Sunday, July 3rd by Ash Arons – The College of Wooster Pollinator Plots

…Is it already July? Wow the summer is really starting to s(bee)d on by! Here’s an update to inform you on how I’ve bee(n) spending my time:

[Research]

Starting the Lavender Trials

On Monday we spent a couple hours setting up the sticky traps for Dr. Moreno’s mulch experiment at Lavender Trails. The bamboo rods are placed around the perimeter of the largest plant within each treatment. With 5 rows of 6 treatments, we put out a total of 30 sticky traps.

Brownfield Bees

Be(e)low are a couple of bumble bees spotted by the lavender this past week. Lavender Trails is open for all of July, so make sure to head on over!

Lavender Trails, Wednesday June 29th, 2022

Fam, It’s Time for a Break

After identifying a good portion of last year’s data to family, I will now be moving onto a new task. Instead of individually moving each specimen from their vial and into a petri dish of ethanol for identification, I will be using the microscope to look at sticky traps through plastic bags.

Cool Schtick

When analyzing the sticky traps I had three main objectives: to count the total number of spittlebugs (aka froghoppers) present on the entire trap, then count the number of other Hemiptera and Hymenoptera that could be viewed through the 1″ panel of this nifty contraption. I identified the appropriate insects to family and then entered the data into a spreadsheet.

Viewer for Ease of Data Entry, Froghopper circled

Although I will need to double-check my work, I finished our 6/29 collection (pictured in the left bin) and will begin working on last year’s data next week!

[College Garden]

Hues in View

Our Bergamot is our one new bloom this week! You may find it similar to our Scarlett Beebalm, and that’s because they’re in the same genus! A be(e)tter fact to share with your friends is that both beebalm and bergamot are in the same family as mint (:

Butterfly Milkweed, *Asclepias tuberosa*

Reaching New Heights

Last year the ironweed needed to be propped up to grow straight, and now it’s truly holding its own weight! Enjoy this comparison of what nearly a year can do.

Me (5’3/4″) next to the Ironweed (5’3″+). Can you be(e)lieve it’s the same plant?

Caught in the Act

… Of be(e)ing a tired bunny

Here you can see damage caused by the collective efforts of the Japanese and Goldenrod Leaf Miner Beetles on the Goldenrod plants. When I pulled back the leaves, one beetle tried to make a clean getaway… You gotta be(e) quicker than that buddy!

[Pine Patch]

Be(e)ting the Beetles

Thank the Gods (or Dr. Mariola) for blessing us with the contraption you can see below. This beetle bag is equipped with pheromones that attract the Japanese Beetles into a contained area (and is designed in a way that prevents escapes). Once full, the bag is emptied and replaced so that it can continue keeping the pests at bay.

Yellow-Faced Fellows

There are new updates on iNaturalist from our 6/18/22 collection! These yellow-faced bees be(e)long to the genus Calliopsis:

Sunflower the Prowler

In lieu of updates for the Vegetable Garden, I give you Sunflower, Wooster’s friendly neighborhood feline:

[(I.)n the Work(S.)]

Reading the Signs

As mentioned earlier in this post, Lavender Trails is a former brownfield. What is a brownfield you ask? Read more on their sign pictured below! This is along the same vein of information that I am researching for my I.S., and will be learning how to communicate on signage to put out at the William J. Robertson Preserve. The signs I will implement at the Preserve will include an added emphasis on native pollinators along with a brief historical background of how their plot be(e)came what it is today. I highly recommend that you stop by Lavender Trails to see their own Pollinator Pathway, complete with fun and engaging pollinator facts suited for all ages!

It’s A Trap!

Today I put out the first pan traps for my summer research! I will be back tomorrow to see what I was able to collect, and get to work on identifying… If all goes to plan I should have several more collections taking place over the next couple of months!