble it leaf by leaf away.

Down beneath grow dandelions,
Daisies, old-man's-looking-glasses;
Rooks flap croaking across the lane.
I eat and swallow and eat again.

Here come raindrops helter-skelter;
I munch and nibble unregarding:
Hawthorn leaves are juicy and firm.
I'll mind my business: I'm a good worm.

When I'm old, tired, melancholy,
I'll build a leaf-green mausoleum
Close by, here on this lovely spray,
And die and dream the ages away.

Some say worms win resurrection,
With white wings beating flitter-flutter,
But wings or a sound sleep, why should I care?
Either way I'll miss my share.

Under this loop of honeysuckle,
A hungry, hairy caterpillar,
I crawl on my high and swinging seat,
And eat, eat, eat—as one ought to eat.

 

As I reflect back on our adventures this past week on our Earthwatch expedition in Arizona, I am reminded of the pure, authentic voice and cadence of Graves's poem "The Caterpillar". Here, Graves reflects on a simpler, basic need of sustenance and personifies the creature as he enjoys his meal.  We volunteers were deeply thrown into this intense scientific protocol of research and investigation, but were oftentimes reminded of the sheer beauty and delight of why we need to study and preserve these natural creatures.  

There is a definite juxtaposition of data accumulation in the field coupled with an ethereal, non-tangible sensibility of why we all have to be aware of just how our ecosystem works from the ground up.  Undoubtedly, as I was exposed to the routine of scientific research, I grew more and more appreciative of biological exploration and had grown so fond of these beautiful caterpillars.  Their intricacies were absolute. Their colors pristine. Their skin translucent at times. Their feet fascinating. Their lives necessary. 

As Graves uses the speaker to say these caterpillars "mind [their] business" and are "good worm[s]" it subtly reminds the reader that we are a part of their habitat and must try our best to understand just how best we can do to protect and sustain one another.  I appreciate this Earthwatch fellowship because it reminded me that we can work together collaboratively for a common goal--contributing to the vital scientific research of how climate change affects caterpillars before we all "dream the ages away." 

Chon Lee

Santa Monica, CA

Southwest Research Station - SWRS

Our Earthwatch team’s first base camp was at the Southwest Research Station, SWRS. We arrived on Sunday and left on Wednesday. We learned how to lay plots and ‘zoo’ the first day. The next day we drove up to a higher altitude in the Chiracahuas, where our Earthwatch team split into 2 groups to set up 2 plots from which we would gather caterpillars. The next day half the group zoo’d and the other group worked in the field. As we prepare to depart for the 2^nd part of our research at lower elevations, I take one last opportunity to drink in this most unique space, SWRS.

Spring water flowing into a swimming pool

Tall stands of cottonwood and bushy willows along a seasonal stream

Open areas and hummingbird garden

Majestic escarpments of oak and stone

Monsoon evenings and starry nights

Classroom space is what speaks to the students first when they enter the room. The SWRS does the same for all who turn into its unpaved road.  There are cabins, nestled under shade trees. The porches, invite you take pause to view distant thunderstorms, to feel the cool release of a local rainfall, or to share ideas with others.

We depart soon … finally old routines slide off, now we are reminded of the natural rhythms of sunrise, moonrise, birds, sounds of rain. But as we load up our cars to embark for our 2^nd part of our research, I settle in the car with news friends with whom I have shared our Earthwatch experience at the Southwest Research Station. We are ready for the next chapter of our research!

[Earthwatch] ^5E

[Earthwatch] ^5E

The 5E references the inquiry cycle for lesson or unit formats that we see commonly associated with the project, problem, and inquiry (among others) based platforms in classroom instruction. To my understanding, the origin of the 5E cycle evolved from various existing concepts in constructivism and student-centered learning. The Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) has done an excellent job communicating the need for the 5E instructional model and as an educator I now have the responsibility for confirming how I will simulate this Earthwatch experience for my students so that they can also benefit from my growing knowledge.

My only experience with this cycle is in the middle school science classroom where the E's stand for: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation. Coincidentally, E is also for Earthwatch- where today is the final day of my Caterpillars and Climate Change in Arizona program with Dr. Lee Dyer , Ph.D and Ms. Danielle Salacido, M.S. from the University of Nevada, Reno. I have many questions to answer (below is just a sample):

• What do my students already know about climate change- the big picture? 
• Are my students interested in caterpillars or climate change? 
• What elements of the Earthwatch expedition will I be able to bring into the classroom- physical and cognitive resources overall? 
• Will I be able to develop a worthwhile lesson to tell the story "Caterpillars & Climate Change?" 

So bare with me, these are just my preliminary thoughts and I am trying to appeal to middle school science students. And for additional background, it is with intention that I will align the lesson to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Differentiation, curriculum material, and all are intended. Here are my lesson 5E's for the topic of ecosystem populations... 

ENGAGEMENT: A Bug's Life

Can I get students interested in bugs? What do they already know, learned from discussion with peers, and have questions about/will want to learn (KWL). 

EXPLORATION: Insect Biodiversity at Hull Middle School  

Students will hopefully have begun to form questions and they will be refined to researchable questions. Ideally I would like for students to work on various species populations at the school site from plants, other animals, microorganisms and more. Students will collect population data for insect species, plant species, and others based on individual counts or density estimations in organized tables. 

EXPLAINATION: Modeling Populations & Share Out

Students will model their data for the different categories (will be shared) to determine what patterns, systems, cause and affect, stability potential they observe while sharing their group data. They will address how their investigation so far contributes to understanding climate change. (Image used is just an example for how students might graph their data during the time of their investigation.) 

ELABORATION: Population density, Lifecycles, and Tritrophic Interactions. 
Students will determine factors that affect population density by studying the lifecycle and symbiotic relationships between their species and their environment. They will make connections between the lifecycle of organisms that are connection through the food chain. They will participate in a population simulation that will show how and why population density fluctuates between tritrophic interactions between the plant, caterpillar, and parasitoid. 

EVALUATION: Researcher's Choice!

It has to meet the objectives of understanding population dynamics and biodiversity through tritrophic interactions.

• Interview an ecologist about the investigative process and create a "article" or video clip. 
• Create an experimental design to conduct an ecological investigation at the school site. 
• Demonstrate classroom data and individual understanding during a school day outreach table at lunch. 
• Create a physical or digital model identifying the relationship/networking between species populations and informally present the justification for the model to the class. 
• Maintain and create a population database to continue the weather and species population at the school site. 
• Present on real tritrophic interactions that are threatened across the globe. Focus on one (i.e. Grey wolves, caterpillars, more!) 

Note from the Author: I haven't written a blog since high school for a English project. Apologies if it has been unbearable. -Kristy 

How to Raise a Caterpillar: Introduction to the Zoo

Our work on this project can be subdivided into fieldwork and lab work. Explained briefly, field work involves whacking trees with sticks and hoping caterpillars come flying off.

(Kristy demonstrating proper tree-whacking technique)

After we collect caterpillars from trees and organize them into labeled plastic cups, they get taken back to the lab for processing. During these steps, each caterpillar is assigned a number, officially identified by species, and photographed. After all that is complete and there is a record for each caterpillar, they get sent to the zoo.

(part of the lab setup at the Southwestern Research Station)

(closeup of the zoo--caterpillars are arranged according to their host plants)

The zoo is where the caterpillars live until they die (whether due to parasitoids or not) or pupate. While they are in the zoo, they must be checked on regularly. Once a day or so, each caterpillar needs to be "zoo"ed. The process is as follows:

Step One

• Pick out a caterpillar that needs to be taken care of. We typically would each take a stack of one host plant and work our way through it before moving on to the next.

(one section of the zoo in Arivaca)

Step Two

• Before opening the cup, check to see if you can identify the caterpillar and/or any parasitoids that might be present. This is important so you don't lose any specimens. If you see that the caterpillar appears to have died or pupated, their cup gets moved to a different location.

(Can you see the caterpillar in this cup of mesquite? It's yellow and fuzzy.)

Step Three

• Find your host plant. This is the caterpillar's food and is typically the plant on which the specimen was found. We keep a few big coolers of host plants in labeled zipper bags.

(Ruben looking through bags of different host species)

(Found the mesquite!)

(If we're out of something, we add it to a grocery list so it can be collected at the next opportunity.)

Step Four

• Dump (or gently pull out) the contents of the cup onto a paper plate. The white plate is a nice background surface for keeping things contained and spotting tricky caterpillars. It also gives you a chance to observe the caterpillar for any bruising or other signs of parasitoid activity.

(caterpillar, host plant, and frass)

Step Five

• Use a brush to clean out the inside of the cup. As the caterpillars eat and grow, they can produce a lot of frass (excrement), so we want to get rid of all that before we put them back.

(This fuzzy guy would not stay on the plate.)

Step Six

• Put the host plant into the newly-cleaned cup. It's a good idea to put the plant in first so you don't inadvertently crush the caterpillar with it.

(cup full of talinum)

Step Seven

• Put the caterpillar back in the cup. This can vary in difficulty depending on the caterpillar. Some of them will crawl right in while others need more cajoling.

(Success!)

Step Eight

• Close the lid carefully and securely and put the caterpillar back in the zoo. Then move on to the next cup. We collected every day, so there were almost always caterpillars who needed care.

(sunset at Arivaca)

Connecting with My Students through Instagram Stories

One of the highlights for me this week is being able to connect with my students virtually via Instagram Stories. Working at a community in South Central Los Angeles, I realized that many of my students do not have the resources to travel to places or enjoy outdoor activities with their families. Through social media, I was able to be at one place with my students and open their eyes to see a world outside of their own.

I begin by advertising my expedition through my own teacher instagram account @mislou212. This is a public account that my students can follow. Prior to posting pictures of my students, I have requested parent permission to use their photos.

Currently I have 217 followers and around 70~100 followers watch my stories throughout my 7-day expedition everyday.

Here are some unique features that my students can interact with during this expedition:

Q&A: Using real-time images, ask students multiple-choice question that I encountered while collecting caterpillars.

       

Eye Spy: Challenge students to spot a caterpillar that camouflaged with the surrounding environment.

    

Opinion Poll: The forest where we searched for caterpillars was near the U.S. and Mexico border. We saw a ripped backpack, empty food can and soda cans left possibly by migrants rising their lives to cross the border. Students were asked to to put themselves in the migrants' shoes with this question below.


Fun Videos: Showing a video of Ms. Johnson overcoming her fear with touching the caterpillar (Sphinx) with the help of Julie, an EarthWatch volunteer.

Ask an Expert: Tanner Matson, an Entomologist and graduate student from University of Connecticut, offers to answer any question about insects in the next 24 hours (the duration of every Instagram Story before it disappears.) Answers to the questions are posted a day after this initial video.

It's a blessing and joy to participate in this EarthWatch expedition with fellow L.A. educators and researchers with a strong passion in entomology and climate change. From this trip, my perspective of insects has certainly changed. I am leaving with a greater appreciation of the natural world and the intricate relationship between insects and its biome. I hope my students feel the same way through watching my stories. Thank you EarthWatch for this opportunity! 

Florescent Caterpillars

It's a given that we go out to the field daily to collect caterpillars, but did you know it is possible to find them in the dark too? We actually found our biggest, plumpest caterpillars at night. Our group is fortunate to have Julie Elliott, a caterpillar enthusiast and previous Earthwatch teacher fellow, volunteer to help us out all week. Along with her caterpillar expertise and hard work, she also brought her UV light which we used on our night hunt.    
Julie (left) and yes she helps us with those containers of caterpillars!           
Handy dandy UV light

My initial thought about Arizona was that it was an arid desert state covered with cacti. I found out how wrong I was when we arrived in the Chiricahua Mountains. Our drive through the canyon was beautiful to say the least with beautiful rock formations and a plethora of trees including Douglas Firs (Christmas trees)! It was a comfortable 90 degree sunny day, perfect for a night hike with the UV light, right? Not quite. We were met with thunderstorms two nights in a row. On our second night, we braved the rain and went searching for florescent caterpillars and florescent caterpillars we found! 

 
  How many can you count?                                         Glowing eggs
  

Taking Advice from a Caterpillar

TAKING ADVICE FROM A CATERPILLAR

Our LA Earthwatch Institute team would make Lewis Carroll proud. August 1st marks our final day at the Southwestern Research Center in Portal, Arizona. BUT it also marks the start of the second leg of our journey.

What truly has defined my trip so far is how I do not want to leave! I've been able to develop my caterpillar catching skills among the 5,000ft+ elevation of the desert/deciduous forest ecosystems here. Although I have only caught 13 caterpillars and that was truly just the result of applying what I saw modeled by Danny and my team mates, I have made it my ambiguous goal to collect at minimum 24 caterpillars as a dedication to my middle school email account name: caterpillar24. I think I always knew the caterpillar and its life cycle was an analogy for what is more to come, rather than being "butterflygrl24" on the Mariah Carey fan wagon because that would be the end of my journey.

And the best part must really be knowing that my entire team is also feeling a similar way about leaving SWRC. Below are images of my team mates embracing the methods of using beat sheets to collect specimens. No trees were severely damaged in the making of the most recent collection of caterpillars for Danny.

 

Now what I love best about all of this is how it seals why I don't feel sympathetic towards placing my students in project and problem based activities where they must participate in the procedures and collection of data to synthesize their science learning. I don't think we really forget to be kids- but then again I was a pretty old soul for a child. But if you can get full grown adults from various academic focuses to brave the heat, spiders, false alarms and monsoons then there is already an insight to what may work in engaging students in the science classroom.

Fears have definitely overcomed after handling various insects of enormous sizes in the name of science education- for this LA teacher at least.

Extra credit: Can you spot the whipping tail scorpion on Tanner below?