Hunting for jewels in WA

Field work in Wubin
Testing if beetles see gloss
Halfway to boiling

In January, as part of my Amgen internship program, I was lucky enough to take a field trip in Western Australia with Amanda and Katrina for 12 days.

I had no idea what to expect, as I have never gone to WA, nor had I gone on a field trip of this nature. These 12 days gave me a new appreciation of the natural world around me and changed the way I thought about research.

The field trip was centered around the Jewel beetle genus named Temognatha. We had planned several field experiments, to explore if Jewel beetles perceived a difference between gloss and matte stimuli, and would preferentially select one over the other.

Before the trip, I was somewhat apprehensive of holding a beetle. But, after being on the plane for 3 hours, arriving in Perth, then swapping to the car to drive for another 3 hours – any fear I initially held was replaced with anticipation and excitement. So, at the first sight of beetles, I hopped out of the car and after a few attempts caught my first beetle, a Temognatha westwoodi!

One of the experiments involved setting up glossy and matte bucket traps. To increase visibility of the trap, it was important to elevate the traps (eg. hanging on the branch of a tall tree). This required a special contraption – called the “marshmallow”, that Katrina had constructed for us. It was made of an extension pole used to wash windows, with a marshmallow roasting stick attached to the end. This allowed us to loop the handle of the bucket through the roasting stick and then place it on a tree branch. The process was like a game, and I had lots of fun setting traps up on tall trees.

With many days being 40 – 45 degrees, we would start the work day early, then finish early. We would often spend the afternoon at a pub or (my personal favourite) the BP petrol station at Wubin, for some free wifi and AC. This petrol station was also where I expanded my food palate and tried a custard tart (yummy!) and a trifle (bit questionable).

I’ve always been somewhat intimidated by researchers; so much so that it stripped away almost any desire to pursue research. But, spending time with everyone on the trip helped me breakdown those assumptions and the stereotypes I held and reignited my desire to do research. I am so grateful for all the experiences I had on the field trip – and I guess I will never drive past flowering eucalyptus trees again without wanting to look for jewel beetles.

Post by Aika Young, Amgen intern