What's furry, territorial, and barks at intruders?
A caterpillar, of course.
That is, one of the thousands of species living in the Ecuadorian cloud forest, where I traveled to help Dr. Lee Dyer conduct research on parisitism and predator/prey relationships among insects and caterpillars.
Making my way from Boston to Miami to Quito by plane before joining fellow Earthwatchers aboard a clanking old bus that sped its way Nascar-style around Andean cliffsides, I landed queasy and weak-kneed in the village of Cosanga. From there, we hiked up a long dirt road to reach the Yanayacu Biological Station, operated by eccentric funny-man and eager entomologist Harold Greeney.
Long-time pals of Greeney, Dyer and fellow caterpillar researcher Dr. Grant Gentry taught our team the art of seaking out caterpillars from their many hiding spots - uncurling "leaf rolls," whacking tree branches with a big stick while a partner holds a "beat sheet" below to collect whatever disturbed specimens fell our way.
The caterpillars we collected - some as long as your hand, some as tiny as your pinky nail - were placed in plastic bags along with their favorite leafy foods and brought back to the station's open-air laboratory. There, we hung the bags on lines and observed as the caterpillars passed through their various life stages. Of greatest interest were caterpillars that had been parisitized.
To keep all these caterpillars happy and healthy, we lucky Earthwatch volunteers were tasked with refreshing their food and picking all of the fras (that's caterpillar poop in laymen's terms) out of the bags.
When we weren't wrist-deep in Grapenut-sized feces, treking through the forest beating branches, or chasing tarantulas out of the bathrooms, there was plenty of time to relax in a hammock and watch the blanket of white clouds devour the tree tops, and to share beers and stories with teammates and other visitors to the station. We even had the honor of enjoying peanut butter, jelly and American cheese sandwiches (yes, all three together), which the wonderful kitchen staff prepared especially for us - knowing that Americans just can't get enough of their processed foods.
They made up for it with amazing empanadas. Mmm.
That is, one of the thousands of species living in the Ecuadorian cloud forest, where I traveled to help Dr. Lee Dyer conduct research on parisitism and predator/prey relationships among insects and caterpillars.
Making my way from Boston to Miami to Quito by plane before joining fellow Earthwatchers aboard a clanking old bus that sped its way Nascar-style around Andean cliffsides, I landed queasy and weak-kneed in the village of Cosanga. From there, we hiked up a long dirt road to reach the Yanayacu Biological Station, operated by eccentric funny-man and eager entomologist Harold Greeney.
Long-time pals of Greeney, Dyer and fellow caterpillar researcher Dr. Grant Gentry taught our team the art of seaking out caterpillars from their many hiding spots - uncurling "leaf rolls," whacking tree branches with a big stick while a partner holds a "beat sheet" below to collect whatever disturbed specimens fell our way.
The caterpillars we collected - some as long as your hand, some as tiny as your pinky nail - were placed in plastic bags along with their favorite leafy foods and brought back to the station's open-air laboratory. There, we hung the bags on lines and observed as the caterpillars passed through their various life stages. Of greatest interest were caterpillars that had been parisitized.
To keep all these caterpillars happy and healthy, we lucky Earthwatch volunteers were tasked with refreshing their food and picking all of the fras (that's caterpillar poop in laymen's terms) out of the bags.
When we weren't wrist-deep in Grapenut-sized feces, treking through the forest beating branches, or chasing tarantulas out of the bathrooms, there was plenty of time to relax in a hammock and watch the blanket of white clouds devour the tree tops, and to share beers and stories with teammates and other visitors to the station. We even had the honor of enjoying peanut butter, jelly and American cheese sandwiches (yes, all three together), which the wonderful kitchen staff prepared especially for us - knowing that Americans just can't get enough of their processed foods.
They made up for it with amazing empanadas. Mmm.
