A Pleasant Surprise at Gentry Creek

On our way back to the great white north we decided to make one final collecting stop at Gentry Creek, Oklahoma. A small campground with several ponds and a stretch of waterfront, its usually busy grounds were devoid of campers, save ourselves and our trusty BIObus. The scattered workers we saw throughout the day took little notice of us, and gave us full leave of the grounds for our collecting. After a successful night sheet, we rose in the morning, collectively filled with anticipation for whatever diversity we might find. When we opened the bus door, however, we were hit in the face with a strong breeze that had picked up over the night. Nonetheless, we set out with our nets, expecting little to be found; surely nothing would be flying around in this wind? As the day progressed we found that in fact, the park was teeming with life, and there were loads of insects hiding wherever we swung our nets. The dragonfly diversity was exceptional, it was perhaps the best site for dragonflies yet, and there were wasps, butterflies, and beetles to be found in abundance, despite the breeze. We ended another successful day collecting with a delicious dinner of salmon and asparagus, thinking simultaneously of the places and sights we had seen, and our loved ones back home with whom we would soon be reunited. Our departure from our last collection site was bittersweet, but like all great adventures, ours was coming to a close. Thankfully, we had the stack of boxes rattling in the back of the bus to remind us of one final fact: we were not coming home empty-handed!