56 Nights at the Museum

Allison Monroe's personal blog and documentation of her internship in Washington, DC, working with Dr. Mike Gates in the Hymenoptera Unit of the Entomology Lab of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. She hopes this will allow you to...

[56nightsatthemuseum]

Week 6, pt 2!!

Wow, time is really flying now! It’s so hard to believe I only have two more weeks working at the museum (and only one more week with my sweet roommate, Maija!!). It’s funny how you just start to get the hang of thins/feel comfortable/prosper when it’s almost time to leave. 

Anyway, the end of my week consisted of learning how to dehydrate micro hymenoptera specimen for mounting (which I will begin doing next week), which is an incredibly extensive process, although not that demanding by any means. The general idea of this process is to slowly increase the alcohol concentration that the specimen are in to 100% ethanol, then do two HDMS baths under the fume hood. Doing this ensures that all liquid will evaporate from the specimen without any caving in or corroding. 

Again, while not difficult, doing this was slightly time-consuming, but provided a means of bonding with my coworkers. 

We sat together, dehydrating and watching The Office (which I LOVE; why didn’t I start watching this sooner?!). It’s so fun to hear people’s stories and build relationships purely based on common interests. 

Overall, the end of my week consisted of dehydrating and bonding with my coworkers, and I couldn’t complain. I’m so lucky to work in such an incredible place with such fascinating people. I finally feel like I’ve found my “tribe,” as Taina said. 

I also got to go to a cat cafe here in DC with my roommates!! It’s called Crumbs & Whiskers and it’s exactly what it sounds like - a coffee shop full of cats. The neat part is that all of the kitties are up for adoption, so this is a way to see how they interact with people/other animals. Also! the coffee can’t be brewed in house (because health code blah blah blah), but it’s also from a local coffee shop! Super cool way to support local business. 

Of course I took hundreds of pictures, but here are a few:

me and my love, Bebe Rubio :)

cuddly kitties!!!

Gab and her new BFF

TUBBBBBSSS! (makes me think of my bb, Jax)

more kitty cuddles 

my #squad is better than yours 

Shout out to one of my best pals, William O’Brachta for recommending this place to me!! (also for being an amazing human in general)

Can you tell that I kinda like cats??? 

Whelp, that was Thursday! Friday was also super fun and busy and interesting. I got to see old friends from home and show them around the lab with Dr. Gates’ help and go on a tour of the ocean critter skeletons here in the museum.

Here is a picture of me and my pal, Brendan, that came to visit!! I love him and his sweet family so much. It was so nice to see familiar faces and giggle with all of you again!

Gates and I, doing our thing on the “tour.”

Fresh whale skeleton (yes, I mean FRESH. It smelled nice and ripe.)!

Also pictured above is the jaw of a blue whale, which I still can’t comprehend the full size of. These magnificent creatures are just so giant, my little brain has trouble understanding. 

I also got to hold a frozen whale penis, so that’s fun too! (interesting fact: whales can actually manipulate their penis like a human could their finger. They’re very muscular! When you’re that big, it’s not practical to move your whole body around for reproduction.)

I got to end my week with a lovely Skype session with my good friend, Abby, and talk about my vocational journey thus far. Once again, I’m baffled that I was given this opportunity and still in denial that this is actually happening. It’s so incredible to share your dreams with others and have them encourage you and give you the funds to follow those dreams into reality. 

[56nightsatthemuseum]

Week 6, pt 1

I don’t even have any pictures from Monday because I was so exhausted from my whirlwind weekend in NY. 

However, Tuesday was full of fieldwork (!!!) so I have plenty of pictures from that!

pictured here is a cute lil leaf-footed bug. The genus is Acanthocephala, but I’m not sure of the species. There are 5 species in the US and they’re pretty abundant in the forests. These are large plant-feeding bugs with leaflike flanges on the hind legs. The males typically have thickened, spiked “thighs” for combat females. They also have a sharp odor to emit when molested. 

 We also saw numerous lady-bird beetles (more commonly known as ladybugs) munching on some aphids

next is a long horned grasshopper nymph enjoying the sunrise along with us

Of course, I love doing field work and find myself happiest out in nature, but I had to return to work after the traps were collected! 

Gates and I headed back to the museum where I continued to sort specimen, some of which I’ve featured here:

ceraphronoidea; dendrocerus

Chalcidoidea, leucospidae. Their wings characteristically fold longitudinally and their ovipositor is located above the dorsum. 

That wasn’t the only cool find of the day, though. I thought I had found a stephanoid (very rare), but turns out none of us are really sure what I found! 

This guy is some kind of rare diapriid that Dr. Gates and Buffington were both stumped by. 

Dr. Buffington explained some of the research he is interested in doing on these species with “strange head lumps.” The “thorns” you see on the head here are actually a result of the muscles that these little guys must use to move their massive mandibles. The funny part is, they don’t use these mandibles on a regular basis. They tend to only be used when emerging from the host, but not much after. So, they’re just flying around with these massive mandibles for seemingly no reason. Pretty interesting that evolution has cost-evaluated these giant escape-tools as worth it. 

Cool part was, I found 5 of these rare lil dudes! 

Anyway, Tuesday evening was full of poetry reading and more self exploration. Here is a poem I found especially moving, and one that I feel really captures my current state of mind. 

I think that’s all I have to say on that note, for now. I’ve been journaling a lot, separately, about my personal life here. This trip has facilitated so much personal growth for me, and it’s a little scary to unleash that on the internet, but once I feel that I’ve got the words coherently typed out, I promise to share. 

Anyway, Wednesday was also a great day, not as full of rare specimen, but close! I found this awesome member of the family Brachonidae (which I thought was a at first Stephanidae):

Other than that, Wednesday was pretty normal. I got to hang out with some of my intern buddies and have some fun around the museum!

With my internship coming to a close, I’m realizing how much this time here has meant to me and how much I will cherish this experience for the rest of my life. It is so nice to be around people so passionate and encouraging. Not that I don’t experience those same sentiments in Arkansas, but it’s a little easier facilitated in the number one research institute in the world. 

Hasta luego!

[56nightsatthemuseum]

The end of the 5th week!

This week has been full of adventures!

It’s so crazy to think that my adventures here in the big city are more than half way over now.

Wednesday was full of sorting and all that jazz, not to mention an incredible interview with scientific illustrator Taina Litwak. Here are some notes from that:

Taina is a scientific illustrator for USDA/Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. She has a son majoring in theater and mechanical engineering. He’s double majoring with a 5-year-plan, like his mother, who earned a BA in Print-Making and a BS in Biology on a 5-year-plan as well. The interview was a little awkward at first, as interviews usually are, but we quickly warmed up to each other. The interview turned into more of a conversation about passions and how those can lead to a profession. I loved talking to Taina because she has such an interesting perspective on her career. She knows what it’s like to struggle as a woman in science, which she said may have been what originally deterred her from working a “bench job” in science. She always had a passion for both science and art, hints the double major, and was never willing to sacrifice one for the other. Her career started off with working in galleries trying to be a “real artist,” while doing some illustrating on the side. She mentioned that she was a little ashamed of her work as an illustrator for a while, simply because illustrating is seen as lower-level work in the artistic world. She said, on the totem poll of art, it’s definitely on the bottom. This really surprised me, because it seems to me that this work with such attention to detail would be impressive to anyone, especially those in the art-field, but apparently not. She talked about her dream of being a “real artist,” which she ultimately gave up. She said “not every one gets to be an art super-star,” and she’s been doing what she loves for over thirty years now. Her job perfectly combines her passions and allows her to continue living her life exactly as she sees fit. She was able to take 16 years “off” and work free-lance, essentially running her own small business. She illustrated an incredible amount during this time, working a minimum of 10 jobs at once. She shared some of her work from this time with me, which was absolutely incredible. She combines pencil sketches and her abilities in programs such as Photoshop to create more realistic images of what ever it may be that she is illustrating. She said she had to make the jump to digital drawing in the 90’s, and she is very thankful she made this leap. One of my favorite moments in her interview was when she was able to describe to me how she is able to take a microscopic image of a specimen and combine that with a SEM (scanning electron microscope) image to create a real-time, larger than life, image. The difficulty of seeing these specimen under a microscope is that you can only focus on one field of vision at a time, and the difficulty of SEM images is the lack of color. She is able to combine the two and allow scientists to better study the subject. She is also able to use her talents to communicate scientific ideas to the public. This is hugely important! Communicating data to the public has historically been a struggle for scientists. After hearing about her journey to find her own vocation/calling, I made sure to talk to Taina more about the struggles she has faced as a woman and ask if she had any advice to offer me. She talked about how women kind of pulled the short straw genetically, simply because it is our body that takes the impact after child birth, not the male, and sadly we are the ones with the instincts that better accommodate for taking care of an infant. However, she made the point that it’s perfectly okay to wait to have a family or not have one at all if that’s what’s necessary to follow your own dreams and passions. We had a very nice discussion about following your own dreams and the appropriate times and places for selfishness. This led into the discussion of what advice she could offer me, which she had two great answers to. 1. Travel. We spent a good chunk of the interview talking about her travels through South America and how that’s influenced her life today. When her sons were younger, she made the decision to move to Bosnia and live there for 2 years. She knew this would be a hard transition for her sons, but also knew that she wanted them to have an alternate perspective of the world than life as a upper-middle class, American citizen. She talked about how important it is to travel the world and be exposed to these different perspectives and how influential these times have been in her life and career. It was so encouraging to hear her talk about traveling so passionately. Travel is a huge passion of mine as well, and it’s nice to see someone with similar passions able to balance that and a career. Her other piece of advice: 2. Get involved! Participate! She couldn’t encourage me enough to volunteer in organizations that affiliate them selves with what I’m passionate about and to get as involved as I possibly can with them. In her experience, this has led her to her “tribe,” or the people she feels she is really closest to. She struggled to fit in the first half of her life (what do ya know, seems to be a trend), but through her involvement in these organizations was able to find her real “heart friends.” It was incredibly validating and inspiring to hear from a woman that has been so successful in following her dreams, but also from someone that has faced struggles similar to those that I am facing now. All of her advice and stories were eerily relatable, and I’m happy to say that for the first time in a long time, I feel inspired to find my own calling, what ever that may be. She encouraged me to follow my heart and allow myself all the time I need to discover who I am and what impact I need to have on the world.  

Needless to say, I was incredibly happy with my interview with her. She is truly an inspiration, and I hope to carry her words with me throughout my vocational search these next few years.

Thursday

Thursday was less busy, but still full of interesting sorting and fun museum-exploring. We also got to hear about some of the new exhibits coming to the museum and eat some yummy funnel cakes!

I can’t eat funnel cakes, but they looked awesome.

Here’s a photo of ~most of~ the interns here this summer! (I’m on the front row; black shirt; 6th from the left)

I also got to take some pictures of scientific illustrations of the lady-bird-beetle, which I will (hopefully) get permanently drawn on my skin (the one on the right, obviously). 

Friday went on as usual, except that I was granted permission to leave early and head to NEW YORK with my roommate, Maija! I would love to post copious amounts of pictures, but I’m not sure my fellow insect lovers would be as fond of that. 

My time in New York allowed for a lot of adventuring through Central Park and therefore reflection. 

I still love nature. 

I still want to study it for the rest of my life.

Aaaaaaand I’m still not sure how to do that one.

I also ate entirely too much ice cream, but I don’t think that’s possible, so scratch that?

Any way, it’s getting late here and week 6 is on the way! Updates coming soon!

[56nightsatthemuseum]

Oodera’s and Awe’s

Hello again from the comfort of my dorm-room bed. The start to week 5 has been incredible and full of experiences that I would love to share with all of you!

Monday was a slow day, as most Mondays are. I’m not sure why I was so tired, seeing as I had a relatively restful weekend. Monday blues, maybe?

I managed to capture some photos of some sassy and colorful chalcids in my sleepy daze, so I hope you all enjoy as much as I do. 

I also took some time out of my lunch break to explore the museum a little more and even had time to watch an IMAX movie. The smithsonian shows these throughout the day, but one of the perks of being an intern is one free showing a week!

That’s right... Free. 

I got back to work and snapped a few more photos, so here are the best ones from my day:

And, Dad! I finally got that 8-point you’ve always wanted!:

I ended the day at home with my roommates. I made turkey loaf, brussel sprouts, and fruit salad for dinner (which we ate on the roof). Over all, Monday was a great, chill, day. 

My Tuesday was even better than Monday! I started off the day with a nice run around the monuments:

Followed by a morning of identifying and a tour of the Smithsonian’s very own SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) lab. It was fascinating to hear from the leaders in the field and hear about all the Smithsonian is hoping to do with not only SEM technology, but 3D technology as well. These combined open up research and outreach opportunities for the museum in a way that I’m not very good at articulating. Ultimately, the smithsonian hopes to be able to use SEM technology and 3D technology to make models of specimen/collections more available to those hoping to do research, and even more available to the public.

After this truly fascinating tour, it was time to head back to sorting. 

Once again, I found some really incredible specimen. Here are a few interesting chalcids:

and two really cool platygastroids! They have some awesome sheaths for their ovipositors:

Then!

Drum roll please...

I found a Oodera!

These guys are incredibly rare! There are only 2 genera ever documented, and Gates thinks this one might be different! You may be asking yourself, “what makes them so special?” See the mantis-like front legs? Well, that’s it. Chalcids usually have big hind legs, not front legs. Usually these would be used for hunting/predation, but we’re not really sure what they’re used for as of now. Gates said he’s reared one in the past and tried to get it to hunt with these awesome weapons, but the little dude just cleaned his antennae with them. Gates is sending the specimen off first thing in the morning to a specialist!

I stayed at work until 6:30 hoping to find another Oodera or other rare chalcid, but I ended up enjoying a cooler walk home instead. Maija and I enjoyed the evening in DuPont Circle and came home early to avoid the rain, which is supposed to continue for the next few days. 

I can’t wait to see what the rest of this week holds! 

[56nightsatthemuseum]

Week 4, pt 2 - halfway point!

Hello all! This marks the half-way point of my adventures here in DC! Isn’t that crazy? I know they say time flies when you’re having fun, but this seems even faster than flying. Time teleports when you’re living your dream?

Thursday and Friday were full of opportunities, thanks to the perks I get as an intern. I got to go on a tour of the insect zoo here in the museum, where all the live insects are kept. It was really fascinating to see these creatures in their natural ways, especially since this is one of the fields of entomology I’m interested in pursuing. 

Here is a photo of a rose-haired tarantula:

A vinegaroon/whip scorpion, which is not a scorpion at all. These guys are arachnids that just so happen to have evolved to mimic a scorpion. Their “claws” are actually their mandibles, and their “stinger” is a whip like body part used to direct the acetic acid they spray. They use their first set of legs as a means of sight, since their eyes are actually pretty bad, and are actually responsible for keeping the population of cockroaches and crickets down. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover!

My newest friend is the Australian Stick Bug, which speaks for itself. So gorgeous:

We also got to see a bronze beetle. The male is shown in the photograph. In most beetles, the males will be the “pretty ones.”

Friday

Friday I got to participate in two tours sponsored by the museum. One of the Botany Research Greenhouses and another of the invertebrate storage unit. Both were fascinating, if not awe-inspiring. I have always loved taking photos of nature, so the green house was especially fun. The invertebrate tour was interesting as well because they are so closely related to my little bug-pals. Here is a string of photos from both adventures:

really, the greenhouses just made me want to be a fairy in my next life. 

In the invertebrate tour, we got to see the relative of the rolly polly - just the underwater/massive version:

And that was the end of my fourth week. It’s hard to imagine this is the halfway point of my time here. I’ve discovered so much of myself, but I also feel that I still have so much left to find. DC is certainly the place to discover yourself, if any. 

My weekend has been incredibly well-spent. I have spent a few nights over the past few weeks paddle-boarding with friends from college, Zane and Alex Heather. They have been incredibly kind to my roommates and I, and have shown us how to have fun outside of the city! As I mentioned before, going outside is incredibly important to me, so this reconnection with nature has been one of my favorite parts of my time here. 

My very good friend, Eli Kessler, also came to visit on Friday. It was so nice to be able to show someone else around town and share all of my favorite parts of DC with him. It made me realize how long I’ve really been here - I know my way around the nations capitol, and have favorite shops and restaurants here. I know how to work the metro and I’ve made countless friends with local shop owners. I enjoy watching the sunset from my rooftop and making good food with my roommates. I’m not sure what all of this says about me, but I’m interested to find out. 

Saturday was spent with Maija, exploring some other areas of DC. We tried to explore the water-front area called “The Wharf,” which was apparently entirely under construction. So, really, we walked 6 miles to and fro and ended up back in Smithsonian Gardens. 

But!

I got some really cool pictures along the way:

Shout out to my mom for instilling a passion for nature photography in me! 

Also please every one appreciate the newest snapchat filter for all it’s worth and go pollinate as much as you can:

And to conclude the weekend, I’ll be going to my favorite bookstore and coffee shop over in Eastern Market to buy books for next school year and enjoy some down-time reading. I hope to go paddle-boarding later with friends mentioned earlier and my roommates, as well as grocery shopping at some point. 

My biggest struggle this week has been time management. Now that I’m juggling work, physical health, a social life, and keeping up with school assignments, life has become a little more challenging. I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. The secret, I’ve found, is simply planning/prioritizing, and going with the flow when things don’t go accordingly. My newest mantra and most popular statement:

“I’m just a leaf in the wind!”

[56nightsatthemuseum]

Week 4, pt 1

Week 4 started off with a bang!

haha, because Monday was the 4th of July. 

Celebrating the 4th of July in the Nation’s Capitol was absolutely wonderful. It rained the first half of the day, but the rain stopped just in time for the firework show. The clouds made for a slightly odd show, but over all a memorable night with some of my newest and best pals. 

Tuesday, back at work was a little difficult, just because I was so tired from the 4th. However, I found a rare stephanoid!

These guys are known for the “crown of thorns” on the top of their heads. I also thought they were remarkably beautiful. 

My other exciting find of the day was an uncurled, metallic chrysidoid. These are fairly common, but usually curl when dead. I think their bodies are fascinating, and this photo simply does not do them justice:

My evening was then spent making dinner and adventuring with my roommate, Maija. We both came to the realization over the long weekend that we simply have not experienced as much of DC as we would have liked to in 3 weeks and developed a plan of action:

We’ll wake up in the morning and workout/go for a run (gotta take care of mind and body), go to work, come home, cook dinner, go on at least one adventure in the city, and come back home by midnight to get some sleep for the next work day. I guess you could say I’m learning ~time management skills.~ 

Anyway, Tuesday we decided to go walk around the monuments at night, a recommendation from my momma! We also played with bubbles on the rooftop while waiting for the sun to go down, also compliments of my mom. Here are a few of the photos:

Wednesday

Wednesday was another great day. There seems to be some sort of trend here?!

I started off my day with a run around the monuments, which has become routine. This whole time I’ve been running the path I take to work every day, not realizing I can take this as another opportunity to explore the city. Here was my early morning view:

I went to work and found this cute lil chalcidoid with some rockin’ antennae:

I had the pleasure of going to an insect pinning tour at the museum taught by Dr. Adamskii, and loved every minute. I hope to start pinning my own specimen very soon. 

My first half of this week has been incredibly fun and full of wonder. I love that this internship provides me with so many opportunities to learn and ask questions!

[56nightsatthemuseum]

The Ending of a Third Week

I’m just going to combine the end of this week into one post, because with the passing of time, the days seem to be running together!

I know I’ve said this before, but I just want to emphasize that this internship has been the adventure of a lifetime. I’ve embraced my passions, as weird as they may seem, and discovered aspects of myself I don’t think would have arisen in any other environment. 

Wednesday started with a fellow coleoptera intern finding a weevil with some mites living on it, which resembled a “beard.” I thought this was too funny not to share with the world, and consequently realized yet another passion - I love sharing my funny little thoughts that make me love bugs as much as I do with the world. If you haven't seen my instagram, it’s full of examples of these (@allisonfmonroe)

The day continued like any normal day would. I spent the morning identifying on the seventh floor, then moved down to the fifth floor to interview Dr. Gates and transfer some pan trap samples. I’ve talked about that process before, so I won’t include the gory details a second time, but I will include the interview with Dr. Gates at a later date (once I’ve had time to edit the video a bit). 

Thursday was another interesting day. I explored some new mediums of sharing my experiences with you guys, like time-lapse videos! I’ve already shared one of these featuring two hours of my work day, and hope to share another of my walk to work soon. 

Thursday started with a very “meaty sample”

Look at all those vespoids and ichneumonids!

Here’s how the ID-ing begins:

I select a new whirl-pack of specimen, and make labels for the separate vials I’ll put them into. Then I put them into the sorting tray and get to work. A “meaty” sample like this one can take anywhere from 1-3 hours, but some of the smaller ones can take close to no time at all. I love the specimen I get to see, and find the sorting quite relaxing. It’s a job I can do relatively easily, but that also requires my complete focus. 

This beautiful Ichneumonid caught my attention from this sample:

As well as this chalcid with a cute little metasoma:

And then!! Big news!!

I found a megalyroidea! These are incredibly rare specimen, and Dr. Gates has reason to believe this species hasn’t been seen before! The species is known to be black in color, but this one is clearly predominantly red. 

megalyroids are known for the “design” on their mesosoma, shown in this picture:

This was incredibly exciting for me, clearly, and really validating. Identifying the seemingly same insects over and over can start to get monotonous, but when something this exciting comes by, you can’t help but be rejuvenated. 

After the exciting identification, I decided to treat myself to an IMAX at the museum. One of our perks as interns is a free IMAX showing every week, and I had the pleasure of seeing the National Parks Adventure IMAX movie. 

This movie was incredible, and moved me to the point of tears. I’ve always loved nature and all it has to offer, but this time of self discovery and exploration has led me to some more in-depth analysis of this love. It wasn’t until this experience of living in a big city that I realized how deep my love and need for nature runs. At Hendrix, most of my studying occurs outdoors, regardless of the weather. My summers are usually spend predominantly outdoors, with large portions spent on the Buffalo River back in Arkansas. This movie made me realize, more than anything, that my future needs to include some aspect of adventuring into the outdoors. I’ve already mentioned that the days I feel most fulfilled are the ones I spend doing field work, and this longing to be outdoors only solidifies this. I’m not sure what this means in my career search, but nonetheless, I think it’s an important self-realization. 

Friday also went well - I didn’t discover any super cool species or go to an IMAX, but it was a fabulous day nonetheless. 

At the very beginning of my day, I found this MASSIVE Vespoid:

how would you feel if that came flying at you?

I also found a beautiful sawfly, which are pretty rare as well:

A fluorescent orange vespoid:

And this incredibly beautiful chalcid:

My weekend was spent with my sweet roommates and friends from college. The Maija and I went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, which was open all night for an anniversary, and the National Zoo. Both were incredible opportunities for adventures, shenanigans, and photos.

[56nightsatthemuseum]

2 hours at work in 28 seconds

Hey guys!

A lot of you have asked what it is I actually do at work, so here is a TimeLapse video of it! 

Enjoy! 

A

[56nightsatthemuseum]

I did a thing!! ...I think

Hello, fellow bug lovers!

Okay, that might be a big assumption.

**Hello, loving supporters of my endeavors!

Better?

The past two days have flown by (”What a coincidence! You say that about every day!”), but I would love to share them with all of you. 

Monday (Day 16):

Monday I arrived to work fully rested and ready to take on the week! My supervisor was sick and wouldn’t be in all day, so I decided to tackle a huge bag of specimen. “Why not?” I thought, “What could I possibly do wrong? I’ll finish this huge bag today and be ready for tomorrow!”

Monday morning Allison was way too ambitious for Monday afternoon Allison. 

I did not realize JUST how big this selection of specimen was until I was literally using a spoon to shovel out smaller sections from my sorting tray so as just to be able to sort the specimen. However, this time of extensive observation and sorting seems to be the final step in my progression of comfort with sorting! After completing this at the end of the day (I didn’t leave until roughly 7 p.m.), I felt like an expert. I’ve included some pictures of my favorites from Monday:

Look at this beautiful Ichneumonidae! I love their fairy-like structure. 

a sassy little chalcid

you know what they say about thick thighs, right? 

(9 times out of 10, its a chalcid)

I think the reasons I was able to power through so many hours of work on Monday were a) my 9 hours of sleep the night previous, b) my 2 mile run that morning, and c) the amazing Rare Book Collection Tour I got to go on during my lunch break. 

We got to explore the “top secret” part of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History’s Library, which only includes books printed before 1840. All of the type was done with pressing, and the images hand drawn as well as painted. The detail was absolutely incredible, and made me wish the books could share their stories with us. These books have been around much longer than I, and I can only imagine the adventure they’ve seen. 

Here is an image of an entomology reference book from the 1500′s:

An incredible illustration in a book describing metamorphosis:

I was in awe of the detail in the drawings, but also the knowledge emanating from these books. It was astounding to even begin to think about the array of hands that must have caressed these pages, and even more thought-provoking to ponder the knowledge these were able to share across nations. 

That completed my Monday evening, and I was happy to return home feeling fulfilled/accomplished. I was too tired to cook dinner, and consequently ate apples and peanut butter for dinner while watching Fundamentals of Caregiving (on Netflix), which might be my new favorite movie. A true masterpiece. I cried, I laughed harder than I have in a long time, and was able to remove myself from the ending happily. Please, please, please, everyone go watch this movie. It will evoke some emotion in you, I’m not sure which, but I promise it will cause at least one to arise. 

Tuesday (Day 17):

Today, I arrived at work slightly less well rested than on Monday and largely less motivated (I blame it on the constant rain and overall dreary weather). 

However, as you do in a profession you love, I powered through! 

And by that, I mean I drank a lot of coffee until I felt I could function. 

I ultimately got a lot of work done today, but the day just seemed to drag on and on and only get gloomier. I got to enjoy my lunch break with my fellow intern friends at a local park, which was rejuvenating and so nice, and got one more cup of coffee. 

This last cup seemed to do it for me, and I was back on top of my game. I sorted two whole bags of specimen in the hour and a half between my lunch and my meeting with Dr. Gates to go over my sorting thus far. I was terribly nervous about the “iteration,” because I mean who doesn’t want to be that one intern that super impresses their supervisor at the first check-in. 

Obviously, I didn’t get every single one right, but I really impressed myself with how well I did. I was really really proud of myself when I left Dr. Gates’ office this afternoon, which is one of the best feelings. Better than any validation I could have received from him, I was approving of myself! 

Go, me!

Any way, I really struggled between these two “types” of wasps - on a platygastroid and the other a chalcidoidea

For those of you wondering, the one on the left is a chalcid (specifically, a Encyrtidae) and the one on the right is a platy. 

Dr. Gates graciously taught me a trick between the two that allowed me to differentiate more easily. 

Other than that, this collection of specimen was relatively easy to sort. As I mentioned earlier, sorting has become easier with time and experience, all leading to pretty unintelligible moment where it’s almost become unconscious. So, this is where the title comes in. I did what ever it takes to memorize the characteristics of these super families, I think? I’m not sure what they were, other than dedication and repetition. Maybe that should be my new mantra:

Dedication and Repetition.

Anyway, here is a beautiful photo of another chalicidoidea:

And some beautiful vespoidea that I couldn’t help but pose like Charlie’s Angels:

You can’t see it well in this photo, but these little guys have the most beautiful blue, metallic sheen covering the entirety of their body. Gates shared with me that their similar “cousins” here in the US are known to attack crickets, so they probably do the same in/around Madagascar. 

Beautiful and smart, what a combo!

Tuesday ended incredibly. I spent time discussing some really promising future opportunities with Dr. Gates (details later) and left a tad early to head home and meet my roommates. 

We decided to go see Finding Dory in town, which is just as good as every one else on social media has said it is, and ate dinner at home. Since then, I’ve done some cleaning and tried to do some mindful meditation. Trying to adult or whatever. Any who, thank you for reading about my adventures, and I can’t wait to update you again soon! 

[56nightsatthemuseum]

Where did the time go?!

Hello again friends! I’m sorry (again, I’m the worst about this) I’ve not blogged in a few days. This post will include information from days 10-14. 

First off, how have I already been here 2 weeks? Time flies here! I’ve been on so many whirlwind adventures, it was almost too east to lose track of the time. 

Day 10 (6/22/16)

I spent most of Wednesday transferring the specimen we collected on Tuesday into new whirl-packs and replacing the propylene glycol they were stored in with ethanol (prevents further DNA degradation). It was a nice, relaxing day, full of podcasts and plenty of time to think and reflect on my time so far here in DC. My set up for the day:

I also found this cute little guy in the specimen I did get to sort and I just couldn’t resist sharing his portrait:

Not the most productive day at work, but enjoyable nonetheless. I then got to enjoy a lovely meal at Founding Farmers here in DC with my lovely roommates. I included a picture from our walk to the restaurant because the weather was just perfect (like them!):

Other than that, Wednesday was a pretty chill day. Not at all stressful, but definitely worthwhile! 

Day 11 (6/23/16)

Thursday I was incredibly well-rested from such a lazy Wednesday, so I was excited for a great day at work! I spent most of my day on the 7th floor sorting through the specimen from Madasgar, but I got to spend my lunch in the “ant lab” with fellow interns for a tour. I loved every moment! Ants are also in the order Hymenoptera with wasps and bees, so it was nice to learn some new ti-bits about buggies so similar to the wasps I’ve been staring at so much. 

Here is a photo of a chalcid I was absolutely enamored with; entirely black, so elegant, and incredibly beautiful. 

These diaprioidea were difficult for me to identify because while they have the characteristic “shelf” for their antennae, they have very little (almost no) wing venation. Diaprioidea typically have a very specific wing pattern, so these threw me off a little bit. 

Next are the photos from the “Ant Lab,” where I fell in love with ants all over again:

(Male: center winged with small head; Queen: largest, center; workers: surrounding two in center)

(center: bullet ants!!!!)

look at these fungus farming ants go!!!

their whole habitat

I throughly enjoyed learning more about these powerful little friends, and this tour emphasized my lack of confidence as to what field of entomology I would like to go into. While I know I love studying social insects, even that is quite the broad field of study. I’m terribly interested in the ways insects can contribute to conservation efforts. I’m also just fascinated by their ability to quietly rule the world and still be so under appreciated. 

So really, I’m still working on the whole “end goal” thing, but aren’t we all?

The rest of my Thursday was full of sorting, and I’ve included some more pictures of a few of the beauties 

shoo flies, don’t bother me (you don’t belong here!)

lady velvet ant - look at that stinger! (vespoidea)

I thought this ichneumonid was just too pretty to not be pictured

Overall - Thursday was another great day! I loved getting to go to the Ant Lab Tour and I’m so thankful it’s led me to these questions about my future. 

Day 12 (6/24/16)

It’s Friday!!!! Intern Field Day 2016!!

Friday was absolutely INCREDIBLE

I got to do field work all day

ALL DAY

First off, this place was just gorgeous.

Canoe team!

just me doing the canoe thing no big deal

some really incredible galls we found (and opened) while collecting

Malaise trap!! We were able to collect an incredible amount of specimen using this guy. It’s only changed out every 2 weeks, but they can be changed more depending on location!

I was able to sweep, aspirate, and whirl-pack all by myself! Look at me gooooo

At the end of the day, I was incredibly tired and sore, but I wouldn’t change this experience for anything. I learned so much and got to spend 12 hours with some truly wonderful people. 

Day 13 and 14 (6/25-26/16)

Weekend with my Wonderful Roomies!

Saturday, my roommates were kind enough to accompany me to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, which I just hadn’t had enough time to explore. We had a ball running around (me being incredibly nerdy and them endearing all of my shenanigans):

It’s REAL!!! and heartbreaking. 

I fell in love with this hissing cockroach 

Gabriela joined me in my bug-fascination 

Impulsively cut 7 inches off of my hair

Sunday

We all headed off to Georgetown to explore the flea market!

and what did I buy at said flea market? More bug sketches. Duh. 

and some green, corduroy, high-waisted shorts.

also duh. 

we found the CUTEST little hidden garden

enjoyed some nice coffee and incredible company

I found the tiniest rocking chair and of course I sat in it 

and obviously some impromptu climbing was involved

Words cannot begin to describe how thankful I am for my time here in DC or the people I get to spend it with. I can't wait to share more with you guys! 

[56nightsatthemuseum]

Flea Markets,  Mondays, and Marshes

(days 7, 8 and 9)

Hello, friends!

Once again, I am a day behind on the blogging. Let’s do the logical thing and start with Sunday:

Sunday: Flea Markets, Sun Flowers, and The Smell of Aged Pages

Sunday was a glorious day from the beginning. Gabriella and I decided to wake up relatively early and hit the “Flea Market Scene” here in DC, which turned out to be one of the best ideas we’ve had. We rode the metro over to Eastern Market and spent entirely too much money on old atlas pages, fancy coffees, hand-made earrings, and, of course, sunflowers. How could we resist? We made so many new friends (vendors and fellow customers alike), and when we decided we simply couldn’t spend any more money, headed to a book store. 

Capitol Hill Books was an incredible place from start to finish. Below you’ll see just a snippet of the commentary the owner has posted all over the store. I spent some time looking around the ground floor, only to find a small staircase leading to a basement full of books on science, animals, mathematics, Latin America, and Disney princesses. I was home. 

I walked out of Capitol Hill Books with three new purchases and an incredibly happy heart. Gabriela and I sat together at a coffee shop enjoying the weather and, you guessed it, more coffee. I was admiring a baby at the table next to us, who eventually ended up walking over to me and feeling my face (it’s really soft apparently?) and hugging me very tight. Of course I was into this, but what made it even better is the fact that the family was from Peru! I was able to speak Spanish, once again, and the mother remarked how impressed she was with my abilities. I don’t think she would have been so welcoming to a stranger hugging her infant had we not shared the medium of at least language. 

We arrived home and came to the mutual agreement to hit the hay early, which really turned into me reading my new (to me) books until about 3 am.

Monday: Mornings Are Hard, Afternoons Are Harder?

So, those of you keeping up with this blog know that I’ve already had some good days and some bad. However, I love my job and the people I get to work with, so I power through! 

I expected Monday to fly bye. I was well rested, pumped full of coffee and a good breakfast, dressed professionally and practically, and excited to start working on my own on the 7th floor of the research center (on the Malagasy Project I’m here for). I received an email on Friday saying I would be able to pick up my new and ~activated~ ID from the Security office (about a 15 minute walk away from where I work, so overall about an hour walk away). I decided to walk because I felt like it was a nice morning and I was also looking to save some money by avoiding the Metro.

The only problem is that while the weather (by that I mean humidity) was fine at 7:30 am, it was very not fine (IT WAS SO HUMID) by 8:00 am and by the time I arrived in the Security Office I was drenched in sweat and clearly disheveled. 

After locating some forms lost in countless emails, I was able to get my badge! And by the time I got it, most of the sweat had dried! 

I made the trek back to work (SO SWEATY) and got started prepping some specimen Dr. Gates collected. A little side part of my time here is dedicated to learning trapping/gathering/rearing/researching techniques I can bring back to Hendrix to not only further my studies, but expose my peers to the awesome opportunities available for Hendrix students (like, oh, I don’t know, the Smithsonian. Not a big deal...!)  

But you’ll never guess who just so happens to have pretty slippery hands and just so happened to be working with specimen preserved in glass?

...

That’s all I have to say about that one. Here’s what the setup looked like:

After completing this I was able to move upstairs and begin the identifying process of my portion of The Malagasy Project, and let me tell you, am I having a ball. Below I’ve included a few pictures of the super cool specimen I’ve been able to look at:

CUTE Ichneumonidae

aaggghhhh it’s so beautiful! (Chrysidoidea)

Cute little bee (apoidea)

Look at the mandibles on this Brachonidae!

Ichneumonidae loooove

“Love comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, genders, species”

Look at the ovipositor on this Chalcidoidea!

Monday ended much better than it began, and while the struggles are tough, I’m glad I get to have them in such a thriving place with incredible people. 

Tuesday:  Marsh Madness

(^I’m really proud of that title)

Today was, by far, the best day I have had while here in DC. This morning, I met with Dr. Gates at 7 am for a morning full of field work! I loved every moment of being outdoors again and even every moment of the humid air. It made me miss Arkansas, specifically the woods behind my house. Dr. Gates taught me how to collect and set up pan-traps, shown below. They’re fairly simple to setup and keep going as well as relatively cheap - this makes them ideal for a young entomologist that just so happens to also be in college (by that I mean I’m broke 100% of the time). 

(why are there earth worms in here, you might ask? We don’t know either. But they’re in a lot of the bowls, so if any one can say why, that’d be great!)

The morning was incredible and perfect in every way. These are the moments when I know this is what I want to do. I’ve not been this happy since arriving in DC, and I think it’s an important attribute to learn about myself: I need to be outside. My true happiness comes from that reconnection with the Earth that can only be found where man hasn’t left his mark. 

Dr. Gates and I had plenty of time to enjoy each other’s company as well as each other’s silence (I think this is also a remarkable trait to have - to be able to appreciate silence and not be uncomfortable with it; just enjoying the company of another human). I am happy to have a supervisor so willing to bond with me and expose me to all the facets of Entomology he can before my time here is up. 

In the time that we had to talk, he inspired me to follow both of my passions and try to plan my next odyssey trip - maybe some entomology research/studying of Spanish in Costa Rica next summer? More details to come later. 

Some of you may be asking yourselves, “Well, why are you guys collecting these guys, Allison? Are you just observing biodiversity?”

The answer is yes and no!

While pan-traps are great for observing biodiversity, we are actually using these to observe the populations of parasitoids of the notorious Emerald Ash Borer, a huge threat to Ash trees and biodiversity across America and Canada. By studying these parasitoids, we can get an idea of how many beetles are still affecting the ecosystem and (hopefully) figure out a way to save Ash trees before they’re gone forever. 

To learn more about the Emerald Ash Borer, check out this website: http://www.hungrypests.com/the-threat/emerald-ash-borer.php 

Really, it’s super cool.

Anyway, I arrived back at the museum in time for a tour of the Botany Anatomy and Histology lab, which was just incredible. It made me really appreciate the delicacy required of Botanist and especially miss my best bud back at Hendrix, Hanna Liebermann. Hanna hopes to study botany and is also very near and dear to my heart. (Side thought: It’s funny how connected botany and entomology are)

After the tour, I was able to sort through the remainder of my first bag of specimen from the Malagasy Collection and finish the next one. Each of these had at least 600 specimen, most of which were vespoidea. I’ve tried to include pictures of the ones I find most interesting:

“Hey, what’s up, hello” (vespoidea)

Chalcidoidea with some piercing eyes

DIVAS (Chrysidoidea)

So, it certainly looks like this Vespoid got caught in the act eating another little buggy, but it turns out those are actually his mouth parts! Similar to human’s lips/jaw, these help with ingestion (the mandibles are able to crush things up, but these are needed to actually consume the food!)

What ARE you...? (Ichneumonid with extended mouth-parts?)

I got a little carried away and ended up working until 7 pm. So, I accidentally worked a 12 hour work day. 

I find this, yet again, validating. The fact that I can do something for 12 hours and not get frustrated/tired of it/antsy says a lot about how much I love said something. 

Now, as I write this blog to those of you that will end up reading it, I just want to say thank you. Thanks for supporting me in following my dreams, even if that’s by only reading a silly blog full of wasps you may never really enjoy, but look at anyway. It means the world to me. 

More adventures await!

[56nightsatthemuseum]

Hello, World! (Days 4, 5, & 6)

I’m sorry I’ve been scarce these past few days! Life moves fast here in DC, and I’m not quite used to it yet. 

Anyway, Thursday and Friday were just as great as my previous days at work, and I was finally able to move to liquids! I’m now working with specimen preserved in ethanol and have actually begun identifying specimen collected in Madagascar (the project I’m technically an intern on).

These are the specimen in ethanol! I use this tray to look through the specimen and sort them into super families or family. Luckily, they’re already all identified as Hymenoptera (although I did have a fly sneak it’s way in there).

This Evanioidea caught my attention because of it’s characteristic metasoma attached very high above the hind coxae on the propodeum.

Overall, Thursday was a very good day! I was able to sort a whole bag in the day and decided to walk home. The weather has been incredible here since the rain; it was an enjoyable walk, even in business attire, and I got to walk past The White House on my way. Casual, ya know?

Friday was also a great day! I got to talk over my sorting with Dr. Gates and ask him my numerous questions. I was able to finish my first bag of specimen by the end of the day! It was an incredible feeling and wonderful way to end the my first week. I finally feel like I am getting the hang of identification, which is especially relieving. (above: an especially appealing Chaicidoidea)

Dr. Gates and I were also able to take roughly an hour around lunch time to enjoy the farmers market in The National Mall! It was so beautiful and fun. For those of you that do not know me personally, cooking is a huge hobby of mine. Being allergic to most common foods has led me to some pretty creative eating habits. I tend to eat predominately fruits and veggies, so a farmers market was like my own little slice of heaven. I bought two bags of mushrooms (one of my favorites) and some fresh strawberries. It was so nice to have the opportunity to not only explore a little more of the city, but with my supervisor! I’m so thankful to have a mentor willing to spend so much time with me and educate me in every facet of life here in DC. Anyway, the fresh produce was absolutely beautiful, and tastes even better. Below are a few snapshots from the market:

Overall, a fabulous Friday! I also had the opportunity to participate in a tour of the MSC Fishes storage unit - so I essentially got to see the Museum’s storage unit (it’s HUGE) and got to explore hallways upon hallways of aquatic specimen, including this Tiger Fish collected by Teddy Roosevelt! 

We also got to see the Coelacanth, a living fossil that is believed to have been in existence for 400 million years and only recently rediscovered (1932). 

I must admit, it was fascinating to see all of the perfectly preserved oceanic critters, but they didn’t smell the best.

My Friday night was spent with my lovely roommate and a new friend, Jessica. I was able to experience a tid-bit of night-life in the big city, but seeing as I’m under 21, the real fun was left for the big kids. 

Today, Saturday, has been a blissfully relaxing day. Gabriela and I were able to sleep in and recuperate from our first week of being “real adults” - which I must say is exhausting. Working and being on your toes for 8 hours a day is tough, and this experience is making me excited for the next 3 years of college ahead of me - I don’t have to grow up just yet! I enjoy working and love the people I get to spend time with, but I always come home ready for a nap and maybe even a cup of coffee. But that may be my own fault, sleep should be more of a priority in my life in general. 

I cooked a lovely meal for the two of us (eggs with sautéed mushrooms, spinach, onions, and garlic - topped with avocado) and spent the next few hours cleaning the apartment and sharing stories, jokes, sorrows, joys, laughs, and tears with each other. I’ve never been one to share intimate information quickly, but Gabriela and I have come to the conclusion that we must have been separated at birth. Having someone to share your battles with and listen authentically to your daily struggles is so comforting. 

Our goal for the summer has become to live authentically, and truly embrace who we are in this incredibly diverse and opportunity-filled city.

We didn’t leave the apartment until roughly 5 p.m., which was so nice. We explored Downtown DC a little bit and ended un in China Town, where a street artist jumped over Gabriela and 3 other people! 

We’re now back home, enjoying the down-time. Like I said previously, life here moves so quickly. It seems like everyone is in a rush, regardless of the time of day. At times I appreciate this mentality, but sometimes I miss the “slow-ness” of The South, to quote the two people I’ve met that have actually been to Arkansas. 

These past three days have flown by, as I’m sure the next 7 weeks will. It’s unreal to think I have already been here nearly a week. I’ve met so many unique people here, all of whom have not only accepted my love for insects, but have been amazed by it. I grew up denying my fascination, thinking, “what’s weirder than a girl that loves bugs?” And while I require no validation in my passion, it’s so nice to see others excited by my enthusiasm. The only way I can adequately describe my love for bugs is to share the analogy I (apparently?) told Gabriela before falling asleep last night. 

While half asleep, I told Gabriela that love is like identifying a wasp. It’d be easy to just look at the wings and give it a go, but you can't stop there. You have to look at the shape of the head and layout of the mesosoma and pay special attention to the little details. You may think it’s one thing, and you may be 100% sure, but after a closer look, it turns out to be something else. And you can get frustrated and you can give up and you can stop doing what you love because you got one thing wrong, or you can learn from your mistakes. You can be more observant the next time around and just appreciate the wasp for what it is - beautifully unique.

I have to thank Gabriela for sharing this story with me, because I can honestly say I don’t remember saying any of it. I tend to say silly, but very honest, things right before falling asleep if prompted, so I was a little surprised by this seemingly coherent and literal pillow talk. Unconsciously making analogies between tough situations and my passions - I’m not sure I can be more validated than that. 

[56nightsatthemuseum]

My First “Rough Day” (Day 3)

Today has been interesting to say the least. I can’t say it’s been bad, because I’ve been surrounded by incredible, loving people all day, but I can say today was frustrating and tiring. 

I sent this first picture to my parents and roommates around 4 p.m. saying “neeeeeeeed coofffffffeeeeee,” which pretty accurately represents my day. 

I started the day by getting on the wrong metro and was consequently late to work. Luckily, upon showing up, I was able to get right to work. Dr. Gates and I reviewed my work from yesterday, and I tried to re-identify the specimen I had wrongly named. I was happy to find out that I only mis-identified two of the specimen! 

The first specimen I mis-identified - the vespoidea!! This little beauty gave me a lot of trouble. I did not look closely enough at the C and R veins in the forewing and consequently assumed that they were entirely fused - they were not. This led me to the original mis-identification of ichneumonoidea (along with it’s whispy features) and numerous other mistakes. Near the end of the day, after spending much time grueling over this specimen with the microscope, Dr. Gates encouraged me to calm down and appreciate the beauty that this little guy had to offer. He could tell I was getting frustrated and confused (I was) and offered this much needed advice. 

This chalcidoidea chalididae was not difficult to identify due to the characteristic hind legs.

Another breath-taking chalcidoidea - and this one’s got quite the booty (metasoma)

I initially wrongly identified this little dude as Vespoidea, but questioned myself in that identification. I retracted my steps, and decided this was an Ichneumonodea braconidae - and I was right!

This is a platygastroidea that also gave me trouble due to the darkness of the wings and the coloration of the mesosoma (first half of the wasp body). I originally wrongly identified the little dude as chrysidoidea, but was able to backtrack the mistake to the positioning of the prontonum and tegula

This cutie is an ichneumonoidea braconidae, which I identified on the first try!

Also Ichneumonoidea braconidae - no “horses head” in the venation of the forewing. 

This is another example of the beauty within the superfamily chalcidoidea

This is a platygastroidea, which I identified as first, but second guessed myself and wrongly decided it was a chrisidoidea. 

The final specimen of the day is a ceraphronoidea, who's head was apparently only hanging on by a thread. After this image was taken, the poor babe’s head fell right off. However, I was able to identify it correctly, first try, nonetheless!

Like I mentioned earlier, today was more frustrating for me than the last two days at work. 

However, sometimes work is hard and doesn’t go exactly the way we want it to. That’s life in a professional setting.  

I also got some news that I did not like at all today from a person that I do like very much. 

and that just goes to show that sometimes things don’t go the way you want or plan for them to, but we push through. We relentlessly seek the better parts of the days to come and cherish them even more. My work was frustrating, but because of my frustration, Dr. Gates and I were able to bond a little bit and discuss hiking trails in the DC area (up for suggestions!!). My fellow interns were able to make jokes at lunch to cheer me up. My roommates were kind enough to take me out on the town and enjoy a roof-top dinner with me. Even when life seems to suck, the little things start to mean even more. In case anyone else is having a dark day:

Gabriella, my roommate, “Don’t ever hate yourself for how much you love the people you care for. Wanting to love people is a good thing. And if they don’t reciprocate, that’s their own fault. They’re missing out.”

Miaja, also my roommate, “There’s no reason to be sad. You have so many things to be happy about.”

Kyle, dear friend, “There’s one thing I’d change. You said, ‘I’m great, but I’m not great enough,’ and that’s just not true.”

Overall, work is challenging, but also one of the most rewarding and fun experiences I’ve ever had. Life is difficult, but also full of incredible people here to help me along the way. I am finally able to see myself maturing in this ~professional~ setting, and I’m excited to see the person I am becoming. 

[56nightsatthemuseum]

Day 2, down!

Yesterday was, you guessed it, incredible. I’m sorry to be blogging a day behind, but I fell asleep pretty early after cooking and enjoying dinner with my roommates and had some technical difficulties this morning. 

I met with Gates at 9:30 and immediately got to work identifying. My first specimen, seen below, I referred to as “Fuzzy.” This one only took three steps to identify as #vespoidea. Commonly known as the female “Cow Killer Ant,” this “velvet ant” (mutillidae) is pretty fascinating and looks rather cuddly.

My next specimen took a little longer to identify. Seen below, the ichneumonoidea was due to the closeness of the C and R veins in the fore wing. I thought they were slightly separated, only to return and conclude that they were in fact not. I love how whispy and fairy-like this one is.

Seen below, the general process of identifying (for me, right now. My supervisor is able to look as a little beast and identify it by sight!). A neat technique - drawing the bodies/parts of the bodies really helps you pay more attention to the details and ultimately identify the specimen. The two drawings on this page show the tegula and characteristic wing of proctotrupoidea.

Headless chrysidoidea; still a beauty and pleasure to identify.

Below is an image of trigonalyoidea. These little beasties are known for their 1-4 tarsal papillae (finger-like projections coming from their “elbow”). These little guys are super interesting because the females have evolved to actually staple their eggs onto the edges of leaves, in wait to be consumes by a certain caterpillar. The chewing done by the caterpillar “activates” the eggs in a sense, but they then lay dormant until they are able to attack the primary parasitoid of the caterpillar, usually a maggot of some type. So, when entomologist go to collect these caterpillars, they must first wait for the maggot to emerge from the caterpillar, then the wasp later emerges from the maggot. NAETure!!!

This teeny tiny little bugger gave me a lot of trouble to identify. I finally ended up at platygastroidea

when I say teeny tiny, I mean minute. Many of you may not know, but most parasitoid wasps are this small if not smaller. Again - NEATure!!!

Below, my hardest identification of the day. It was at this point the Gates turned me loose - on my own - so of course the identifications became much harder. This vespoidea lacks wings, and therefore also lacks the part of the body known as the tegula. This is described as a “finger-nail like projection” where the wing attaches to the body. This serves as a reference point for finding the rest of characteristics of the mesosoma. Also, this one was just super hairy, and while cute, very difficult.

This diapriidae (I think? I’ll let you know after work today) also gave me trouble.

A problem I kept running into - I was looking for the “crown of teeth around the median ocellus” in every specimen, but unsure of what it would look like. Dr. Gates ran to fetch one for me, which can be seen in the two pictures below.

This cute little beauty uses these “teeth” to burrow into tree bark, then use it’s ovipositor to parasitize beetle larva under the bark.

This beautiful specimen I identified as chrysidoidea - another one of my favorites. The colors amazed me.

Below is, I think, proctotrupoidea. The male version of the female I posted yesterday, the one with an incredibly long metasoma and characteristic wings.

ceraphronoidea - also hard to identify. The lack of antennae, whether from damage or general structure, caused a lot of difficulties.

Below is another ichneumonoidea. Gates asked me to identify the family of this specimen as well, which I concluded was ichneumonidae (I’ll let you know later tonight if these are right).

Over all, today was another score! I didn’t get frustrated while identifying, I just kept trying. Dr. Gates and I bonded over some fresh raspberries during lunch. and I got to see some old friends from back in Arkansas. Gates left early, so a fellow intern, Francis, and I explored the museum a little. This place is breath-taking! I’m not sure 8 weeks will even be enough to get an adequate understanding of what all the museum has to offer.

My day in the “back” of the museum was wonderful. I’m still not sure if I can see myself sitting in a lab all day, everyday, for the rest of my life, but it sure is fun right now.

I headed home feeling, again, stronger and more confident than ever. My roommates and I went to Whole Foods to buy dinner supplies, and returned to cook. I throughly enjoy cooking, but haven't gotten to much my freshman year of college. Last night, I prepared chicken breasts, tomatoes, spinach, and onions. I got to teach my roommates how to cut and onion and tomato, and there were enough left-overs to save for lunch today. I thought laying down on my bed while talking to my pals would be a good idea, and consequently fell asleep around 8:30 pm.

So, I’m very well rested and ready to take on day 3!

P.S. - Please feel free to give me feedback on this blog - I’m not really sure what everyone would like to hear/see! Let me know!

[56nightsatthemuseum]

6/13/16

First Day on the Job

Hello friends!

My first day at work was absolutely incredible. So incredible that I’m not sure where to even start. 

I started my day by waking up unfortunately early, but with the happy company of my loving roommate, Gabriela. We prepared, both mentally and physically, for our first days and made our way to the Metro station together - luckily she was there to help me find my way. 

It was on my walk to work that it hit me - I’m actually doing this, I’m here, in Washington, DC, with all the opportunities an 18 year old could dream of - and I became absolutely giddy. 

I met with Dr. Dave Adamski in the entrance of the museum and immediately felt welcomed. There were 6 other interns joining the team today along with me, and all of them were incredible. I guess it really is true; the bug people are the cool people. 

We had a short intern orientation meeting and were scooted off to try and get our photo ID cards - little did we know we would wait 4 hours for said cards. The waiting went by quickly, as time usually does in good company. I had the pleasure of getting to know Francis, Morgan, and Ben during those 4 hours, and I’m so thankful we were stuck together for that time. We aren’t just all bug people, we’re bug people that happen to get along incredibly well. I look forward to spending time with them/getting to know the city with people who have similar interests as me. 

After a quick lunch, I was finally able to meet with Dr. Mike Gates, my supervisor here at the museum. He showed me around, we talked about requirements/security, and he started me off identifying some wasps with a handy guide. 

Now, when I say “handy guide,” I mean a 600 page book that you can use to identify Hymenoptera from around the world by looking thoroughly at each and every detail on their body. I had a moment that my close friend referred to as, “that moment when you ask yourself ‘what the hell am I doing here?’” I definitely was. I struggled through the first few identifications, feeling self-conscious about asking Dr. Gates for help with certain vocabulary and characteristics, but I also realized that was no way to learn. I asked as many questions as I felt necessary (only when I had ruled out every other option than asking for help - I’m not very good at that am I?) and ended up confessing that I felt like I was asking “amateur questions.” Gates was quick to comfort me by saying, “well, how else are you supposed to learn?!” Ultimately, I found an odd pleasure in being able to narrow down and identify a specimen by my self.

I realized a lot today - I’m a dedicated and hard worker. I never gave up on a specimen, nor did I give up when waiting 4 hours for those ID’s. I can see myself prospering in the professional/office setting. I enjoy people with common interests with me (bugs, duh). DC is huge and terrifying and may be the death of me, but I’m going to have one hell of an adventure along the way. I love bugs, and that’s okay, and it’s super okay to follow your passions no matter what they may be. 

Anyway, I left the museum today feeling stronger and more confident than I have in a long time. I’m not sure if it’s the people, the internship, or the city, but something’s got me walking with a little more skip in my step here. 

Also, still trying to figure out tumblr, so bare with me.

[56nightsatthemuseum]

Up, up, and away!

Hello everyone! 

I have successfully made it to the Baltimore airport (BWI) and am patiently awaiting the taxi ride to George Washington University where I will be living for the next 8 weeks. My flights were surprisingly enjoyable, full of new friends and great reads. My morning started a little hectically; I was worried I would be late to my flight and rushed to the TSA counter, only to be preceded by a family unable to speak English. Their first and only language was Spanish, and none of the TSA workers could communicate with them - creating obvious problems. Well, guess who just studied Spanish for 3 weeks in Argentina and felt very prepared to help? This gal! I was able to help the family through security and made it to my gate just as they called my zone to board. Boom! off to a great start. 

After boarding, I overheard the family next to me and realized they were speaking Spanish too! A lovely family from Spain working with immigrants in Arkansas, but traveling to New York and then back to Spain to visit family. I had the pleasure of speaking with the mother of the family for the duration of our two hour flight. We talked about everything, from where we were both traveling to how she ended up in America to my confusion when trying to use Spanish idioms in Argentina. Our conversation was full of laughs and heartfelt stories and, for me, comfort.* 

I said my goodbyes to the family when the plane landed in Atlanta and made my way to my new gate. I had an hour to waste, and happily read the Lena Dunham collection of essays, Not That Kind of Girl, which I highly recommend to ALL. Not just my gal pals. An incredibly hilarious and motivating read. 

I boarded my flight to Baltimore and quickly fell asleep - before take off. Riding on planes really takes the energy out of you, ya know? We landed before I knew it and the excitement hit me hard enough to take my breath away. (Or maybe that was the turbulence while landing?) Anyhow, I’m really here! For 8 weeks! I get to live relatively on my own, in one of the most attractive cities in the US, exploring my passions and seeing if I want to keep buggin’ out the rest of my life.** 

So that catches you up to my current state - after my flight landed, I grabbed my bags and have been taking some time to collect myself before I try to move in to my newest temporary home - George Washington University. I’m filled to the brim with emotions, with nervousness and excitement taking precedence. I’m looking forward to meeting my roommates, my first day on the job, my ID photo (I have a special talent of looking notably strange in these), and mainly to all this city has to offer. 

Until later!

*This summer has been full of exploration for me, whether that be personal, vocational, educational, etc. I’ve had so many incredible, reassuring experiences practicing Spanish and putting all my education to use. I’ve felt overwhelming reassurance so many times that I can actually soak up this language and communicate effectively. When in Argentina, I came to the realization that I’m not very good at doing things with less than 100% confidence in said activity, and quickly learned that this is certainly not an effective way to learn a language, much less face other issues. These countless, unpredictable encounters with native Spanish speakers have reassured me in my hope to attain at least a minor in Spanish at Hendrix, if not a major. Not only have I been reassured in the educational facet, but in my love for Spanish as well. I really have a passion for learning this, and I can only hope to be bilingual by the time I graduate and continue practicing and helping others through the simple medium of language. 

**bug pun - I’m working in an Entomology Lab, for those of you that may feel left out