Natural History of the Southwest Spring 2012

Insect Collection:

•         Get a shoe box and a piece of flat Styrofoam.

•         We will give you insect pins.

•         The TA will teach you how to pin insects. (Click HERE for more details)

•         Collect 15 insects belonging to at least 5 different orders.  Go to a natural area preferably out of the city.  You might take a short hike at or near a natural area, such as the road to Mt. Lemmon or Tucson Mt. Park (be careful about places that are posted for no insect collection).  It will get easier to find lots of different kinds of insects later in the spring as the weather heats up, so don’t work too hard on this early in the semester.

•         Dr. Becerra will tell you how to identify your insects to order in lecture and the TA will be available outside class. Be sure you have at least 5 orders represented in your collection.

•         UA Insect Collection in Forbes 410 can help you identify them too.

•         To kill them, put them in a Tupperware or yogurt container in the freezer for a few hours (if it’s big, check to make sure it’s dead before removing).  Don’t take them out until you’re ready to pin them or they will get hard.

•         To get a good grade they have to be native, nicely presented. Correctly pinned.