I assumed the Bioblitz was just observing animals. I was wrong. I wasn’t expecting all this work. I was assigned to the insect section and I assumed nothing good would come of that. I’m not the biggest fan of insects or spiders.
In my group, we collected insects and put them in a tube of alcohol to analyze them later. The process of collecting insects was not enticing. My group was assigned to leaf litter sifting. We had to suck up bugs through a tube after using a litter box to sift through all the leaves. Although bugs couldn’t get inside our mouth, I could taste and feel the dirt in my mouth! Yummy! One of the leaders kept on constantly saying how healthy dirt is for you but nobody would want to suck up dirt.
After collecting numerous bugs we put them in a tube of alcohol, or maybe according to the insects’ point of view, the tube of death. The members of my group were very competitive on how many bugs we collected. We caught a wide range of insects and spiders within a small amount of time. I’ve never realized how many insects that inhabited Central Park. They could be hidden within the leaves, the dirt, or the trees. These insects were supposed to be observed through a microscope when we got back to the recreational center.
My group also had a chance to catch insect with a net. I’m allergic to bees so I didn’t want to risk being in contact with one so I stood aside and watched the rest of my group collect the insects. One person caught a butterfly but we had to release it because we didn’t have the proper tools to completely capture it.
I was unable to go back to the recreational center since I had to go to work. But overall, it was an interesting experience in Central Park. I’ve never realized how much wildlife there is in a park that is located in one of the busiest cities in the world.
