In Lab

Deciduous Forest Week 4, Thursday Lab Section

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This week, we returned to lab with specimens we collected in the field to photograph and hopefully identify them. Our samples consisted of mostly leaves, twigs, and plant matter, along with several kinds of insects. In the lab, we had access to materials like rulers, so that we could photograph small things next to them for size reference. We hoped this would make it easier for people in the iNaturalist community to help identify our organisms. In addition, we had a dissecting scope with which to view our species. This proved to be a game-changing tool for me, and I found myself putting all of our samples under it to see what things looked like close-up. I first examined an ant under it, which was a light yellow color that I had never seen in an ant before. After doing some research over the weekend, I am fairly certain it was a Citronella ant. I also put a centipede and a millipede under the scope, both of which were fascinating but at the same time rather unsettling to view in that much detail! We also looked at a beetle, which I later identified as a click beetle based on a description of their unique behavior in which they launch themselves several inches into the air, making a clicking noise, when they are stuck on their backs. We had accidentally dropped our beetle on the floor in lab, and it did just that, much to the annoyance of my lab partner who was trying to catch it to put it back onto the table! I also examined a few plants under the dissecting scope. I looked at tree buds and red maple flowers, as well as lichens and mosses. I was amazed and surprised at what the texture of moss actually looks like up close. Overall, the last lab was very intriguing as we were able to get up close and personal with some of the diversity we had discovered in the field the three previous weeks.

- By Gina