Day 2 - Learning How to Make Banana Brew and More!

    Today I was able to meet Celeste Castro, who runs the insect exhibits in the Brown Hall of Entomology. She showed me the same steps that Kaeli taught me yesterday, so I wiped down some enclosures, misted others, and sometimes replaced the food depending on its quality. Changing out the food is mainly for visual aesthetics- the insects love when it gets all gross and soggy, but the visitors don't! This time I also got to feed a carnivorous spider a dead butterfly, which was super cool to watch.

    Kaeli got me to restock the nectar (there are two types- one that is for general growth (looks like iced tea) and one that aids reproduction (a mix of nectar powder and warm water that forms a pale yellow)) in the Conservatory. Then we went back to a kitchen where a volunteer named Martha, who had been volunteering for almost two whole decades, was feeding the retired iguana Charlie. I also learned that the iguana that's cruising around the Conservatory is named 'Nacho'. In the kitchen, Kaeli showed me how to prepare banana brew, which requires 8 overly ripe bananas, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and, get this: A third of a cup of Guinness beer! This helps aid fermentation in the brew. 

    I worked with Joanne, another volunteer who had been working there for about 3 years, to release the butterflies. Same process as before! This time I got to use the net to catch a few that had gotten loose in the room. After releasing the butterflies, Kaeli showed me back to the kitchen where we sorted through the deceased butterflies in the freezer from the Conservatory. Basically, we were just tossing the butterflies that were super tattered or ripped and placing the ones that were still intact into Ziploc bags. These butterflies usually were sent to people that wanted to use them in art or for display.

    Kaeli then showed me the greenhouses that were on the roof of the museum, which was where they 'reared' (bred) the butterflies using host plants. I was able to meet the person who managed the greenhouses and also was in charge of what butterflies the museum received. He showed me a birdwing caterpillar, which was super cute! Kaeli also showed me where they had chrysalides for Anna's 88 butterflies, which are some of my favourites. I also love the Malachite and Blue Morpho butterflies. Then Kaeli and I headed back to where the butterflies are hatched to handle the chrysalides that had fallen down (which are stored in little cages outside the chambers). After organising the chrysalides based on species, Kaeli took out one of the shelves (made of styrofoam) from the chambers and got a glue gun, pins, and string to start hanging the chrysalides back up. She tied both ends of a length of string and pinned both ends down on the styrofoam shelf. She hot-glued a laminated label of one of the butterfly species to the string. Then, going down the length of the string, we glued down the chrysalides at their abdomen (so they would hatch upside down and their wings could dry). After that, Kaeli showed me the cage where they kept the Atlas moths, which were yet to hatch. 

    Today was great! I was really happy that I got to try out new tasks. Tomorrow I might be able to learn more about how to care for the reptiles in the Conservatory, which I'm super excited about! Especially since Kaeli told me that I'd get a chance to polish the turtles' shells. 

Facts I learned: 

• Some butterflies have tattered wings, but that's just because they're older
• Butterflies have a really weird fruity smell that is similar to the smell of Durian

Additional Research: 

• Malachite Butterflies
• These butterflies are native to "Brazil north to Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to Southern Florida and South Texas" (Butterflies & Moths, 2022). Malachite butterflies farther north are emigrating from Cuba. They are commonly found in mango, citrus, and avocado orchards in Florida and in subtropical forests. They drink nectar and eat rotting fruit. Butterflies usually appreciate rotting fruit more, but due to visitors, the HMNS changes out the fruit often.
• The website that this information comes from is really interesting since you can actually record when you have seen a butterfly in a certain area.
• Blue Morpho Butterflies 
• These butterflies are very famous for their inner wings, but I was originally fascinated by the pattern on their outer wings which has multiple circles that are ringed with orange and blue and brown- just beautiful! The blue scales on their inner wings aren't actually blue, either- it's simply how light is reflected off of them. The scales are actually white when in the dark. These butterflies originate "in the tropical forests of Latin America from Mexico to Colombia", (Rainforest Alliance, 2012). The lifespan of a Blue Morpho usually lasts only 115 days. The diet of these butterflies also consists of the liquids from rotting fruit, dead animal matter, tree sap, fungi, and wet mud (puddling). These butterflies can taste fruit with sensors on their legs, and use their antennae as both a tongue and a nose. These butterflies are severly endangered due to deforestation. 
• Anna's 88 Butterflies
• It is still a marvel to me on why certain species of butterflies develop patterns in the way that they do! This butterfly has an 88 on each of its outer wings. They are very small in size, and their habitats are generally tropical forests. Evidentally, they are found in Costa Rica, Mexico, and sometimes South Texas. Their main food sources is dung and rotten fruit. 
• There has been some research on butterflies claiming that lack of food is resulting in lower numbers to appear during migration.