KU Field Station

Pipevine Swallowtail ✨

☁️ Cancelled due to cloudy forecast ☁️

Ready to make a wish? Join the Astronomy Associates of Lawrence for a night of skywatching as the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak! 🔭✨

One of the year’s most spectacular meteor showers, the Perseids occur as Earth passes through the trail of debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. A new moon darker skies, and we could see dozens of meteors per hour, including bright streaks, glowing trails, and occasional fireballs.

Telescopes will be set up on the lawn behind the Armitage Education Center, and members of the Astronomy Associates of Lawrence will be there to help identify constellations, answer questions, and connect you with the world beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Bring a chair or blanket and settle in under the stars. Whether you stay for the entire evening or stop by for a quick look, we would love to have you join us! ☄️

📅 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: Wednesday, August 12, 9:00–11:30 p.m.

📍 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: Armitage Education Center, KU Field Station, 350 Wild Horse Road, Lawrence, KS 66044

☕ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: a camp chair or blanket, closed-toe shoes, long pants, water bottle.

📧 𝗧𝗼 𝗥𝗦𝗩𝗣: Email Wendy at [email protected]

☁️ 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: Clear skies are required and event may be cancelled due to cloud cover. Wendy will email registrants by Tuesday, August 11 with an update.

We celebrated National Moth Week covered in insects! 🌙 🦋✨

Lots of moths (and other insects) were drawn to our light trap, and we marveled at each one as we documented our observations as part of this global community science effort.

One of the highlights was a stunning female Luna moth who made quite the dramatic entrance, landing on nearly everyone before finally settling onto the sheet.

Nights like this are a reminder that you don’t have to be a scientist to contribute to long-term research. Sometimes all it takes is being curious, observing closely, and sharing what you find with others!

Thanks to everyone who came out on such a steamy night to geek out under the lights with us! 🤩

𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰: What Can Water Teach Us? 🌊🧪🚰

Water is critical to life, and it can tell the story of an ecosystem's health, its response to environmental change, and the lasting impacts of human activity. In Kansas, aquatic scientists use reservoirs not only to assess today's water quality, but also to read the environmental record preserved in layers of sediment. By looking to the past, they gain valuable insights into how our waters have changed and the challenges they may face in the future.

Join Christine Cornish, aquatic ecotoxicologist and Associate Researcher at the Kansas Bio Survey & Center for Ecological Research, to learn how scientists investigate the many factors that shape the health of our freshwater ecosystems. From greenhouse gases and harmful algal blooms to microplastics and ancient aquatic ecosystems, Christine will share snapshots from the day-to-day work of the researchers helping us understand and protect the waters we all depend on.

📅 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: Sunday, August 16 at 2:00 p.m.

📍 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: KU Field Station, Armitage Education Center, 350 Wild Horse Road, Lawrence, Kansas 66044

☕ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: A mug for tea/coffee to help us reduce waste.

📧 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗦𝗩𝗣 to Wendy ([email protected]) as space is limited. It also helps us plan for seating and snacks! 🍪

𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘜 𝘍𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥!

Bright sun, polite frogs, and happy students! ☀️

This summer's Field Ecology class just spent two days exploring lake ecology at Cross Reservoir, from surface to sediment.

By collecting data throughout the water column, students got a real-time picture of how light, temperature, and dissolved oxygen change with depth, and how those changes influence where organisms live. They investigated everything from aquatic macrophytes and invertebrate communities near the surface to the black, smelly, anoxic mud 11 meters below.

Experiences like these let students be curious, ask questions, collect real data, and deepen their understanding of ecology by studying it where it happens.

Learning in the field is hard to beat! 🌊🔬

Can prairie partnerships help build a more sustainable future for agriculture?

🍄 Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form partnerships with prairie plants, colonizing their deep root systems and extending microscopic networks through the soil. These fungal networks help plants access water and nutrients, allowing them to grow bigger and stronger.

🌾 Prairie strips are narrow bands of native plants planted around and within agricultural fields that reduce erosion, slow runoff, and help keep nutrients in place.

But what happens if prairie strip establishment focuses not only on the plants aboveground, but also on the hidden partnership belowground? Can restoring this relationship between plants and AMF "supercharge" prairie strips?

At the KU Field Station, researchers are testing this idea by establishing prairie strips with and without added native AMF, alongside corn plots for comparison. By measuring soil and nutrient losses from each strip after rain events, they hope to learn whether strengthening these underground partnerships can make prairie strips even more effective.

The goal? To bring the strengths of prairie systems into the future of agriculture.

✨ Want to learn more? Join us for Science Sundays this weekend!

Kansas Bio Survey & Center for Ecological Research

🌘✨ It's almost National Moth Week! ✨🦋

Come light trap moths with us as part of this global community science effort, happening worldwide July 18–26!

We will shine bright lights on white sheets and observe, photograph, and document the diversity of moths and other night-flying invertebrates that visit us after dark.

You never know what we’ll find! From delicate plume moths and striking sphinx moths to owlflies, mole crickets, and more, every night brings new surprises. 🔦✨

Stop by for a quick look or stay until we turn off the lights. Whether you’re a seasoned insect lover or just curious about what flies through the night, you’re welcome to join us!

📅 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: Saturday, July 25 from 9–10:30 p.m.

📍 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: KU Field Station, Armitage Education Center, 350 Wild Horse Road, Lawrence, Kansas 66044

🔦 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: Long pants, closed-toe shoes, a flashlight or headlamp, a camera for cool critters, a lawn chair if you’d like to stay a while, and a water bottle.

📧 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗦𝗩𝗣 to Wendy ([email protected])

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘞𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘺 24, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦.

Hearts in nature. 🧡🐍

Featuring: Copperhead (𝘈𝘨𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘹)

𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰: What Can Agriculture Learn From Prairies? 🚜🌾

Nearly half of Kansas is covered in agriculture, and as the human population grows, so does the pressure to produce more food from a finite amount of land. Prairies, once the dominant ecosystem across the region, are among the most productive and diverse landscapes on Earth. Their fertile soils also make them ideal for agriculture, and much of this once-extensive ecosystem is now cropland.

This tension between productivity and loss points to prairies as a model for more sustainable agriculture. Join Tom McKenna, assistant research professor with the Kansas Bio Survey & Center for Ecological Research, as he explores how prairie ecology is shaping new approaches to farming. Tom’s research, supported by the Perennial Agriculture Project, a partnership between The Land Institute and the Malone Family Land Preservation Foundation, focuses on perennial grain crops like Kernza®, prairie restoration, and the use of prairie strips in agricultural landscapes.

This work raises an important question: what can agriculture learn from prairies?

📅 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: Sunday, July 19 at 2:00 p.m.

📍 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: KU Field Station, Armitage Education Center, 350 Wild Horse Road, Lawrence, Kansas 66044

☕ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: A mug for tea/coffee to help us reduce waste.

📧 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗦𝗩𝗣 to Wendy ([email protected]) as space is limited. It also helps us plan for seating and snacks! 🍪

𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘜 𝘍𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥!