Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!
Looking to learn more about the world of bugs? Although small, these creatures play a large role in healthy ecosystems. For birds, insects are a key food source, especially now when their growing chicks are hungry! Help study these important creatures in your local parks and backyards by participating in Caterpillars Count!: https://caterpillarscount.unc.edu/ You will learn about your local arthropods and help scientists who can use your data to monitor arthropod abundance, how their populations change through the season, and much more. Join other participants across the continent to see how your data contributes to large geographic studies. Explore insect diversity in your area and upload what you see to iNaturalist as an added bonus!
Here is a brief summary on how to get started:
1) Learn to identify common arthropods: https://caterpillarscount.unc.edu/identificationSkills/index.html#ArthropodIDsPanel
2) Create a Caterpillars Count account. Select the site you want to study by creating one: https://caterpillarscount.unc.edu/hostASurveySite/ or joining an existing site: https://caterpillarscount.unc.edu/publicSites/
3) Go outside and select the trees you want to study. Choose a branch, one per tree, at eye-level with leaves larger than 2 inches in width. Mark these branches with printable tags from the Caterpillars Count website.
4) Choose to do a visual survey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aijyZikzKB8#action=share, or use a beat sheet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrfZFeDymXg#action=share, and follow the protocols in the links provided to find and count your arthropods.
5) Upload your data to the Caterpillars Count website/app. Survey the same sites weekly or bi-weekly. Optionally, post your observations, especially when you find a caterpillar, to iNaturalist to learn more about the creatures you find!
Comentarios
Agregar un comentario