As part of the newly revamped Geography Field Work course, geography professor Alison Donnelly brought students on a site visit to the UWM Field Station in Saukville, Wisconsin.
The aim of the trip was to give students an opportunity to see for themselves the management practices and challenges associated with conservation efforts for a
range of natural habitats including woodland, grassland and bog. Field station manager Paul Engevold lead the students on a walk through the entire property to visit each of these unique ecosystems.
While walking on the boardwalk through Cedarburg bog, undergraduate student Stephanie Barker’s keen eye spotted an unusual insect sitting very still on the branch of a northern whitecedar (Thuja occidentalis) shrub.
Engvold came to inspect the discovery and knew immediately that it was something unusual for the bog but wanted to get a second opinion, so he emailed the BugLady (Kate Redmond) who immediately confirmed his suspicion by identifying the moth as a buck moth (Hemileuca maia). This is a species of special concern in the area.
The importance of bringing students into the ecosystems they study in the classroom cannot be understated, and you never know what they might find!
Courtesy of the UWM Geography Department