Kindergarten teacher Peggy Rush is as passionate about learning as she is about teaching. When she learned of an opportunity to spend part of her summer volunteering on an Earthwatch expedition, she packed a bag and headed to the airport. Peggy traveled to Ecuador to help Dr. Lee Dyer, an ecologist from Tulane University, collect caterpillars.
I interviewed Peggy about her volunteer experience on the Climate Change and Caterpillars in Ecuador expedition.
Guide to Insects Debbie Hadley: How did a teacher from NJ end up collecting caterpillars in the cloud forests of Ecuador?
Volunteer Peggy Rush: I applied for an Earthwatch Educator's Fellowship and a Geraldine Dodge Grant. I was one of a few NJ teachers that won the award. It was an honor.
Guide Debbie: Tell us about a typical day in the field. Was the work difficult?
Volunteer Peggy: A typical day was spent in rain, rain and more rain. We would get up, don our raingear, eat breakfast as a group and then head out on overgrown jungle trails to look under every leaf for new species of caterpillars. If we found anything we would bag it up and bring it back to the camp.
Other days were spent in the "zoo" where thousands of plastic bags with leaves and a caterpillar (or many of the same species) in each bag. Our job was to take the bag down, clean out the "caterpillar poop" called frass, turn the bag inside out, record the findings and rehang the bag. This type of day was tedious but necessary for the research portion of our trip.
Guide Debbie: What is the purpose of this research? What is Dr. Dyer trying to learn?
Volunteer Peggy: The purpose of the research was to discover the habits of the known species of caterpillars in the Andes area and to discover any new species. The voracious eating habits of these caterpillars needed to be documented to they could help the farmers and Ecuadorians control the insect damage to their sustainable farming. Dr. Dyer and his colleagues are doing this study over many years for reliable data.
Guide Debbie: How many insects did your team collect during the expedition? Did you find anything that surprised you?
Volunteer Peggy: We collected 212 species of caterpillars and wasps. We helped the entomologists from the University of Wyoming collect and discover four new species of wasps. I was surprised to see the stages or the "instars" of caterpillars. That is the stages of growth each caterpillar goes through as they grow. Some of the caterpillars we were looking for were smaller than a fingernail and some as big as fat worm size. I also was amazed at the beautiful array of colors and markings of the caterpillars, butterflies and moths we collected. They were so interesting to look at.
Guide Debbie: What was your favorite part of the expedition?
Volunteer Peggy: My favorite part was meeting all of my �new best friends� on the trip. The type of person who chooses to go on an Earthwatch expedition says something about his/her character and sense of adventure. Each participant was so open, friendly and ready for each new adventure we encountered with a healthy dose of humor and awe. My roommates Jodie (from England) and Lela (from California) were exceptional!
Guide Debbie: How have you brought this experience back to your classroom?
Volunteer Peggy: Yes, I brought this experience to my classroom and my school. Immediately in September I went caterpillar hunting all over my area in NJ. I would ride my bike and drive my car until I saw a field of clump of milkweed plants. I would then search for Monarch butterfly caterpillars. I found 11 and set up are large, floor to ceiling, butterfly net to hatch and observe the caterpillar turning into a butterfly. I gave several to my kindergarten grade level partner for her classroom too. I had always wanted to do that and had tried looking before but was not looking in the right places. I was able to teach the children about instars, stages, metamorphosis and final release of the Monarch butterflies.
I also had two kindergarten kids from last year who asked prior to my departure to Ecuador, very sincerely, "Mrs. Rush, if you find any new species can you name one after me?" Well, low and behold, both boys have now submitted names for a new wasp species we helped to discover. Forevermore, the future of these two students (hopefully future scientists!) will have their lives changed by the remarkable gift of being able to name a new species in the world. I am working with an entomologist at the Univ. of Wyoming to get this done, named and published.
Guide Debbie: What would you tell someone who was thinking of volunteering on this expedition?
Volunteer Peggy: I would tell a future volunteer to "go for it." This experience was wonderful. I would also suggest getting in shape so you are able to climb and hike and enjoy it.
