Happy Halloween

Wow! What a busy day. As we woke up, we were told that we needed to finish everything quickly to get into New Orleans by the afternoon. This meant that we had to clean the caterpillar’s bags, give them new food, inspect each caterpillar to make sure they were doing well, and clean the bunkhouse and pack. It was a very busy day.

After a late lunch we packed up our bags and traveled about 1 hours south west to New Orleans. The Park View Guest House was the awesome place we stayed. It has been on television for all of the paranormal activity. That is a fancy way of saying ghosts!

We walked the city exploring the restaurants, parks, and little shops. Then we went back to shower and dress in our costumes. I was a vampire from all of the books I read by Anne Rice. Don’t I look scary?

We went by trolley to the French Quarter. This is where there was thousands of people all dressed up dancing, singing, and playing instruments. It was an incredible time and place.

Getting Into a Routine

With a nice late start (7:00am) we started the business of classifying and categorizing the newly found caterpillars. While some of us checked in the new caterpillars, other took care of the caterpillars on the rack. This took a while and a good part of the day.

About lunch time, I was able to talk to some wonderful second graders. J I hope they earn some homework passes by responding to the blog questions!

Later we went into the deep forest to search for more caterpillars. This was by far the hardest forest to move in. With clippers, machetes (large knife), and many ouches, we went into the forest. On the way we found and caught a baby snake. Isn’t he cute?

With dirty clothes, scratched up hands, and tired bodies, we slowly walked into the bunkhouse. I am ready for bed!

Tomorrow we start searching the spooky city of New Orleans on Halloween. I am certain to have some stories to share after our weekend stay in a haunted hotel. Stay tuned to hear more.

Kayaking Down River

Today we packed up a lunch and some supplies and we kayaked down river to a new location to hunt for the elusive caterpillar. When we entered the river, all three of us quietly glided downstream with all of our supplies. Our job was not only to find more caterpillars, but to scout out a new location down river. Upon landing at the site, one of the researchers almost got their leg stuck in the mud. I guess it is good to have big feet. You don’t sink as much.



We scouted the area for about 45-minutes. Hacking the machete through the briers, and underbrush, it was a slow trip. We encountered golden and blue skinks (lizards), a bald eagle, and tons of weird looking spiders. Creepy! Look at the video to see where we hiked.



After we had our yummy lunch, we found a spot to search for caterpillars. To carefully find the caterpillars and classify he plants in the plot, it takes a long time. Packing our supplies back on the kayaks, we started back. Our research leader, Mike, slid his kayak into the river and sunk! It was so funny. After we emptied his kayak, we raced back to the truck because Mike was getting very cold.




Upon arriving home, we quickly took our showers and got dinner ready for everyone. After dinner, we had a campfire and had a few laughs telling our adventures. With tired and sore arms, I climbed on the top bunk and went to bed.

It' Time For Work!

We started early again today. After breakfast, we began to look at the caterpillars we found the day earlier. Slowly we marked, examined, and classified the caterpillars. It was a long process, but this data is used to understand the impact of caterpillars have on the ecosystem. After we examined the caterpillars, we hung them onto a rack to save and watch them turn into butterflies and moths. The picture is of my coworkers examining the caterpillars




After lunch, we left the bunkhouse and we went into the field. We walked trough swampy areas until we found a great spot to hunt for caterpillars. We marked off the area and began searching. I found a caterpillar that can sting you. We were very careful putting him into a bag. After a few hours, we trudged back to the truck and headed for the bunkhouse.


We learned about the ecology of different parts of the world by having a college professor teach us about how their research is helping the world.


I learned a lot of things today. I cannot wait until tomorrow!

Into the field we go

6:00am came early today. With the sun not even out, we logged onto our computers and began the quest for food, knowledge and the ability to connect with our schools. I was able to briefly chat with Mrs. Connolly’s Class today.

After a shopping run to the food store, we went into the swampy forest to hunt for caterpillars. I was taught how to look at the plants and check for evidence of caterpillars. After what seemed years, I was able to find my first caterpillar. This type of caterpillar has hairs to prevent predators such as wasps from using it for food.

While in the forest, I saw turtles, an alligator, frogs, and lots and lots of trees. Click on the movie to hear about the clothes we needed to wear while going out into the flied. Tomorrow is a day of collecting caterpillars and exploring the great Louisiana wilderness.

The adventure begins…

I cannot believe the day has already come when I am to leave for New Orleans. I am very mixed over not being at school with my students and the adventures that lie ahead.

I was able to meet the rest of the team as we went out for Turkish food. It was wonderful and so was getting to know the other members of our team. Afterwards, we piled into a cargo van and headed off to the swampy bayous out in Pearl River Forest.

We are all staying together in a single room bunk house. Here is a picture to show you where I will be staying.

With an exhausted body, buzzing mind, and a mixed heart, I headed to bed waiting to see what adventures tomorrow lays ahead.

My Journal

This is going to be the blog that gives a day by day narrative of my adventures in New Orleans. Feel free to leave comments or questions.