Saturday, August 31, 2013

No Fresh Sheet – August 31, 2013


In anticipation of Pacific Science Center’s annual fall closing September 9 – 19, the Life Sciences department has not ordered pupae for this week. This brief closure gives us an opportunity to thoroughly clean the Tropical Butterfly House and make any necessary repairs to the exhibit.



Although pupae shipments are temporarily suspended, there are still lots of Lepidoptera flying around our Tropical Butterfly House for the next ten days. Then be sure to come back and visit us when we reopen September 20th and check out our spanking clean Tropical Butterfly House!


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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

PSC ♥ Volunteers: Become an Animal Care Volunteer!

Hello! My name is Chelsea and I am the Volunteer Specialist at Pacific Science Center. I focus on supporting the 300+ volunteers who donate their time to Pacific Science Center. Volunteers make a tremendous impact. From interpreting science with our guests on the museum floor to sharing scientific research during research weekends to helping with data entry – volunteers further our mission of inspiring a lifelong interest in science, math and technology.

Chelsea holding a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach during her first week at Pacific Science Center. One of her favorite Science Center memories!



In my position, I also have the opportunity to work with staff on creating new volunteer opportunities and recruiting volunteers. I am very excited to share with you details on our new Animal Care volunteer position. Although we currently have a small cadre of Animal Care volunteers, this is the first time that we have created a formal position description. We are also expanding our volunteer roster and are eager to work with volunteers that are passionate about animals and sharing that passion with our guests.


The Animal Care volunteers have an amazing opportunity to get up close and personal with our many creatures and critters. They will assist with daily tasks to care for our animals, such as preparing food, cleaning and maintaining healthy habitats, and even pinning pupae. In addition, they will help us learn about the animals and share that knowledge with our many guests. If you love naked mole rats, tropical butterflies, spiders, Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, snakes, leopard geckos and talking to people -- then this could be an excellent opportunity for you! Volunteers will receive ample training.


I encourage you to consider joining the Animal Care volunteer team by applying today! The online application is very easy to complete and can be found here: http://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/Get-Involved/volunteer. In addition, Pacific Science Center volunteers receive many great perks.

If you have any questions about volunteering, feel free to contact me at volunteers@pacsci.org or 206-443-2868. I hope you apply!

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Saturday, August 24, 2013

Fresh Sheet – August 24, 2013

Look for the much loved and often requested Papilio palinurus flying around our Tropical Butterfly House this week. We got lots of ‘em!



Philippines

80 - Papilio palinurus (Banded Peacock)
30 - Papilio rumanzovia (Crimson Swallowtail)
80 - Papilio lowii (Sunset Swallowtail)
80 - Idea leuconoe (Paper Kite)
24 - Graphium agamemnon (Tailed Jay)
30 - Pachliopta kotzeboea (Pink Rose)
80 - Parthenos sylvia philippensis (The Clipper)
20 - Hypolimnas bolina (Blue moon)
15 - Cethosia biblis (Red Lacewing)

Total = 439

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.


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Saturday, August 17, 2013

Fresh Sheet – August 17, 2013


Six hundred, twenty-six butterflies-in-waiting have landed at our Tropical Butterfly House this week. Now they await your arrival. Visit them soon!


El Salvador

10 - Archeoprepona demophoon (Hubner’s Prepona)
20 - Battus belus (Belus Swallowtail)
25 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
10 - Consul fabius (Tiger Leafwing)
10 - Doxocopa callianira (Callianira Emperor)
10 - Eurytides thymbraeus(White-crested Swallowtail)
20 - Heliconius charitonius (Zebra Longwing)
15 - Heliconius erato (Small Postman)
15 - Heliconius hecale (Tiger Longwing)
15 - Heliconius hortense (Mountain Longwing)
20 - Heliconius ismenius (Ismenius Longwing)
25 - Lycorea cleobaea (Large Tiger)
40 - Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
30 - Morpho polyphemus (White Morpho)
20 - Myscelia ethusa (Royal Blue Butterfly)
10 - Papilio androgeus (Queen Page)
10 - Papilio pilumnus (Three-tailed Swallowtail)
08 - Parides arcas (Arcas Cattleheart)
05 - Prepona omphale (Blue Belly-Button)
08 - Smyrna blomfildia (Blomfeld's Beauty)
25 - Tithorea harmonia (Harmonia Tigerwing)

Total = 376

LPS-LLC

11 - Athyma perius (Common Sergeant)
10 - Catopsilia pyranthe (Mottled Emigrant)
10 - Cethosia biblis (Red Lacewing)
05 - Chilasa clytia (Common Mime)
10 - Doleschalia bisaltide (Autumn Leaf)
10 - Graphium agamemnon (Tailed Jay)
40 - Hypolimnas bolina (Blue moon)
06 - Hypolimnas misippus (Danaid Eggfly)
20 - Idea leuconoe (Paper Kite)
11 - Ideopsis juventa (Wood Nymph)
10 - Pachliopta kotzeboea (Pink Rose)
18 - Papilio lowii (Sunset Swallowtail)
09 - Papilio memnon (Great Memnon)
10 - Papilio nireus (Blue-banded Swallowtail)
10 - Papilio palinurus (Banded Peacock)
10 - Papilio polytes (Polite Swallowtail)
10 - Papilio rumanzovia (Crimson Swallowtail)
10 - Parthenos sylvia lilacinus (Blue Clipper)
10 - Parthenos sylvia philippensis (The Clipper)
10 - Parthenos sylvia violaceae (Violet Clipper)
10 - Vindula dejone (The Cruiser)

Total = 250

Grand Total = 626

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.


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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Native Plants on the Upper Courtyard

What’s fun, educational, hard work, and gets dirt all over? Replanting Pacific Science Center’s upper courtyard with native pollinator plants!

Last month, Pacific Science Center held an epic Horticulture Volunteer work party to replant the upper courtyard planter color bowls. The color bowls were badly in need of a makeover. An arch restoration project had made watering on the upper pads impossible for several hot, sunny weeks, and many of the bowls were filled with dying plants, dead plants, or weeds. Additionally, none of the resident plants had much of an educational story. What better opportunity to redesign the color bowls to be both beautiful and educational, to support Pacific Science Center’s mission of increasing interest in science?


Life Sciences Manager, Sarah Moore, and Horticulturist, Jenn Purnell, decided to plant a native pollinator garden, because of the educational tie-in to our Tropical Butterfly House Exhibit, and because of the vital importance of pollinators in our local ecosystems. Jenn chose a selection of Puget Sound prairie plants and Eastern Washington plants that could handle the hot, relatively dry conditions of the upper courtyard. All of the plants are native to Washington, and most of the plants are known to support native animals in some way – as nectar and pollen sources, host plants, or habitat. The plants were purchased from Kruckeberg Botanic Garden, a nonprofit that specializes in rare native Northwest plants.


It took six Horticulture Volunteers, two Life Sciences staff members, one Discovery Corps intern, and one guest speaker more than three hours to replant ten color bowls. They removed the dry, matted dead plant material from the color bowls, replaced much of the old, depleted soil with new soil and sand, and carefully planted 95 new plants. With PSC’s annual black-tie event, Festival of the Fountains, just days away, the team worked hard to contain the dirt in tarps and clean-up as they worked. The Horticulture Volunteer Work Party concluded with a well-earned pizza dinner, and a fascinating lecture by native bee photographer, Will Peterman.

The new upper plants are diminutive and botanically interesting. They are adapted to attracting and feeding bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. Because of this, they lack the showiness of many garden cultivated varieties. Because of being replanted in the heat of the summer, several of the plants initially showed signs of transplant stress. But with a careful watering schedule and lots of Horticulture Volunteer attention, most are sending up new shoots and leaves. Some of the plants are bulbs and won’t be seen again until next spring, such as checker lily (Fritillaria affinis) and Ithuriel’s spear (Triteleia laxa).


In addition to being popular with insects and birds, several of the plants have a history of ethnobotanical use. Native peoples of the Northwest used the roots of camas (Camassia leichtlinii ssp., Camassia quamish) and Columbia lily (Lilium columbianum) as a food sources. A few of the plants are named after the explorers Lewis and Clarke, in honor of their botanical documentation work: specifically Lewis’s mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii) and deerhorn clarkia (Clarkia pulchella).

In the coming years, we hope many people will have the opportunity to stroll beneath the arches of Pacific Science Center’s upper pads, and enjoy some close encounters with native plants, insects and birds.


To see a complete list of our plantings, go to http://pacificsciencecenter.org/images/stories/pdf/2013-08-13-Upper-Pads-Plant-List.pdf


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Saturday, August 10, 2013

Fresh Sheet – August 10, 2013

In addition to the 504 new pupae we received this week from Costa Rica, we still have Atlas Moths emerging from their cocoons. Everyday is a surprise in our emerging window. Stop by and take a look!


Costa Rica

15 - Archeoprepona demophon (One-spotted Prepona)
04 - Caligo atreus (Yellow-Edged Giant-Owl)
14 - Caligo eurilochus (Forest Giant Owl)
12 - Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
53 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
24 - Greta oto (Glasswing)
09 - Heliconius cydno (Cydno Longwing)
76 - Heliconius doris (Doris Longwing)
25 - Heliconius erato (Small Postman)
71 - Heliconius hecale (Tiger Longwing)
49 - Heliconius melpomene (Postman)
08 - Heliconius sapho (Sapho Longwing)
12 - Heraclides anchisiades (Ruby-spotted Swallowtail)
40 - Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
42 - Papilio thoas (Thoas Swallowtail)

Total = 504

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.


Read more!

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Fresh Sheet - August 3, 2013

The emerging window is full this week with butterfly pupae from the New World. Stop by and see what’s flying!


Suriname

15 - Battus polydamas (Polydamus Swallowtail)
15 - Heraclides thoas (Thoas Swallowtail)
40 - Heliconius melpomene (Postman)
40 - Dryas iulia (Julia Longwing)
40 - Catonephele orites (Orange-banded Shoemaker)
40 - Anartia amathea (Scarlet Peacock)
05 - Hamadryas feronia (Variable Calico)
40 - Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
25 - Mechanitis polymnia (Polymnia Tigerwing)
10 - Tithorea harmonia (Harmonia Tigerwing)

Total = 270

El Salvador

20 - Battus belus (Belus Swallowtail)
30 - Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
10 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
25 - Consul fabius (Tiger Leafwing)
10 - Eurytides branchus (Dual-spotted Swallowtail)
10 - Eurytides thymbraeus(White-crested Swallowtail)
25 - Heliconius erato (Small Postman)
15 - Heliconius hortense (Mountain Longwing)
15 - Heliconius ismenius (Ismenius Longwing)
20 - Lycorea cleobaea (Large Tiger)
40 - Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
30 - Morpho polyphemus (White Morpho)
10 - Myscelia cyaniris (Blue Wave Butterfly)
25 - Myscelia ethusa (Royal Blue Butterfly)
10 - Papilio garamas (Magnificent Swallowtail)
10 - Papilio palinurus (Banded Peacock)
12 - Archeoprepona demophon (One-spotted Prepona)
10 - Prepona omphale (Blue Belly-Button)
20 - Tithorea harmonia (Harmonia Tigerwing)

Total = 347

Grand Total = 617

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.
Read more!