2008 Fall - 2009 Spring
Created on September 24th of year 2008, the Groton Arthropod Club is the first one of its kind. Our main goal is to capture arthropods and sort them into species. Ultimately, the data will be put up on this site as part of the database. In the fall, we went out on weekends to capture various bugs, including bumblebees, wasps, beetles, flies, dragonflies, and butterflies. In the winter, we will be sorting and identifying the insects into species, using Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity by Stephen A. Marshall, the best book that I have seen on insects of northeastern America.
During the winter, we met on most weekends for short periods of time. We usually looked at some of the arthropods we had caught in the fall and practiced pinning and labeling them. With a dissecting microscope I was able to borrow from Mr.Black, we studied them closely...VERY closely. Some really cool things that weren't visible before showed up. Ever looked at an insect that closely? If you haven't I strongly suggest that you do...it's a great experience.
The GAC consists of nine people: Myself, Alex Southmayd, Liz Bailey, Becca Brown, Bo Harwood, Eriche Sarvay, Hans Trautlein, and Morgan LaPointe, It's a small group, but at least there are people interested in learning about insects! There is still hope for entomology.
As the spring rolls around we will be going out on Sundays to collect the newly awakened bugs on campus. Unfortunately, the typical New England weather brings spring late, so it wasn't until the 25th of April that we really caught anything. Over the weekend, I was on campus and caught a few different species of pollinators, as well as a some beetles.
2009 Fall - 2010 Spring
This year, we have a new member, as well as a few more possible members. This fall, we have gone out a few times to catch various bugs, and fortunately, we have caught a handful of new species that will have to be identified later, including some hemipteras, a dragonfly, a species of ant, and a few others. Winter has arrived a bit early this year, with the first snow arriving on October 16th, so there is a chance that our outings might be over for the year.
In the winter, in addition to what we did last year, we are planning on incorporating art into the meetings by creating resin blocks of insects using the specimens that we collect in the fall. It would be an interesting experience, and if we are successful, resin blocks are pretty cool things to have.
The Groton Arthopod Club from the left: Me (Steve Cho), Alex Southmayd, Becca Brown, Eriche Sarvay, Bo Harwood, Hans Trautlein, Morgan LaPointe in front
