The 59th Annual Meeting of the Newton Conservators (originally scheduled for May 6) will be held virtually on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 7 pm.
The meeting will feature the election of officers, the annual update on Conservators’ activities, and announcements of our annual awards. Most of the meeting will feature Newton’s own caterpillar expert, Sam Jaffe.
Sam Jaffe, Director of The Caterpillar Lab, will present “Caterpillars: The Whole Story,” which will explore butterflies, moths, plants, parasitoids, and the many caterpillars that are positioned at the center of it all. To tell the story, Sam’s multimedia presentation will show a variety of caterpillars found during the seasons.
Sam is a naturalist, photographer extraordinaire, and educator who has been working with native insects since an early age. He grew up in Newton chasing birds, mucking through ponds, and turning over leaves. For the last twelve years, he has been photographing and filming caterpillars to educate the public about these special creatures. In 2013, he founded The Caterpillar Lab, a nonprofit educational organization based in Marlborough, NH, and he now travels across the country working with museums, nature centers, schools, and individual teachers to show them the critical role of native insects in our lives. When he is not behind the camera or tending his zoo of caterpillars, you can invariably find Sam up to his waist in vegetation.
To view some of Sam’s amazing photographs and videos, please check out his website.