Selected Insect Collecting Summaries. Student names removed, grammar / spelling errors not corrected.

 GeneralBiology_cool_Button1

I took my 6 year old son to the gas station and I told him about my project. (General Biology II Student, spring 2003)
I had never done this kind of project. It was the first time I ever collected bugs. At the school, I did not find any bugs. When I went home I took my 6 year old son to the gas station and I told him about my project. He was amazed with the idea of getting bugs. It was a great experience to share with him. I work full time and go to school so I do not get to spend very much time with him. I will be honest. He was the brave one to get the bugs with his hands and put them in the jar. He absolutely loved the experience and I was happy to share the time and experience with my lovely little one.

 At the beginning of the semester when I read we had to do a beetle or insect collection I thought I would never be able to do that. (General Biology II Student, spring 2003)
At the beginning of the semester when I read we had to do a beetle or insect collection I thought I would never be able to do that. I thought it was going to be the most difficult assignment this semester for me. When I actually got to start working on it, I found it to be very interesting. Not only did I decide to do my best job possible, I even decided to do the insect collection for my extended project. Going back to the Chachalaca Trail with the class had a lot to do with that. I found the experience fun and I also thought of it as a kind of exercise. [Another student] and I teamed up at the Chachalaca and we collected our first beetles there. The next time I actually captured insects and beetles was at my mom's house in a bright light. This assignment taught me a few lessons, I can do anything I want as long as I put my mind to it and to not fear assignments that at first seem too hard, its just a matter of getting started and then it will just be.


 I believe this insect collecting and the trail was like an adventure and you were one with nature. (General Biology II Student, fall 2001)
At the Chachalaca trail I teamed up with another student and we were off on the trail to collect bugs. There were funny times because butterlflies and dragonflies caught in the net would fly away by the time we were going to put them in the jar. The trail was very long, I had never been through it. I calculated that it took maybe an hour or so to get from one point to another. We saw no snakes, just grasshoppers, butterflies and birds. I believe this insect collecting and the trail was like an adventure and you were one with nature. I was interacting with the environment. I must admit that towards nighttime I was freaking out because I thought we would never be able to make it back before dark. Luckily we found a shortcut, because I don't think I would have been calm about going back through the trail without a flashlight. On the way back, stuck on the fences I was able to get my dragon flies, which was a good thing, because I wasn't able to get them on the trail.

Thank you for having made this trail part of our assignment. I don't think that if I had not gone with this general Biology II class, I would never have gone through there. So thanks!
The Chachalaca Trail is filled with wildlife and I hope that it will remain in its natural state so that our children can see what we saw. (General Biology II Student, fall 2001)
We collected insects at the Chachalaca Refuge. I was amazed by the different types of insects that exist. We were able to collect such insects as butterflies, dragonflies, ants, grasshoppers, and many other insects. Many of these insects were very weird looking and intriguing to look at. We would use a net to catch many of the insects and then we would put them in a jar with rubbing alcohol.

I think this field trip was not only informative but it was also exciting to witness nature at its best. The Chachalaca Trail is filled with wildlife and I hope that it will remain in its natural state so that our children can see what we saw.

 It was a great experience and I think it should be done every semester in biology classes!!! (General Biology II Student, fall 2001)
The insect collecting took place at the Chachalaca Trail. This trail is a wonderful place for insect collecting because there are a variety of insects. It was kind of hot, but we managed to stay and do our job. Our group worked well with each other and shared insects that we already had. I thought this specimen collecting trip was fun as well as productive. we as students learned to enjoy nature and to see what is out there. I personally think that this insect collecting trip was great because it was not until after the trip I realized that there is a bunch of insects around us that we don't pay attention to. It was a great experience and I think it should be done every semester in biology classes!!!


 When I first got there I did not really like the idea of having to touch the insects. I had gloves in order for me to not touch their disgusting little bodies. But once I started collecting insects with my classmates it became fun... I really had a lot of fun with this collection project. (General Biology II Student, fall 2001)
When I attended the "Insect Cognizance" at the Chachalaca trail it gave me the experience and practice I needed to learn how to collect insects. When I first got there I did not really like the idea of having to touch the insects. I had gloves in order for me to not touch their disgusting little bodies. But once I started collecting insects with my classmates it became fun. It was fun for the reason that you could tell how much fun my classmates were having. When I started doing what my classmates were doing it was interesting and fun because it got me exited even though most of the insects I tried catching got away. My friend and I went all the way to the river, when we got there we saw a lot of dragonflies. I thought they were going to be easy to catch since there were so many of them but I was so wrong. Whenever I tried to catch one they would fly even higher and since I'm not that tall that really became a problem for me.

At the end when it was getting dark you could hear all sorts of different kinds of animals, but since it was late we could not really see what kind or insects they were so we decided to head back to the starting spot. On the way back we got lost, but one of us had a flashlight so we managed to find our way.

If anybody wants to find nice looking insects I suggest that they first look in places that are close to their homes. My mother, brother, and my boyfriend helped me look for most of the animals I collected. We had fun trying to look for all of the different types of insects. After I caught all the insects I was going to use I decorated my box I was going to put them in. After that I sorted all the animals with the groups where I thought they belonged. Then I pinned them and I used other yellow pins to keep there little feet from touching the ground. I really had a lot of fun with this collection project.