Day 5 August 9, 2009

Today was FANTASTIC! Lee drove Mike Singer, professor at Wesleyan in CT, Ryan Wagner, Kathy, Suoko, Junko, and myself almost to the top of the Chiricahua Mountain range. Rustler's Park is at an elevation of 8,500 feet and the very top is almost 9,800 feet. Lee taught us how to plot a 10 foot diameter field to collect caterpillars.

Lee laid out a rope in the center of an area on the side of a trail. We each took end of the rope and stretched it out straight. Kathy, Suoko, Junko, and myself each were assigned a quadrant. First, we had to count every fern plant. Then, we had to count every leaf on lupine plants......yes, I said every leaf! Then we beat all of the vegetation for caterpillars. We were not very successful. I asked Lee if he was disappointed in our findings and he commented that he does not make premature speculations about anything until he records all of his data and notes patterns in his data. I am really beginning to understand more complex scientific experiments. I have been thinking of ways I can incorporate what I have learned into my classroom. I plan on making "beat sheets" and teaching my students how to collect caterpillars. I know this will be an exciting activity for them.

As we drove down the mountain, we took wonderful photos of the vistas. It is truly amazing to think that we can travel across this vast terrain and be on top of a mountain within an hour!

After lunch, Lee gave us the afternoon off. Considering none of us have transportation, we had to come up with a plan of action. Kathy, Judy, Jenny, Suoko, Junko, Natalie, and myself obtained information from the Nature Store, which also serves at the research station's office, about trails in the area. He suggested the South Fork Road was the best walk to see Trogons. These are fascinating birds endemic to this area and Mexico. Of course, I had always planned on somehow taking this road considering it is the name of the ranch from my oldest favorite television show Dallas. And many of you know my sons are named for the main characters of this show: JR, Bobby, and Gary.

Lee drove us to the main road intersection for South Fork and off we went. It was approximately 2 miles to the trail head. We stopped along the way to take photos of butterflies feeding upon the wild flowers growing alongside the road. Jenny trailed behind caught in her own thoughts. I waited for her because I kept thinking about the wildlife that lives in this area: bobcats, bear, rattlesnakes, etc. Many of us took some great photos of the numerous butterflies along the road.

When we came to the trailhead, we discovered there was a picnic area. We only walked about 100 yards and stopped for a photo op in the dry creekbed. Junko tried repeatedly to take a photo of everyone using her timer. Her camera wasn't cooperating for the longest time, but finally it worked. I collected 2 interesting rocks as a keepsake from the creekbed. Before we left the picnic area, we stopped at the compost toilet. Everyone thought I was crazy for taking pictures of this toilet. But, I believe this is a viable option for alternative methods of processing human waste. Compost toilets also provide nutrient rich compost that can be used in your yard. I would like to have one in our future barn to be built on our NC property.

Unfortunately, we never saw or heard Trogons. We met several researchers on South Fork who also were in search of Trogons and other wildlife, but particularly caterpillars. At this point, we all realized this walk was going to turn into a lengthy trek back to Cave Creek where we are staying. The road seemed to get longer and longer.......and me feet were really feeling it. We stopped to take a picture of the interesting signs along the road, especially the one about smuggling and illegal immigration. The sign for Cave Creek never looked so good! Home Sweet Home. We recounted and realized that we had walked a total of 6 miles total. Everyone headed to their own cabins for a well deserved shower.

After an uneventful dinner, Dave Wagner, Univ. of Conn, gave a talk about caterpillars. I took detailed notes and plan on typing them into a word doc. It was very interesting and I know I will never look at plants the same way. We are not aware of the world that lives among us in the trees and shrubs around us. Some caterpillars are in plain view, but most are camouflaged or in hiding from their predators. I am looking forward to purchasing Dave's book because I know it will be a valuable reference to me in the future.

We heard from a couple staying at Cave Creek that they witnessed a bobcat last night on the road and this afternoon about 5:30 pm outside a cabin at the ranch. This is about 100 yards from my cabin. I guess anything is likely to appear considering this is a natural habitat for wildlife. I have yet to see anything exciting other than bats.......LOTS OF BATS at night. I have decided that they will not hurt me and are only searching for their dinner.

We don't know what plans Lee has for us on Monday morning. Suoko and I are the only members who have not worked in the lab. So I would imagine we will do so tomorrow. Everyone says it is interesting but becomes tedious. I hope to learn ways I can include my lab methods in my class.

I know most of my blogs are lengthy, but I want to share my adventures so everyone can learn about the scientific world and the processes that occur. I also want to remember each day in detail for my journal. So you will have to endure my lengthy posts. Thanks for following along!

Monday leaves us with 3 days left of research. We will drive back to Tucson on Thursday, have a final briefing and dinner in the evening. Then my brain will switch gears and think about my 5th grade adventure that is about to begin. As I type this blog, everyone is discussing scorpion bites and where they can show up unexpectedly. Jared found a small one in his shower tonight. So I hope I don't get a visit anytime soon. Goodnight!