“Spring Insects in the Field"

with

Marion Bundens, Alan Pultyniewicz, and Dana DeRoche

The Young Entomologists Group leaders are excited to meet you for the first field exploration of the year, where we will look for spring insects and learn about their plant associations! We will observe first-hand how flowers have special features that guide insects to their pollen and nectar rewards, so that pollination can be successful. We will learn about other strategies these insects and plants have co-evolved to thrive. One such insect we hope to see is the Spring Beauty Mining Bee (Andrena erigeniae), a tiny solitary bee that collects pink pollen balls only from the Spring Beauty flower to feed its larvae! (Photo below)

We will also search for other arthopods such as spiders with museum specialist Dana DeRoche and learn about their hunting strategies using spring flora. Perhaps we will find Jack-in-the-Pulpit plants where spiders often sit in wait inside the "pulpit" (spathe) for insects to enter looking for flowers!

An RSVP is requested by Wednesday, April 8 if possible so that we can plan for adequate parking.

Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

Spring Beauty flower (Claytonia virginica) and 

Spring Beauty Mining Bee (Andrena erigeniae)

Photo by Judy Gallagher