Welcome to the Windshield

Posted on May 2, 2011March 22, 2017 by BIObus Crew

Once again the famed BIOBus is on the move. This summer destinations include Florida, Arizona, Texas, California and Colorado in search of diverse insects to add to ever expanding database of DNA barcodes.

The BIOBus crew for the first half of the summer consists of Jay Cossey (our intrepid admiral), Jeff Webb (our jolly mayfly specialist), Chris Ho (a fellow insect researcher/enthusiast), and my humble self.

On Day 1 we left Guelph bright and early, and made our way southward to Florida through New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia.

120 — BIOBus taking a break at a rest stop in North Carolina

There are various difficulties associated with travel on the road, and we were by no means immune. Our first obstacle was the emotional distress we experienced having passed by the last Tim Horton’s we would visit for two months. After this I managed to drop my new tube of toothpaste into a stream, our second morning on the road before we departed Weston, West Virginia.

Although it would take two and a half days to reach our southern destination, we wasted no time breaking out our nets and discovering the change in insect fauna at each rest stop and gas station. However the vast majority of our collecting was done by virtue of the BIOBus’s less than aerodynamic physique barreling toward Florida at highway speeds, amassing thickly caked-on layers of lovebugs (Plecia nearctica).

136 — Lovebugs doing what they’re best at

At this time of year the lovebugs, due to their copious numbers and mass mating efforts (which often necessitate a thorough car wash), have garnered a less than eponymous reputation with the locals. I was also surprised to find the usefulness of open chip bags in the collection of small click beetles (family Elateridae). One particular beetle was lucky to escape my hunger, but subsequent to discovering it I transferred it to a vial and turned it into data.

At the end of a long interstate sojourn, and still well on its way to Kissimmee Prairie State Preserve, the BIOBus finally arrived in the Sunshine state, a solitary Ontario license plate bobbing confidently in a river of Florida oranges.

-Chad

Vince in the Mountains

Posted on August 10, 2010March 22, 2017 by BIObus Crew

I LOVE the Rockies! The mountains, trees, rivers, lakes, and (most of all) the insects are amazing. We first arrived to Yoho National Park very late at night in July. The sky was completely void of clouds, and all of the stars that were scattered across dark background immediately blew me away. I am so used to the light pollution of the city that I rarely get to see a crisp night sky with the milky way looming across. During the day, the rivers and lakes that are nestled in the tree-covered mountains are gorgeous. Yoho was cool and wet, and had some amazing fields in old Avalanche sites that were filled with spectacular flies, wasps, butterflies and many other things. My personal favourite were clear winged moths that mimic wasps (and even fooled me at first)! After we had finished in Yoho, we went south to Kootenay National Park. This park provided us with different habitat, and was more warm and dry. I loved hiking to the small lakes in Kootenay, which rewarded me with very interesting aquatic insects such as stoneflies, mayflies, and dragonfly larva and amazing mountain scenery.

Whether I am pinning tiny moths into the early morning or sharpening my photography skills, the BIObus has provided some of the most memorable experiences here in the Rockies. I will be sad to leave them as we drive into the Prairies, but also excited to see what lies ahead!

Recent