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News from the Entomological Society of Manitoba

By Matt Yunik, Public Education, Entomological Society of Manitoba
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After a slow start, I can finally say that spring is in the air here in Manitoba. Summer students have started their work in the various labs and grad students are chomping at the bit to get back into the field. After the devastating flooding followed by unquenchable drought of last year, this field season shows promise for being more successful.

Memorial in the J.B. Wallis and R.E. Roughley Museum of Entomology, with a case of Dr. Roughley’s Dytiscid beetles.

The entomology museum here at the University of Manitoba has recently undergone some transformations. A modest but fitting re-dedication ceremony was held on March 27th for our newly named J.B. Wallis/R.E. Roughley Museum of Entomology. Dr. Roughley had always been a big promoter of the museum, earning it the status of being the largest insect museum in Western Canada and the first bar-coded database system for entomological collections in Canada.

The department’s Graduate Student Association, with the assistance of the current curator Dr. Barb Sharanowski, has secured funding and are assembling a stereoscope with digital imaging system that will provide stellar images that will be shown on later blog posts.

Finally, there are two points of interest to report from the ESM front. On April 18th the ESM held our new member social. Dinner and drinks were served with admission covered for all new members of the society. I personally enjoyed meeting other newcomers while spending time with some of the more senior members.

Also, the ESM youth encouragement and public awareness team is getting ramped up for the multitude of presentations through the summer months. We typically conduct over 60 presentations a year, the majority of which are for summer youth camps. It will be exciting to see how the influx of new faces in the society will add to these presentations.

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ESC Joins Effort to Save the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA)

On June 15, 2012, Rebecca Hallett, Chair of the Science Policy & Education Committee, sent a letter on behalf of the ESC to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Hon. Keith Ashfield (Minister of Fisheries and Oceans) and Hon. Peter Kent (Minister of the Environment) asking the Government to reverse their decision to close the Experimental Lakes Area. You can read the full text of the letter attached here. The letter was cc’d to Save ELA, and MPs Elizabeth May (Green Party Leader), Tom Mulcair (New Democratic Party Leader) and Hon. Bob Rae (Liberal Party Leader). The ESC was also added as a signator to an ad in support of saving the ELA printed in the Globe & Mail and the Winnipeg Free Press on Saturday June 16.

You can read the ESC’s letter to the government here.

Anyone interested in learning more about the ELA and/or adding your individual support to this initiative, should visit the Save ELA site.

Responses:

On Monday June 19, a reply was received from Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, expressing her dismay at the closure of the ELA and her intention to table petitions in the House of Commons supporting the continued operation of the ELA in hopes of reversing the government’s decision.

You can read Elizabeth May’s response here.

On Friday June 29, a reply was received from Hon. Keith Ashfield (Minister of Fisheries and Oceans).

You can read Hon. Keith Ashfield’s response here (PDF)

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A Meager Existence Fit for a King

By Christopher Cloutier, Naturalist, Morgan Arboretum
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The Morgan Arboretum of McGill University, with its 245 ha of forest and interspersed field habitats, is home to nearly 50 species of butterflies. Over the past two years I have tried to document all species occurring within the Arboretum and made note of the date of their earliest appearance. Many of the butterflies observed are the “expected” species, such as the Question Mark, White Admiral and the Monarch.

Others, though, were much more exciting finds: the Banded and Acadian Hairstreaks, the Baltimore Checkerspot and the Silver Spotted Skipper to name a few. Of all the highlight species found over the past two years, one that truly stands out is the Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis).

Hackberry Emperor looking down from a high perch. Credit: Christopher Cloutier

Like many other butterfly species, the Emperor is specific to one type of host plant for its larvae. You guessed it: the Hackberry Tree (Celtis occidentalis). Although the Arboretum lies within the native range for this tree, it is one that is rarely encountered. It is found naturally on the outskirts of the property and nowhere near the main walking trails; that is, until about 10 years ago when the Arboretum planted several trees near the parking lots along the main road. The trees today are no taller than 4m but are growing rapidly. This represents nearly the entire habitat in which the Emperors were discovered back in 2010, and this is the tale of their unusual discovery.

Unlike most of the species which I have documented over the years, this one came as a report from a concerned visitor to the Arboretum. I remember this case vividly as it was quite unique. A visitor to the Arboretum came by the gatehouse to mention that they were seeing a large butterfly up close. In fact, the butterfly was landing on them with regularity every time they passed by a certain location. This was something I had to see for myself. Not knowing what to expect I followed the man to where he encountered this critter and sure enough we were standing right next to the Hackberry plantation. Within less than a minute a butterfly alighted on my shoulder, a species I had never encountered before. I quickly collected it with my aerial net and brought it back to my office for a closer look.

It didn’t take long to discover that this beautiful butterfly was indeed the Hackberry Emperor. After doing a little bit of research, I realized that this was not the first time that this species had been encountered at the Arboretum, but it was the first time in nearly half a decade. I decided to have a little photo shoot with the insect just to get some record shots. I then gave it a sip of grape juice and brought it back to where I first captured it.

Hackberry Emperor refueling after a photo shoot. Credit: Christopher Cloutier

I decided to have a closer look at the Hackberry trees scattered about on the grassy lawn. There were only five trees, not more than twice my height, and I quickly noticed why the butterflies were here. They were breeding. After searching the gall-riddled leaves of the Hackberries, I discovered several clusters of eggs as well as some recently hatched first instar larvae. Again, upon my arrival several adults were patrolling the area trying to frighten me away, or maybe trying to get a closer look at who I was. It didn’t seem to matter what colour clothing I was wearing, they just seemed interested in large silhouettes near their nursery.

Eggs and freshly hatched larvae of the Hackberry Emperor. Credit: Christopher Cloutier

Since this first discovery I have encountered Hackberry Emperors every summer since. They are typically active in mid-June and their activity time extends into July and August. Their dependence on a single tree species makes this butterfly quite interesting. Had we chosen to plant a different species of tree as a windbreak for the parking area, we may not have ever encountered this butterfly again. It seems now that we have made an ideal artificial breeding habitat for this beautiful insect, and hopefully they choose to use it year after year, that is, as long as they abide by our strict “no harassing other visitors” policy.

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Meet the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Entomologist

My name is Chris Buddle – I’m an Associate Professor at McGill University, in Quebec, Canada, and the Editor-in-Chief for The Canadian Entomologist. I have worked at McGill University, in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences, for about 10 years. As a Professor, my work involves all three aspects of academia – teaching, research, and service.

For teaching, I instruct undergraduate courses in our “Environmental Biology” program – this involves teaching courses in both my own area of expertise (entomology) as well as in more general areas (e.g., ecology).

My research program is quite varied; although originally hired as a “Forest Insect Ecologist” my research expertise is broader than that, and I currently oversee graduate students working on insect pest management, the ecology of herbivorous insects in forest canopies, and the biodiversity of Arctic arthropods. The latter initiative is part of a larger-scale project titled the Northern Biodiversity Program.

For “service” I devote a lot of time and energy into my position as the Editor-in-Chief for the Entomological Society of Canada’s flagship journal The Canadian Entomologist (TCE) – a journal that joined a publishing partnership with Cambridge University Press in January of this year.

TCE is an excellent scientific journal, and I am honoured to be associated with it. Its excellence is in part because of TCE’s long history as an internationally renowned entomology journal – it has been published continuously since 1868. TCE is a journal with particularly high editorial and technical standards. We pride ourselves on serving authors well, and on producing a product that has been carefully edited, and that is technically clean. TCE is one of the relatively rare entomology journals that publishes on all facets of the discipline, including taxonomy and systematics, biodiversity and evolution, insect pest management, behaviour and ecology, and more.

We are, therefore, an entomology journal for all entomologists – anyone interested in arthropods can generally find an article of relevance within its pages. I’m also excited about TCE’s new partnership with Cambridge. This publishing house has an equally impressive history, and an equally high standard of publication quality. With this partnership, authors no longer pay page charges for TCE, and receive a complementary PDF of their articles.

As Editor-in-Chief, I have an opportunity to help guide the journal into the future. My editorial objectives include a balance of doing what we have done well in the past (i.e., high quality standards), but also seeking some new opportunities. For example we are initiating a plan to produce a topical “special issue” of TCE every year, for the first issue of each volume. For Volume 145 (the year 2013), we will be devoting an entire issue to the topic of “Perspectives on Arctic Arthropods“. This is an extremely important area of study given the current global concerns about changing climates, especially since some of the effects will be most acute in polar regions. The call for papers for this special issue went out at the end of January, and authors have until 15 June 2012 to submit their manuscripts.

Another objective I have is to continually improve our service to authors. Our move to an on-line manuscript submission system is helping this tremendously and I am continuing to work with my editorial team to tweak the system for the benefit of our authors. I am also interested in bringing entomology, and TCE, to a broader audience. Entomology is a vast and wonderful discipline, but the pages of entomology journals often target a specialized audience. I think a lot of what we publish in the journal is of broad interest, and for that reason, I tweet for the Entomological Society of Canada’s twitter account (follow us: @CanEntomologist). This is an effective way to use social media to highlight articles we publish, activities of the Entomological Society of Canada, and other interesting entomology events and stories. We also have plans to work with our society to develop a blog devoted to entomology in Canada, and TCE will be featured prominently on this blog.

I would like to conclude with a few words of advice for up-and-coming entomologists looking to publish their work. The publication ‘game’ can be a complex one, and it is a changing landscape that can be difficult to navigate. In addition to thinking about the traditional metrics when considering different journals, I do recommend that all potential authors look carefully at the “aims and scope” section for potential venues for publication – it is important that your work will be a good fit with the journal. It’s also easy to be swayed by numerous journals that are sprouting up and seem to be offering everything for nothing. Some journals may seem attractive at first glance, but be aware that quality of service, and the quality of the editorial process, may be less than what could be offered by journals backed by a publisher with strong credentials. More ‘traditional’ journals often have an incredible amount of behind-the-scenes support, and this matters. I will also stress that all authors must strive for a clean, concise, and well-written manuscript. I cannot state strongly enough that careful writing and proofreading is of paramount importance.

In sum, it’s truly a delight to be associated with The Canadian Entomologist and its publication partner, Cambridge University Press. The future is bright for the journal, and I am exciting to work hard to increase the profile and readership of TCE, all the while maintaining its history of excellence. I have assembled a strong editorial team of 20 subject editors, and have additional support from my Editorial Assistant, Dr. Andrew Smith. We are all here to help you publish your best entomological research, and get it into the hands of an international audience.

Read the first issue of the year for free here

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This article was originally published at http://blog.journals.cambridge.org/ and can be found at: http://blog.journals.cambridge.org/2012/04/meet-the-editor-in-chief-of-the-canadian-entomologist/

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Dear Buggy: How do I manage my time?

« Dear Buggy » is an advice column featured in the ESC Bulletin, written by Dr. Chris MacQuarrie.  « Buggy » will also be offering his great tips, tricks and hints every other month here at the ESC blog. In the meantime, enjoy this teaser from the June 2012 edition of the Bulletin!

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Dear Buggy,

I’ve got too many things on the go and I can’t seem to keep on track. My field season starts next week, but I haven’t even started planning for it yet. I’ve missed two due dates in the last month, plus I think I may have stood up my boyfriend last night. I would call him to apologize, but I forgot to pay my phone bill last month and they cut me off. Help me! How do I manage my time?

Signed,

‘Short on Time in Terrace’

Thanks for the ‘timely’ question. Hopefully you will have managed to contact your boyfriend before this is published! Teaching yourself how to manage your time is an important skill to develop while you’re young. Speaking from experience, I can assure you that things only get worse as you progress through your career. Your time is precious.

Our tasks, and the time it takes to do them, can be organized on different temporal scales. Since entomologists are already pretty good at thinking about the world at different scales, it should be a logical step for you to think about your time in this way. For example, you have to finish your thesis in the next 5 years; you have to prepare and pass your qualification exams next year, your field season starts in a month, your project proposal is due next week, you are teaching tomorrow, and you have a dental appointment in an hour. Obviously, how you manage these different commitments varies depending on their immediacy. To be efficient, you must manage your time over all temporal scales. That way, things won’t sneak up on you.

Click here to read the rest of this great column in the Bulletin!

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Chris MacQuarrie is a research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service in Sault Ste. Marie where he studies the management of native and invasive insects. Currently, he’s beginning to realize that all time management tactics go out the window when you have a toddler in the house. « Dear Buggy » is always looking for suggestions or guest contributors. Have an idea or a question? Send it to: cjkmacquarrie@gmail.com or post it in the Facebook student group.

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Welcome to the ESC Blog!

Entomological Society of Canada LogoWith an estimated 55,000 species found between Pelee Island and Ellesmere Island and colonizing the forests, streams, mountains and plains from the Atlantic to the Pacific, insects form a major component of Canada’s natural heritage and affect our lives on a daily basis. From pests to pollinators and biting flies to butterflies,  our six-legged neighbours have played an important role in the development of our nation.

It should therefore come as no surprise that Canada has a growing society of scientists, naturalists and enthusiasts nearly as diverse as the insects to which they are devoted. With research being performed in every province and territory, Canadian entomologists have long placed a high priority on public engagement, sharing their knowledge and passion for insects through outreach activities, extension documents and student mentoring.

Long-legged fly (Dolichopodidae) by Morgan Jackson

Long-legged fly (Dolichopodidae) by Morgan Jackson

It was only a matter of time until the Entomological Society of Canada leaped into the world of social media, and, with a presence on Facebook and Twitter already firmly established, its with great excitement that we present the ESC Blog!

Our goal with the ESC Blog is to provide a platform for Canadian entomologists and enthusiasts to share and discuss their work, stories and favourite insects with the rest of the world.

What might you expect to find here at the ESC Blog? Here are a few of the things we’ve got lined up so far:

  • articles and updates from the Entomological Society of Canada Board of Directors, as well as from each of Canada’s provincial/regional insect societies
  • previews of upcoming issues of the Canadian Entomologist and the Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification
  • information about annual societal meetings and other entomological events around Canada
  • stories from the field or lab, profiles of Canadian entomologists/labs and other personal interest articles
  • science blogging, highlighting some of the exciting entomological research being done in Canada
  • photos and profiles of Canadian insects
  • much, much more!

Of course, this blog depends on you, the reader/contributor. Feel free to chime in with your ideas  and opinions in the comment sections, or better yet, submit posts of your own. We want to encourage entomophiles from across the country, professional or amateur, seasoned veteran or newbie student, to submit stories, articles and photos that they’d like to show off to the world.

If you’re interested in contributing to the ESC Blog, check out how you could Become an ESC Blogger for tips and guidelines, and feel free to contact us with ideas or questions (we don’t bite, sting or secrete anything toxic, honest). Also, don’t be surprised if you get an email asking if you’d be interested in sharing your latest publication or field trip with the blog; if you were excited to do the work, others will be just as excited to learn about it!

So stay tuned (and subscribe to the RSS feed), because there’s plenty of Canadian insect content coming your way! In the meantime, be sure to check out the June issue of the Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Canada, which is filled with articles, news and other entomological oddities.

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Avec un nombre d’espèces estimé à plus de 55 000 entre l’île Pelée et Ellesmere, ayant colonisé les forêts, ruisseaux, montagnes et plaines de l’Atlantique au Pacifique, les insectes constituent une composante majeure de l’héritage naturel Canadien et affectent durablement notre vie quotidienne. Des ravageurs aux pollinisateurs, des mouches aux papillons, nos cousins à six pattes ont joué un rôle important dans le développement de notre nation.

M. scutellatus (Cerambycidae), un coléoptère longicorne (Photo: Crystal Ernst)

Il n’est ainsi pas surprenant que le Canada soit doté d’une communauté grandissante de scientifiques, naturalistes et amateurs presque aussi diverse que les insectes auxquels ils sont dévoués. Avec des recherches menées au sein de chaque Province et Territoire, les entomologistes canadiens ont longtemps donné la priorité à l’engagement communautaire, partageant leur savoir et leur passion lors de d’activités de vulgarisation, par la rédaction d’ouvrages de vulgarisation et par le mentorat d’étudiants. Ce n’était qu’une question de temps avant de voir la Société d’Entomologie du Canada se lancer à la conquête des réseaux sociaux. Et, avec sa présence sur Facebook et Twitter fermement établie, c’est avec grand plaisir que nous vous présentons le Blogue de la SEC.

Notre but avec le Blogue de la SEC est de proposer une plateforme où les entomologistes et «entomophiles» pourront partager et discuter de leurs travaux, de leurs histoires et de leurs insectes favoris avec le reste du monde.

Que pourrez-vous trouver sur le Blogue de la SEC ? Voici une liste des thèmes que nous avons réunis pour l’instant :

  • des articles et nouvelles du Conseil d’Administration de la Société d’Entomologie du Canada et de chaque société d’entomologie provinciale ou régionale
  • des aperçus des volumes à venir du Canadian Entomologist et du Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification
  • des informations sur les réunions annuelles et autres évènements entomologiques au Canada
  • des récits depuis le terrain ou les laboratoires, des profils d’entomologistes/laboratoires canadiens et autres articles personnels
  • des billets scientifiques, mettant en lumière certaines des plus intéressantes recherches en entomologie au Canada
  • des photos et profils d’insectes canadiens
  • bien plus encore !

Evidemment, ce blogue dépend de vous, lecteur/contributeur. Libre à vous de venir présenter vos idées et opinions dans les commentaires, ou mieux, de soumettre votre propre billet. Nous voulons encourager les entomophiles à travers le pays – qu’ils soient professionnels, amateurs, vétéran expérimenté ou étudiant fraîchement débarqué – à soumettre les histoires, articles et photos. Si vous êtes intéressés à l’idée de contribuer au Blogue de la SEC, consultez les règles générales en haut de page et n’hésitez pas nous contacter avec vos idées ou questions (nous ne mordons pas et nous ne secrétons aucune substance toxique, promis !). De même, ne soyez pas étonnés si vous recevez un email vous demandant si vous seriez intéressé à l’idée parler de votre dernier article ou de votre dernier voyage de terrain sur le blogue. Si vous avez pris plaisir à votre travail, il y a de bonnes chances que d’autres personnes voudront en savoir plus!

Alors restez à l’écoute (et vous abonner au flux RSS), car il ya beaucoup de contenu canadien des insectes venant à votre rencontre ! En attendant, n’oubliez pas de consulter le numéro de Juin du Bulletin de la Société d’Entomologie du Canada, qui est rempli d’articles, nouvelles et autres bizarreries entomologiques.

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