ABI 150 Section A- Day 4: Caterpillars & Butterflies!

This past Thursday we went ahead and started our 2nd field day! We headed out this field day to the Oak Savannah Patch. Led by our amazing MC Taylor, the goal for that day was to hike up the trail and observe and be on the lookout for whatever came our way. 


On our way up the climb, we started with an easy 10 minute observation exercise.
We were encouraged to use our eyes and ears and whatever resources we wanted to use,

such as our Merlin app or our binoculars.
On the start of our journey, we observed turkeys, quails, birds and a beautiful river nearby. 





Next, our MC Taylor led us with another exercise. For this exercise, it was more of a Directional Observational Exercise.

This exercise was broken into 4 different sections.


1. Left

2. Right

3. Up

4. Down


We observed in one of these directions as we continued to hike up the trail. During this exercise, we came across ducks, geese, bees, lizards,  an acorn woodpecker, and an abundance of California Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies and caterpillars! 





Following this exercise and finding our way at the top of the trail from where we stopped, we headed back down to the site with a picnic table to where we’d be eating our yummy lunch. 



After arriving at the site, we first made some general observations before lunch time around the site. Here we observed poison oak plants and even jumping spiders. Unfortunately, our picnic table was overtaken by lots and lots of ants! Thankfully, we headed to a nice grassy area where we sat and had our lunch.




After lunch, we continued down the trail and stopped by the river for some river access observations. Taylor went ahead and asked for us to think of some ideas and observations that we could use for our proposals. After our stop by the river, we continued to walk down and observe any changes we may have noticed on our way back. Here, we saw some ladybugs, more caterpillars and an alligator lizard.



Our final observational quest for the day was to split into 2 groups, regroup 10-15 minutes later, and finish our way back down the trail and to the vans. Looking for anything we may not have noticed before, we noticed plenty more butterflies and bees, a turkey vulture, spittlebugs, mating damselfies, and even snakes! We observed both a garter snake and a rattlesnake (at a safe distance of course). 



As we made our way back to the vans, we finished our expedition with a brainstorming session inside of the vans where we concluded some of our final moments and observations. Breaking up into groups of 2, our MC Taylor asked us to think about 3 different questions:


  1. What was your favorite thing you saw from today?

  2. What are some interactions you think could occur between those 2 organisms?

  3. What are some strengths and weaknesses from the Oak Savannah Patch and the Yolo Bypass Wetlands as a field site?



We drove back to campus where we huddled together on a grass field and shared with each other our thoughts on these questions. Here is a list of all the favorite things people saw whilst at the Oak Savannah Patch!


  • Beetle

  • Ground Squirrel

  • California Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar

  • California Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly

  • Rattlesnake
  • Garter Snake
  • Orchard Bee


    • Before Monday:

    1. Choose an organism that you saw today that interested you. 

    2. Post a photo/image of that organism on the Discord creature-report channel. 

    3. Reply to your photo/image with a brief description as to why you chose that organism.  What about it interested you? Is there something that you’re curious about or would like to know more of? 

    1. Finish and upload your 2nd R Studio Homework 

    2. Submit and turn in your proposal submission 


    For Next Time: Agenda (subject to change)


    We will meet at 10:00 am on Monday in the classroom.


    • 10:00 - 10:20 am: Compiling proposal questions & ranking

    • 10:20 - 10:45 am: Breaking into groups & refining ideas

    • 10:45 - 10:55 am: Regroup and share refined ideas 

    • 10:55 - 11:25 am: Literature research 

    • 11:25 - 11:50 am: Lily (blogger) briefs class

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