Hello again! My name is Cheska Hrupcin and this is the second week of my entomology internship! This week, I actually spent the majority of my time working with Pinhead for their PunkScience activities back home in Telluride.
So last Sunday I drove back to Telluride and got settled in. Then on Monday, I met up with Sarah and Christina (who is the state botanist for Arizona and has a Ph.D. in entomology!) And we all went up to Mountain Village and set up our booth.
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
One of the kids holding a Tomato Hornworm
It was so amazing to see all of the families interact with our insects, learn all about their anatomy, and watch as the kids caught bugs around the plaza. We did the exact same thing on the 4th of July in Mountain Village.
Then, on the 5th we set up camp at the Wilkinson library and prepared to give a lesson on insects and set up materials for the kids to draw and “capture” their own bugs. I think the whole week was a great success and it was so amazing to spend time with Christina.
I then drove back to CB on Thursday and worked with Chris (my mentor) and another grad student on some fieldwork for his project. It was a very calm day, we set up our cameras and then spent the rest of our time capturing and identifying insects.
During my free time, I walked through the town of Crested Butte, where I went to the farmers market and the T bar. I also took a beautiful hike to Emerald Lake (which didn’t look very green!), hiked up to Judd Falls, and did a yoga in class Rainbow Park!
Emerald Lake
Judd Falls
Overall I think this was another amazing week and I am so grateful to have been able to work alongside an entomologist who had such great knowledge to share!
Cheska, you are doing so many incredible things! From teaching kids in Telluride to learning new things in CB, it sounds like you are having a very well-rounded experience! I can’t wait to catch up next week!