Elizabeth Rush – Scientists in Parks – Fellows https://www.esa.org/scientists-in-parks Mon, 26 Sep 2022 20:49:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.esa.org/scientists-in-parks/wp-content/uploads/sites/84/2020/09/favicon.ico Elizabeth Rush – Scientists in Parks – Fellows https://www.esa.org/scientists-in-parks 32 32 Last Backpack to Knapsack https://www.esa.org/scientists-in-parks/last-backpack-to-knapsack/ Wed, 14 Sep 2022 16:00:52 +0000 https://www.esa.org/scientists-in-parks/?p=3247 Continue reading "Last Backpack to Knapsack"

]]> The frame is of several mountains looming over a basin of water in the center of the forest, framed by a litter of tall green pine trees among a rocky terrain.
A shot of the Dusy Basin at the Inyo National Forest from afar. (Photo Credit: Elizabeth R.)

Our field season has had to face many hurdles including wildfires and the resulting smokey conditions. Unfortunately, our crew was evacuated from our home base in Wawona when the Washburn Fire began. We were very fortunate that our supervisor was able to coordinate for us to backpack and sample in Kings Canyon National Park while smoke conditions were too hazardous for us to work in Yosemite. We made our way into Dusy Basin from Inyo National Forest where we were able to sample insects and document plant-insect interactions in the alpine habitat.

 

A white-winged butterfly laying on a human hand.
A Sierra Nevada Parnassian (Parnassius behrii) (Photo Credit: Elizabeth R.)

I was able to document many species I had never seen before such as the Sierra Nevada Parnassian (Parnassius behrii). This butterfly is often seen in rocky outcrops at high elevations in the Sierra Nevada. I found this specimen (pictured below) resting in the wind shadow of a boulder around 11,000 feet elevation.

Our crew has faced many challenges this season. Despite these challenges we were still able to help our program manager decipher the best way to move forward with the pollinator inventory project. Working with my supervisors at Yosemite was an invaluable experience that I will be forever grateful for.

A small green shrub, growing out of an opening between three grey stones. The petals from it's flowers are thin and white, while the pistil at the center are a pale yellow.
Specimen (unnamed) in-between three boulders. (Photo Credit: Elizabeth R.)

 

]]> Insect Macrophotography https://www.esa.org/scientists-in-parks/insect-macrophotography/ Thu, 25 Aug 2022 17:11:30 +0000 https://www.esa.org/scientists-in-parks/?p=3114 Continue reading "Insect Macrophotography"

]]> Up-close photo of bee covered in pollen.
Photo of an Osmia sp. using a DSLR camera (Photo credit: NPS)

Traditionally, insect community sampling requires killing insects to examine them under a microscope for identification or genetic identification. For our pollinator surveys in Yosemite National Park, we have been using macrophotography as a noninvasive sampling technique. Macrophotography is a great tool that can be used for species that can be identified my morphological characteristics. This method also requires less skill than traditional sampling because taxonomic identification can be crowdsourced on sites like iNaturalist. However, there are limitations to a citizen science approach; species of small solitary bees cannot be identified to species level by using photograph. This method would be most useful for larger charismatic insects such as butterflies and bumble bees.

Close up photo of bee resting on a hand.
Photo of a Hymenoptera taken with an iPhone 13 (Photo credit: Lizzie Rush)

When photographing insects for citizen science it is important to take multiple photos of the same insect. For identification purposes of bees and other insects it is important to have clear photos of the face, hind legs, full view of all body segments (head, thorax, abdomen).

Macrophotography is often done using a DSLR camera. However, phones can work great for documenting insects, especially larger specimens.

If you have access to a DSLR camera here are some tips for photographing insects outdoors:

Camera Settings:

Shooting Setup

  • Set the image size to Large
  • Check the white balance settings
  • Shoot photos in raw & JPEG
    • Raw photos can be edited later

ISO

  • Start with 100 with a flash system and bump up from there
  • Higher ISO is more sensitive to light

Shutter Speed

  • This should be set to at least the length of the lens being used

Aperture:

  • High number = less light and a greater depth of field
  • Low number = more light and less depth of field
  • ~ F 11-16 for macrophotography
    • This will depend on environment/lighting/colors/etc.

Before Shooting Tips:

  • If shooting without a flash system, find a partially shaded area to shoot with filtered natural light
  • Take a few test photos to check settings

 

Find out more about Yosemite National Park: https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm

Learn more about the Pollinator Hotshots project at Yosemite National Park here: https://yosemite.org/projects/yosemite-pollinator-hotshots/

Learn more about the California Bumble Bee Atlas: https://www.cabumblebeeatlas.org/about.html 

Join our iNaturalist project and contribute to community science in Yosemite National Park: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/yose-pollinators-2022

]]> Yosemite Pollinator Hotshots https://www.esa.org/scientists-in-parks/yosemite-pollinator-hotshots/ Thu, 04 Aug 2022 22:20:59 +0000 https://www.esa.org/scientists-in-parks/?p=3109 Continue reading "Yosemite Pollinator Hotshots"

]]> Hello! My name is Elizabeth (Lizzie) Rush and I am the SIP Fellow at Yosemite National Park. I am a second-year master’s student at George Mason University studying environmental science and policy and conservation biology. My time at Yosemite has been spent leading a crew conduct ing pollinator surveys to create an inventory list for park managers. Our crew has also spent time working with the public to increase engagement in community science. Working with the public and volunteers in the park has been valuable for developing my science communication skills. I was able to teach the public about the importance and role of pollinators in our national parks and helped foster public interest in land stewardship.

Two people look at computer outside in a field
Jax Maldonado (Mosaics Intern) and Lizzie Rush (SIP Fellow) practicing the Pollinator Hotshots protocol at CSU. (Photo credit: NPS)

Our work has utilized protocols and trainings from the Pollinator Hotshots project and the California Bumble Bee Atlas. Pollinator Hotshots is a project started by the Bowser/Halliwell Lab at Colorado State University (CSU), that aims to increase data available on pollinators in our national parks while increasing community engagement with science. The California Bumble Bee Atlas is a project established by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Xerces Society to help monitor native bumble bees within the state of California.

Two people crouch down in a field with an insect net.
Lizzie (right) working with a volunteer and showing them how to properly net and vial an insect. (Photo credit: NPS)

Citizen/community science data can be incredibly useful for park managers. Having access to a large dataset that is regularly updated by the public (like iNaturalist) can aide managers in assessing phenology, species distribution, and more. Platforms such as iNaturalist can be used to crowdsource taxonomic identification. By utilizing community science data we will be able to draw from a much larger dataset than if it were just our team collecting data in the field.

Find out more about Yosemite National Park: https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm

Learn more about the Pollinator Hotshots project at Yosemite National Park here: https://yosemite.org/projects/yosemite-pollinator-hotshots/

Learn more about the California Bumble Bee Atlas: https://www.cabumblebeeatlas.org/about.html

Join our iNaturalist project and contribute to community science in Yosemite National Park: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/yose-pollinators-2022

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