Keep your friends close, but your pupae closer!

It feels both like months and mere moments since we started our trip with Earthwatch; and either way, our journey ends tomorrow morning. We have learned too many things to count on this trip and I feel humbled by the vast knowledge and kindness of our scientists. Their desire to investigate the world and its diversity at all sizes and shapes is truly something to be grateful for and admire. 

As a resident of Arizona, I was shocked that my idea of what southern Arizona’s nature looks like was dead wrong. Living in Phoenix had started to skew the way I view desert ecosystems and I am so glad I made it out here to see the diverse beauty in this state. We drove through the beautiful Chiricahua mountains, splashing through running waterways and climbing around cliff faces. As someone who has never been interested in off-roading, I have plans to do that drive again just for those views and the joy of driving through water :)


On our final full day, we traversed the rocky dirt roads of the Coronado National Forest to do some “general collecting” on a hike. We were able to use our new skills to find and collect caterpillars the “zen way” as taught by Dr. Lee Dyer. We spent time investigating trees along the barely-paved path, looking for signs of caterpillars; frass, holes in leaves, leaves stuck together with pupae wrapped inside. I am proud to say that I found a bush full of feasting caterpillars and one pupae wrapped in a prosopis tree (and I know what a prosopis tree is now!).




I am coming home, humbled by the following things:

  • We think we know so much about our planet, but every day, science and scientists are proving us wrong. 
  • There are many small things that run the world, and caterpillars are a part of this reality. 
  • Everything we humans do, from buying bananas to releasing carbon into the air, affects the small things that hold our planet together, and that is worth studying. 

I am incredibly excited to bring back the lessons I have learned to my students. They will also enjoy many stories about catching butterflies, cleaning up caterpillar frass, and my panic over seeing a Giant Desert Centipede in my room. I am grateful for all the ideas my cohort of fellows (almost doctor) Dani Salcido, and Dr. Lee Dyer brought to this expedition and the genuine happiness this journey brought us all. 



For anyone considering an opportunity like this, I have two words: Do it. 

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