"But what about the bees?" you ask.
"Is this false advertising? Are you luring us in with the prospect of
bees only to talk about some ferns and buildings?" To that I say
patience please, of course there are bees! I am new to
the blogosphere, and in my exuberant posting of multiple pictures and
words, it seems that I need more than one post to say my piece. And this site has its own ideas, which remain a mystery to me.
Anyways, part 2:
Among the extensive list of volunteer opportunities at Garfield Park, they have a need for beekeeping volunteers! So a few weeks ago, I attended the required beginning beekeeper course, which, while there were more powerpoint slides than bees, was an interesting introduction to the art of keeping bees and the surprisingly vast network of beekeeping associations and equipment vendors in the Chicago area. I also learned more about the complex, chemically mediated, hierarchical bee society of queens, drones and workers. And observed the artistic architectural designs of bees that "go rogue" and build outside of their allotted frames-works that would put Gaudi to shame.
My
previous experience with domesticated honeybees mostly involves walking
through cranberry marshes on hot July days wearing a full body bee suit
to protect myself from some very upset bees. After bloom, when the
commercial hives are taken away to be trucked to the next fruit crop in
Michigan, Texas, Florida, or California, a few straggler workers get
left behind, only to discover that their entire hive has disappeared.
They direct their understandable rage and confusion at any moving
creature, entomology field researchers included, and will cleverly
search a bee suit for any possibly gaps so they can make their feelings
known. I am very excited to have a more benign relationship with these
fascinating and important insects. Stay tuned for posts on my upcoming
beekeeping gig!
Another amazing place in Chicago where I hope to spend some of my currently plentiful time is the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. On a recent visit, I was inspired by the quality of their educational exhibits and their focus on conservation and sustainability, as well as their massive collection of live and preserved insects. I spent a half hour in their butterfly room in a zenlike trance watching colorful butterflies float around my head and observing lepidopteran mating behavior (there is no question as to why I chose this field). And guess what? They also need volunteers! So I hope to be splitting my time between job searching, bee keeping and butterfly tending. Not too bad!
Butterfly chrysalles waiting to emerge
The Nature Museum also has tanks of aquatic native animals including giant water bugs (Belostomatidae for those who like Latin names). This bug, which is a delicacy in some parts of the world, has a very unique life cycle. The female glues her eggs to the back of the male, and for the entirety of their development, he defends them from any potential predators with his strong legs and deadly beak. To the chagrin of the employee trying to clean the glass for the day, I once again entered that zenlike state observing a female gluing her eggs to the back of a male while fending off another potential suitor. Several times, she had to chase after the less-than-cooperative male, turning typical animal behavior on its head. Here is another male covered with eggs, and one cute little hatchling:
So entomological opportunities abound in this city. Now to find one that will help pay the rent...
Meanwhile, I'm exploring as much as I can on foot and by L, waiting excitedly to start on our garden plot, contemplating vermiculture, saving the world from nuclear annihilation by blowing up Chicago (sorry y'all, despite our best efforts, the Chopin Theatre made it too difficult to save everything), and filling our apartment with plants, rocks and bugs.
Anyways, part 2:
Among the extensive list of volunteer opportunities at Garfield Park, they have a need for beekeeping volunteers! So a few weeks ago, I attended the required beginning beekeeper course, which, while there were more powerpoint slides than bees, was an interesting introduction to the art of keeping bees and the surprisingly vast network of beekeeping associations and equipment vendors in the Chicago area. I also learned more about the complex, chemically mediated, hierarchical bee society of queens, drones and workers. And observed the artistic architectural designs of bees that "go rogue" and build outside of their allotted frames-works that would put Gaudi to shame.
Another amazing place in Chicago where I hope to spend some of my currently plentiful time is the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. On a recent visit, I was inspired by the quality of their educational exhibits and their focus on conservation and sustainability, as well as their massive collection of live and preserved insects. I spent a half hour in their butterfly room in a zenlike trance watching colorful butterflies float around my head and observing lepidopteran mating behavior (there is no question as to why I chose this field). And guess what? They also need volunteers! So I hope to be splitting my time between job searching, bee keeping and butterfly tending. Not too bad!
The Nature Museum also has tanks of aquatic native animals including giant water bugs (Belostomatidae for those who like Latin names). This bug, which is a delicacy in some parts of the world, has a very unique life cycle. The female glues her eggs to the back of the male, and for the entirety of their development, he defends them from any potential predators with his strong legs and deadly beak. To the chagrin of the employee trying to clean the glass for the day, I once again entered that zenlike state observing a female gluing her eggs to the back of a male while fending off another potential suitor. Several times, she had to chase after the less-than-cooperative male, turning typical animal behavior on its head. Here is another male covered with eggs, and one cute little hatchling:
So entomological opportunities abound in this city. Now to find one that will help pay the rent...
Meanwhile, I'm exploring as much as I can on foot and by L, waiting excitedly to start on our garden plot, contemplating vermiculture, saving the world from nuclear annihilation by blowing up Chicago (sorry y'all, despite our best efforts, the Chopin Theatre made it too difficult to save everything), and filling our apartment with plants, rocks and bugs.
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