Category Archives: Lab and Field News

What makes a good collecting trip good?

Posted on July 13, 2015 by terry wheeler

“Have a good trip! How’s the trip going? How was the trip?” These are things people say to me before, during, and after fieldwork trips. I go into the field to collect insects. I do this because that’s where a … Continue reading →

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Lines on a map. Dots on a map.

Posted on July 11, 2015 by terry wheeler

I’m crossing some lines in the Yukon. I’m searching for dots. Several lines drawn on maps define the Yukon for me. There’s a straight line across the bottom of the Territory that marks 60° north latitude. To many Canadians, “north” … Continue reading →

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Why the Yukon? My love of northern entomology

Posted on June 28, 2015 by terry wheeler

I’m north of 60° again. Back in Whitehorse, Yukon for the fourth time in five years, and getting ready to head north. Beyond Dawson City, beyond the trees, up the Dempster Highway to the tundra. I’m going to collect insects. … Continue reading →

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A year of change: 2013 in review

Posted on January 1, 2014 by terry wheeler

When you work in a university, change is constant. Students come and go as they start and finish their programs; colleagues come and go as new opportunities arise; old projects run to completion and new ones start to pick up … Continue reading →

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The samples of autumn

Posted on September 9, 2013 by terry wheeler

Most entomologists in this part of the world do their collecting in summer. There are a few reasons for this: insect diversity and activity peak in the summer months up here in the northern temperate; a lot of economically and … Continue reading →

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Into Fall: field and lab, hello and good-bye

Posted on September 2, 2013 by terry wheeler

September is a time of change in the lab. Some changes are positive and happy, and some are a little more bittersweet. This year is no different. One of the big changes, of course, is that we shift from summer … Continue reading →

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Twin Lakes: random thoughts on Yukon fieldwork

Posted on July 25, 2013 by terry wheeler

23 July, late at night: My three week field trip to the Yukon Territory is drawing to a close and we’re back at Twin Lakes Campground, on the Klondike Highway between Whitehorse and Carmacks. By the end of this trip … Continue reading →

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Yukon Ho! The quest for northern flies continues

Posted on July 22, 2013 by terry wheeler

Since 2009 I’ve been part of the Northern Biodiversity Program, a collaborative project with some excellent colleagues and a whole team of fantastic students. We collected a arthropods at 12 sites in northern Canada so we could start addressing some … Continue reading →

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Entomology on the road: thoughts on three trips

Posted on July 19, 2013 by terry wheeler

I haven’t been in the lab much since early June. Summer is the time when the teaching ends and administration tends to slow down, so I can finally devote more of my time to research. A lot of my research … Continue reading →

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“Mastering” northern flies: another student crosses the finish line

Posted on June 8, 2013 by terry wheeler

I’ve written previously about our work on the flies from the Northern Biodiversity Program (the joys of collecting them, and the challenge of processing them). Three years, tons of travel, a mind-boggling number of hours in the lab, and more … Continue reading →

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