Invertebrate Insights

Invertebrate Insights is a grant funded series of projects and events centered around the development of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Natural History Collection and designed to engage community members in science. The collection is comprised primarily of local Wisconsin taxa, with an emphasis on insects (including aquatics) and spiders with smaller numbers of several other non-insect invertebrate groups. All events and resources are open to the campus community and the public.

Join in the UW Parkside BioBlitz May 4^th through the 10th and discover the hundreds of thousands of living creatures right outside your door. Participate in guided and self-guided activities, and contribute to the scientific understanding of our natural world. Check out the schedule of guided walks below, or submit observations anytime through the iNatralist app. (See instructions) 

You can also check on the project and contribute observations online through the project's webpage. 

Not sure what to look for? Pick from the suggested search themes for each day of the week.

Sunday May 4^th – Something green

Monday May 5^th -  Something fuzzy or furry

Tuesday May 6^th – Something flying

Wednesday May 7th - Something blooming or colorful

Thursday May 8th - Something on the ground, under rocks, sticks, or leaves

Friday May 9th - Something swimming

Saturday May 10th - Something found in groups

Now you can check out digital microscopes from the UW Parkside library! The library now has four digital microscopes available for students, staff, and community members to borrow for two weeks at a time. Simply visit the front desk and ask to check out a microscope. Community borrowers will need to sign up for a community borrowing card, if they don’t already have one. Community borrowing cards are free for local middle school and high school students.

Ranger Packs will be available for check out from the Parkside Library soon. Packs are available to students, staff, and community members with a community borrowing card. (Community borrowing cards are free for all middle school and high school students.)

There are three backpacks to choose from each one containing specific equipment to help you explore different types of living things including:

1. Plants

2. Insects

3. Birds 

Some items included in the backpacks are binoculars, hand lens, a small plant press, and more. Stay tuned for more details!

Join us for Science Night March 19th at 6:30pm in Greenquist 103.

Come and learn about community based science projects from Milwaukee Public Museum graduate student researcher Kathryn Sullivan in her talk From Field to Pin: Wisconsin Statewide Community Science Project.

Through this talk, scientists and the public can learn about local biodiversity by gathering data from the field and accessing a record of the past through natural history collections. Community involvement is especially crucial as biodiversity loss may be occurring at an incalculable rate with current monitoring. The Milwaukee Public Museum Wisconsin Statewide Community Science Project connects people across Wisconsin in learning together through participation in biodiversity research. Come learn about the work done by community members across the state in characterizing the important diversity in our home.

Annotation/Identification day was a full day event where invertebrate experts, taxonomists, students, and community members from UW campuses across the state of Wisconsin came together to identify and document as many specimens in the UW Parkside Natural History Collection as they could in a single day. Though the event only lasted only a day, the project is ongoing as the collection continues to grow. To find out more or get involved, contact Jessica Orlofske at orlofske@uwp.edu.