Photo of Shelby and fellow intern, Kayleigh Burton, exploring Kankakee Sands
As I was leaving school for the day I received a text from work, telling me to head over to the Kankakee Sand’s pond only a few miles down the road. I started up my car and headed over, but as I was driving up, all I could see were people running and flailing their arms with butterfly nets, each person almost tripping each time they would come closer to whatever they were aiming for. I made my way over to a coworker, and asked what was going on and where I could grab a net. I found out that we were trying to identify if there were autumn yellow-winged grasshoppers in the area.
There were six of us, so of course we would be able to catch a single grasshopper, right? Too bad they camouflage very well with the grass and everything around them. Luckily the bright orange, yellow or red underside of its wing could be spotted from far away. However, right when you see the grasshopper, it hurls itself into the air and dives down on to the ground. So running was a must, but each time you ran, you would be hit with grass and native plants or you would be close to rolling an ankle just when you thought you had it.
I tried to catch a few grasshoppers right as I arrived, but I would become winded, and need to take a break. I watched as each person chased something that you could hardly see and would turn around when they knew they did not have a chance. Some of us even came together and tried to catch one but lost that grasshopper too.
Shelby and her fellow interns searching every plant for their prized insect
As I ran through the rows of grass thinking I would not catch anything, I saw one – a beaming bright orange underside I could spot from the corner of my eye. I whirled around and stuck my net up in the air and aimed for it, making sure I would not trip as I crept closer. Each step, the higher the risk of it disappearing and I would have to start all over. I saw it leap one more time in the air so I threw my net down to catch and … I missed it. As I turned around in defeat, my fellow interns waved me over to them. Jackson and Kayleigh had one cornered and knew they could snag it.
I joined them and waited for them to move. I could not mess up another catch, so they were in charge this time. When the grasshopper that they had their eyes on jumped, Jackson went for it, running through the plants, stomping through the sandy soil, forcing dust to come up as he moved, almost tripping in the process, but he caught it! We were only able to tell because he fell with his net and had his arms around the edges of it to make sure it did not sneak out. The specialist we were with, Carl Strang, gathered up the net and took the grasshopper out. Jackson had caught the insect we had been hoping to catch – it was the autumn yellow-winged grasshopper.
The Soil & Water interns learning about the Yellow-Winged Grasshopper from Kankakee Sands’ Carl Strang and Gus Nyberg
The funny thing is I never planned on this career path. I originally signed up for the internship because I thought it was interesting, and did not know what the future would hold. I now plan to pursue a career in conservation after graduation.
I never would have guessed that this internship would change my life and how I see the world around me. Newton County is so important, holds so much history, and great aspects many people do not even know about, even I did not know about most of it. Each of the interns and mentors are people I have grown closer and see myself having connections with for a life time.
I strongly encourage people who have thought about possibly becoming a future intern, to not pass it up, this opportunity is something you will not regret. I hold this experience very close to me, and hope future interns feel the same.
Thank you for sharing this exciting adventure, Shelby, and cheers to your future career in conservation!
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