Meet the Volunteers! Episode 7 – Lucas and the tiny friends

My name is Lucas. I am a sophomore in high school and an intern in the BMI lab at Sierra Streams Institute, and my goal in life is to try my best to be a good human who helps others. My favorite colors are green and yellow, because they remind me of dappled sunlight on leaves. I love nature and see it as my home. I have a special place in my heart for moss, mud, and sunlight. 

Growing up, I lived in the middle of nowhere on a little farm. I had a lot of trouble connecting with the humans in my life, and so I spent my energy spending time with the animals around me instead. My family had a large 3-generation chicken flock, which I helped raise from chicks, and they all had names. There was one roster who I was especially fond of, named Pompom. He was a Polish breed, and was black with a white fluffy pompom on his head, hence the name. He was picked on a lot by the other chickens and would often escape the run and follow me around the yard. He knew his name and would come running when called, and would even sit perched on my shoulder or head.

My entire life has been surrounded by nature. I spent my childhood getting to be outside exploring nooks and crannies, observing the critters with which I shared a habitat, and lying in the grass thinking about nothing. I was also not allowed access to any technology, except occasionally nature documentaries as I got older. By learning about nature, I became incredibly passionate about preserving and caring for the environment. 

While in the BMI lab for my internship, I work with aquatic bugs, but my interests didn’t start there. I have always been drawn to the ‘monster’ or ‘other’, and anything that humanity sees as such intrigues me. This started very early on in my obsession with wolves and sharks, and then as time went on, my interest turned to reptiles, and finally to insects. I absolutely adore terrestrial insects as those are the ones I look for in much of my free time, but this internship has helped me to appreciate aquatic invertebrates as well. I have had many pet bugs in my life, as well. 

I go to the same school as another SSI intern, Quinn (who wrote their own blog earlier on in this Meet the Volunteers series). When I learned about their internship and that it involved bugs and citizen science, I was immediately interested. Sadly, I thought that there was only one spot open and that I could not go, but thankfully, I was wrong and am now very happy to have this internship. This internship is very different from my past experiences. In the past, I’ve primarily worked with people, such as Pear Tree Preschool and a Special Education center. I had one internship with A-Z Reptile where I worked with animals, but I have never had an internship in science before. 

I love this internship, as I’ve gotten to learn a lot about a subject that really matters to me. I feel like I’m actually having a tangible, positive impact in a small way, both by helping sort samples and therefore contributing to data, but also in the community, and the environment too. I’ve gotten to experience things that I never thought I would be able to. Not only working in the bug lab with a microscope, but also field work.

I love the bug lab because I get practice with a microscope, I am learning to identify benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI), and it’s a calm, almost meditative activity. If I had to choose a favorite BMI, I would be swamped with options. I love so many of them, it is very difficult to choose. I know I am not fond of Oligochaetes, for they are very delicate, and I’m always anxious when I get them in samples. I love Trichoptera because their little houses are so pretty, and they sometimes have very cool orange coloration. I also love shrimp, because their little eyes make it look like they are living off of spite! 

While the BMI lab is very fun, I enjoy field work even more. I never thought I would get to have such an amazing hands-on experience working with nature. I love the process of taking measurements and samples, and I feel like I’m giving back a little bit of what nature has gifted me. I’ve gotten to spend my life surrounded by my fellow creatures, and now I get to do science to help them thrive. 

Pompom died a few years ago, and I began to have a hard time allowing myself to form connections with animals because they will not live as long as I do. As I have cared for bugs, this has begun to change, and I see death completely differently now. One of my first insectoid pets was a praying mantis by the name of Meg. She lived with me for almost four months and went on many adventures. I even brought her to school and on walks with me. I made her a huge enclosure, did a ton of research on how to care for her, and treated her with the same care and respect that I try to have for every creature.

Her favorite food was the bordered plant bug. She was a fantastic hunter. When it came to personality, she resembled a cat mixed with a parrot. She spent much of her time preening, running her claws through her mouth, and making sure everything was nice and orderly. She also enjoyed sunning, and would often sit on my hand simply enjoying the warmth and light. She was rather demanding and would request ‘uppies’ by stretching out her front claws and wiggling them at me, and she was quite picky in how she ate her food. While she did accept being hand-fed, she made sure I held the bug in just the right position, or else she would simply ignore it. She was exceptionally sassy and very curious. I miss her a lot, but when I get around to it, I am planning on pinning her as a memorial. 

I have had many more pet bugs too, such as millipedes, crickets, western red-humped caterpillar moths, harvestmen, two jumping spiders (Mustache and Scarlet), and even a false tarantula. 

I also now have my first ever reptile. She is a gorgeous garter snake, and her name is Crowley. She is very friendly, calm, and curious. She loves exploring her enclosure, and she has a favorite hide that I made from bark where she spends much of her time. She is also very fond of her sunning rock, and I often find her curled up and resting on it.

I feel that I have found my people, and this internship has opened up a lot of opportunities. Not only that, but I have started interacting with the scientific, naturalist, and activist communities here. I’m seriously considering having a job similar to this in the future. 

All writing and photo credits go to Lucas Osborn-Stoker