We came, we saw, we conquered! Part I

On this third scouting expedition to Tall Timbers Research Station (TTRS), the herp experts (Russ and Kaety) helped Isis, Gena, and me hone in on locations for our three grids. In total, we spent 2.5 days scouting, and 1.5 days laying grids. We collected our first standardized questing tick datapoint, and we got leaf-litter hobos in as well so that we can begin collecting that pertinent data. In addition to the science, we met several fantastic staff at TTRS with whom we'll be working. We also met fun folks at The Den, where Gena will be lodging once she gets here.


The gang!
























The Den (a.k.a. Gena's new home)



Isis working at the all-purpose table....Houston.... (a.k.a. Graham) - help me with a license # to activate these dataloggers!!!!!









What awesome gear!





















Hobos are installed!













Done!
Dinner!
Yummmm....the sweet taste of a job well done!

High Ixodes densities at Tall Timbers, FL

Three sites dragged at Tall Timbers, FL, this week had very high densities of adult Ixodes spp. ticks - 26, 32 and 39 adults per 1000m dragged, respectively. These spring counts are higher than at any of our other sites.

Vial containing 35 adults collected during a single 400m drag at the Woodyard site.

Tick-rearing

Engorged females that we collected from deer at fall-hunt check stations, and held at room temperature, produced eggs in late December/January. Those eggs are now hatching ....

Mid-January snow at AEDC ... and Rick's truck woes.

Cold Winters at SRS!

Hey everyone! We have been running the SRS site once a month since November and its going great. Our camera batteries are still at 2/3 bars, pitfalls are closed up (no lizards :(  ), weather station is fixed and re-mounted (HOORAY!!!)[what has everyone else's rain collector been reading? Ours says it's working but has zeros... I don't know what is up with that], and we are still trapping small and medium mammals. 

So some interesting things from our trip so far:

-A mouse with a larvae on it's ear!
- The most adult I. scaps flagged at one site ever! But, no adults at the other two sites. It was very windy at the other flaggings. How does wind and barometric pressure affect ticks (there's a storm coming this way)?
-AND we flagged a nymph!

Talk to you all soon!

Lyme Gradient Project holds its Year-1 team meeting at Patuxent Research Refuge, Maryland

Some fall photos from SRS

Critters from under the AEDC coverboards

Two nice photos by Cody Parmer - ring-necked snake and slimy salamander.

Lots of acorns, other mast and fungi this year.

"Mast" is the edible vegetative or reproductive parts of woody plants. Tree species such as oak and hickory produce hard mast: acorns and other nuts. Other trees and shrubs produce soft mast: buds, catkins, drupes and berries. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mast_(botany)

Lunch

Cathy, Rick and Cory having lunch at UT's Space Science Institute, after giving a presentation on the project to our AEDC liason, Rick McWhite. Array 1 is about a mile north of here.

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Coyote on Array 1.