Bugstock #3 Report - May 30th - June 1st, 2008

May 30th - June 1st

      The last weekend in May was another great weekend at the farm. This was the third Bugstock and the first one of 2008. We left the house at around 11 on Friday and drove north. When we rounded the corner after the bridge we came across the Stricklands collecting by roadside. We said hello and continued on to the farm. The cabin now had electricity, AC units and a working toilet, which were all wondrous things compared to Bugstock last year. The rest of the day was spent mowing grass and getting things ready around the cabin. Most of the core group showed up and a few groups went out on hikes before dark.
      That night we had three light rigs burning. Collecting was enjoyable and Dave came out for a while to meet us. There were tons of frogs calling and Shane was able to snag a huge bull frog (which we kept in a tub for everyone to see, then released). A few groups went on night hikes and James searched for snakes around the pond. We walked around and visited far into the night until we were no longer able to move (probably around 2 AM). Four of us slept in the cabin that night.
      I woke up early and got the tables ready for breakfast. Nicki and Emma drove up with some goodies and Travis brought donuts. After we ate and visited for a while I mowed more of the camping area and a few other spots on the other side of the pond.
      Although the Magnolia Mound trail was not 100% complete we were happy to unveil the new section of the Lost Tooth trail which makes it much easier to get from the cabin to the RRRS Pecan Bridge.
      Saturday was a busy day. We had a lot of new folks that had never been to Bugstock before, like: Eric, Jayme, Andrew, Billy and Brian from New Orleans / Thibodaux area. Dave and crew set a new record for distance traveled to attend Bugstock. They came down from New York and Rhode Island to film for an upcoming TV show for Animal Planet (more info after the release).
      Most of the day was spent hiking. Michael collected the first Euphoria fulgida we had ever seen at the farm. The weather had been wonderful but it did rain for a bit that afternoon.
      We had two light rigs going that night: Linda's was near the pond and I set mine up in the field to try to attract stink bugs for Dave. Paul (of: "La Haye's All The Way Cajun Seasoning"!) cooked wonderful gumbo for everyone over an open fire. The food didn't last long as we had all worked up an appetite walking around all day.
      There was a smaller pot made for Dave to add insects to (he was on a strict, insect-protein-only diet). Dave also brought other things for us to taste including crickets and leaf-cutter ants.
      I had some friends from work show up (Josh, Sam and Kellie's group) as did Michael (Faren, Anik, Paul and Pete). We spent the rest of the evening checking the lights. Shane found the first Dynastes (a male) ever spotted at the farm at the lights that night. Travis and Michael took a trip up to the beetle hunting area 30 minutes north of Bugstock but didn’t find very much (still too early in the year). We also had a very late jam session on the porch. It included two guitars, a banjo, bodhran, darbuka and a plastic bucket. When Michael and Travis got back Michael broke out the bagpipes and joined the jam.
      On Sunday we had more hiking excursions. Andrew gave a nice presentation on flint knapping and the use of the atlatl which everyone loved. We also started to clean things up around the cabin. Slowly the party broke up as the groups started heading back to their homes and another successful Bugstock came to a close.


Steven