By Jamie, Sara, Jake, and Arielle—
June 29th, 2016
This morning, we had an early morning with a wake-up call at 4:45 am. We ate a quick breakfast and left the dorm at 5:15 sharp. We drove to the Friday Harbor Labs’ terrestrial reserve to survey slugs with Dr. Erika Iyengar.
Photos by Seth Grant
We found two types of slugs: the invasive European slug and the native banana slug.
We surveyed 3 different areas until the sun was up. Slugs live in dark and damp places, so the only time that we can see them is before sunrise.
After, we went back to the Friday Harbor Labs. We took a tour of the labs and learned about its history.
After the tour, we came back to the dorm for a well-deserved reflection time. Some of us napped and read books, while others played some badminton and volleyball. After reflection time we all joined together for some lunch.
After Lunch, we hopped in the van and drove to Mt. Young. We were joined by Sharon Massey who taught us the basics of scientific illustration. On the top of Mt. Young, after the somewhat exhausting hike, we took inspiration from the amazing scenery and began drawing. Hiking back down the mountain was a whole different story. Having taken a different route, we encountered a smelly snake and at the end of the hike we discussed different patterns in the mountain’s vegetation.
Back at the dorms, we had some exploration time, which gave us time to clean up and explore the property some more. Soon it was dinner time and we were joined by Derek Smith, a PhD candidate.
He specializes in marine ecology, most especially the ecology of shipwrecks. He shared with us some extraordinary pictures and stories. After Derek left, we played some card games and then it was time for bed. We had a delightful but tiring day. We hope you enjoyed reading about our day!