George LoCascio from Bunkerhill Community College in Boston, returned to spend a few days at Las Casas de la Selva, along with Denise O’Malley, helping out on gardens and continuing with George’s ongoing Lepidoptera project. This consists of a species survey and a population survey. The species survey involves the use of aerial mesh traps, that carry fruits as bait to attract butterflies,that remain unharmed for proper identification. Along with aerial traps traditional hand nets are used to capture species for identification. Both methods are used to compile a list of Lepidoptera species that are found on the property. The population survey is along a predetermined 1.1 km transect that can be, and is, repeated to find population trends of different known species. George and Denise also continued with a project begun last year, measuring the volumes of tree trunks and using the density of the wood to determine the amount of carbon dioxide that has been sequestered within them. George has been returning to Las Casas frequently over the last few years. This was Denise’s second trip here.
