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Who has the best head accessory? Who wears it best? Tyrannoscelio (bottom), Dirhinus (middle) or Sparasion (top)? They're all outlandishly stylish as far as this Trichopria (left) is concerned...

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!

#diaprioidea #chalcidoidea #Paraponera clavata #vespoidea #ichneumonidae #malaise trap