--Kassie Urban-Mead, Undergrad I’ve finished my first round of sampling for this summer’s research, and it feels great to be in the swing of fieldwork adventures. During last week’s sampling I stumbled across both a nesting duck and a spotted baby fawn: the former—a Blue-winged Teal—flapped away briskly while the latter flopped and stumbled endearingly into a nearby shrub. I’ve also alarmed countless Red-Winged Blackbirds, and while making my way back to the truck on Tuesday I noticed a mid-sized woodchuck peering at me from beneath a guardrail. My search, though, is for smaller critters. I’m not tracking Orthopterans like Rob and Bryan are, but I am solidly in the invertebrate camp! My senior research as a Yale undergraduate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology is on the unmanaged bee pollinator communities in twelve old-fields across Connecticut. I’ve selected fields that are surrounded by a gradient of land-use types. These categories include forested, suburban development and roads, and conventional agriculture. This summer I’m sampling the bees (and recording the flowers I find them on) to see if there are community and interaction differences that can be traced to impacts from surrounding land-use. I’ve made my first round through each field, and the next set of collections will go into full swing when the sun comes out next week. All of this rain has been getting in the way (though it’s keeping those flowers growing!). It’s far too early to say anything for certain, but there are certainly distinct communities from field to field. I look forward to seeing how the species compositions shift once the flower resources are more similar—the goldenrod that dominates all of my fields hasn’t yet begun to flower (mostly Solidago rugosa and S. altissima), and the milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and thistle (Carduus nutaans) are just beginning.
I’ll keep you updated, but it’s safe to say that the summer is off to a great start! I’m so lucky to work in some truly beautiful fields (and to have some great books on tape to listen to as I drive about between them). I’m rapidly becoming more and more adept at naming the wildflowers to genus and species, learning which long-tongued or short-tongued bees prefer, and knowing more of my bee IDs on sight. But most importantly? I think that my dexterity wielding insect nets in thick vegetation is preparing me for an alternate career as a badminton player!
33 Comments
10/18/2016 12:57:28 am
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2/20/2024 10:48:17 pm
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8/16/2024 04:11:55 pm
It's amazing how many interesting encounters you've had already. Those wildlife sightings are always a bonus! Your research on bee pollinator communities is incredibly important, and I'm fascinated by your approach of studying different land-use types.
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9/30/2024 04:15:57 am
In the west, when the journeyman moves, the Buddha's ability to experience the natural beauty and wonders of the world. Of course, it's just a blue-colored fawn with wings and a blue-colored bird. At this time, Telegram's communication tools are currently being developed and researched at a completely new level. In order to carry out the research, researchers and enthusiasts can enjoy the research at any time, establish the number of establishments, expand and expand regionally, and collaborate globally to promote the earth and conserve wild animals.
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9/30/2024 04:30:04 am
As a result of my research in the Western world, I feel that there is no surprise or joy in the natural world, and that is the appearance of a duck, a deer, and a deer. Telegram communication is more efficient than the number of researchers, and it is possible to operate on a global scale and protect the players. The Telegram group's functional capabilities can be combined with the main features to improve the functionality of the system, and the number of machines and human capabilities that can be used for automatic movement research, as well as the collaborative analysis and behavior model.
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9/30/2024 05:19:01 am
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10/2/2024 10:14:15 am
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10/23/2024 03:08:53 am
It’s always refreshing to hear about fieldwork that combines both research and unexpected wildlife encounters. The nesting duck and baby fawn must have been a real treat to observe! With research becoming more collaborative nowadays, I wonder if you’re using any communication tools like Telegram to share your pollinator findings with fellow researchers. Telegram could be a great platform to create a group chat for real-time updates on your fieldwork adventures or even connect with a wider community of ecologists interested in pollinators!
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Your fieldwork stories are fascinating, especially the close encounters with wildlife like the Blue-winged Teal and the woodchuck. It reminds me of how much we miss when we’re not out in nature. If you haven’t already, you might consider using Telegram to document and share your pollinator research. You could start a Telegram channel dedicated to your journey—where people who are interested in ecology can follow along, get updates, and even ask questions. It would be a fantastic way to reach a larger audience!
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What an incredible start to your summer research! It sounds like every day in the field brings a new adventure, whether it’s spotting a fawn or catching a glimpse of a woodchuck. I can imagine that sharing these experiences with other researchers or enthusiasts would be exciting. Have you thought about using Telegram to coordinate with fellow field biologists or share updates from the field in real-time? Telegram’s group features allow for efficient communication, especially in remote areas, making it easier to stay connected during your work.
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