Stories From The Field

I have always felt at home when I was somewhere in a prairie or on the mountain side. Conducting field research is an important step in understanding large-scale alterations within our ecosystem as we continuously modify the environment around us.

Brenna Decker (center) along with two other grad students survived the hail storm and experienced a rainbow during fieldwork in central Illinois

Tornadoes in the Prairies

In 2016 while sampling bees at Ballard Nature Center with two other graduate volunteers (Dr. Rachel Skinner, left, and Dr. Josh Gibson, right), we were caught in a hail storm with tornado sirens! Luckily we were able to collect traps with minimal damage, and were blessed with a rainbow afterwards.

Pesticide Applicator

Between UIUC and USU, I took a position as a qualified supervisor for a national pest control company in Denver, CO. While I had experience with invasive plant control, I addressed issues with rodents, reptiles, and various insects, while training other employees and writing environmental manuals.

Brenna Decker checking a white pan trap to see what bees were collected
A butterfly lapping salt (sweat) from Brenna Decker's fingers during a break in fieldwork

Images taken during field work in Wisconsin and Illinois, working on several projects from invasive plant and pest species management, biofuel field biodiversity, localized bee blitz studies, and collecting for studying bee community composition responses to prescribed fires.