Tuesday, April 10, 2012
7:30 PM
Consequences of multiple species invasions: a native butterfly confronts exotic plants and parasitoids
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Dr. Frances Chew
Frances Chew, Professor of Ecology, Tufts University
Exotic invasive species pose challenges to native species encountering them
for the first time. In the 1800s, the native mustard white butterfly flew
in Harvard Yard. Since then it has been affected by serial invasions of
garlic mustard, parasitoid biological control agents for the related
cabbage white butterfly, and other exotic plant species. Despite its
current threatened status in Massachusetts, the ecological stage is now set
for recovery and population growth of this butterfly – an unintended
consequence of recent species introductions.
The talk is free and open to the public. The meeting is readily accessible via public transportation. Parking is available in the Oxford Street Garage with advance arrangement, as described here, or (usually but not always) at spaces on nearby streets. Everyone is also welcome to join us for dinner before the talk (beginning at 6:00 PM) at Cambridge Common restaurant.
CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:00 to 7:15 PM) followed by our formal meeting (7:30 – 9:00 PM). The latter begins with club business and is followed by a 50 minute entomology related presentation. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
7:30 PM
The 18 year effort to establish the American Burying Beetle to Nantucket Island, Massachusetts
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Louis Perrotti
Lou Perrotti, Director of Conservation Programs at Roger Williams Park Zoo
The American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus Olivier) is a federally listed endangered species once common throughout the eastern and mid-western United States and now surviving in limited habitats in seven states. From 1994-2011 an initiative to re-establish the beetle on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts has been carried out by a partnership of public and private conservation agencies. During the 18 year period, nearly 3,000 captive raised beetles were released at two sites on the 31,000 acre island. This talk will outline this 18 year effort and show how current post-release monitoring has confirmed that substantial numbers of beetles are reproducing and surviving over winter.
The talk is free and open to the public. The meeting is readily accessible via public transportation. Parking is available in the Oxford Street Garage with advance arrangement, as described here, or (usually but not always) at spaces on nearby streets. Everyone is also welcome to join us for dinner before the talk (beginning at 6:15 PM) at the Harvard Law School cafeteria, on the second floor of Harkness Commons.
CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:15 to 7:15 PM) followed by our formal meeting (7:30 – 9:00 PM). The latter begins with club business and is followed by a 50 minute entomology related presentation. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
7:30 PM
Amateur entomologists and digital photography
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Tom Murray
Now that nearly everyone owns a digital camera, many nature lovers have taken to photographing insects. Through their photography, amateurs are documenting range extensions, newly arriving exotics and interesting behaviors. Online media has created a worldwide forum for sharing this information with professionals and the interested public. Contributions of amateurs will be shown through photos and some of the interesting winter insects from the area will also be presented. Tom will also mention his forthcoming field guide on the insects of New England and New York.
The talk is free and open to the public. The meeting is readily accessible via public transportation. Parking is available in the Oxford Street Garage with advance arrangement, as described here, or (usually but not always) at spaces on nearby streets. Everyone is also welcome to join us for dinner before the talk (beginning at 6:15 PM) at the Harvard Law School cafeteria, on the second floor of Harkness Commons.
CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:15 to 7:15 PM) followed by our formal meeting (7:30 – 9:00 PM). The latter begins with club business and is followed by a 50 minute entomology related presentation. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
7:30 PM
The Natural History Gap
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
Sam Droege, US Geological Survey
Why does the average age of specimens in the ever declining set of remaining insect collections run to pre-WWII? Why does NASA spend $1.5 billion a year on climate change satellites yet we are unclear as to even the names of over 10% of North American bees and know nothing of even their regional status? Can natural history collections be mated with inventory and monitoring work and, (OMG!) statistics to create our own insect satellite systems?
The talk is free and open to the public. The meeting is readily accessible via public transportation. Parking is available in the Oxford Street Garage with advance arrangement, as described here, or (usually but not always) at spaces on nearby streets. Everyone is also welcome to join us for dinner before the talk (beginning at 6:15 PM) at the Harvard Law School cafeteria, on the second floor of Harkness Commons.
CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:15 to 7:15 PM) followed by our formal meeting (7:30 – 9:00 PM). The latter begins with club business and is followed by a 50 minute entomology related presentation. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
7:40 PM*
Boston Harbor Islands All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory: discovering the microwilderness of an urban island park.
MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University
*Please note the meeting will begin 10 minutes later than our normal time.
Dr. Jessica Rykken, Harvard University
The Boston Harbor Islands All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) began five years ago. Its major goals include inventorying and educating the public about arthropod biodiversity in the park. Jessica Rykken, a Harvard based researcher, has played a vital role in coordinating both the inventory and educational efforts. She first addressed the club shortly after the project was underway. Dr. Rykken is now returning to report on what has been discovered from the more than 1700 species and 65,000 specimens the ATBI has captured and cataloged.
The talk is free and open to the public. The meeting is readily accessible via public transportation. Parking is available in the Oxford Street Garage with advance arrangement, as described here, or (usually but not always) at spaces on nearby streets. Everyone is also welcome to join us for dinner before the talk ( beginning at 6:15 PM) at the Harvard Law School cafeteria, on the second floor of Harkness Commons.
CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:15 to 7:15 PM) followed by our formal meeting (7:30 – 9:00 PM). The latter begins with club business and is followed by a 50 minute entomology related presentation. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists.
