Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventure here on the Zoo’s website!  Brandon Rowley is an insect keeper at the San Diego Zoo, working primarily with butterflies and birds. He is currently working on a breeding program that promotes the population growth of an endangered species, the quino checkerspot butterfly. Mr. Rowley demonstrates immense passion for his work: his love for this particular project stems from his interest in butterflies and his commitment to environmental conservation. [caption id="attachment_123413" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The Pollinator Garden is a sanctuary for bees and butterflies alike. The interns sat here, surrounded by pollinator host plants, while Mr. Rowley gave the first portion of his presentation.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_123414" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Inside the Pollinator Garden, there is a lovely beehive to promote the health and well-being of honeybees. Since these are crucial pollinators, the support from the San Diego Zoo is a great contribution to environmental conservation.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_123415" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Milkweed is the host plant for the Monarch Butterfly, a favorite among Zoo visitors and employees alike.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_123416" align="aligncenter" width="466"] The greenhouse at the Pollinator Garden contains carnivorous plants, one of which is pictured above. The pitcher plant collects water in its shaft and has a sweet, sugary smell that attracts insects. The insects crawl down the tube to investigate and either get stuck or drown. The plant then secretes an enzyme to digest the insect.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_123417" align="aligncenter" width="994"] Brandon holds up a picture of the Quino Checkerspot butterfly, an endangered species that he his aiding through a breeding program. These butterflies used to span from Santa Barbara to Mexico, but now they only occupy small areas of Southern California.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_123422" align="aligncenter" width="460"] Mr. Rowley showed the interns the Zoo’s Butterfly Conservation Lab, the place that occupies most of his time. This is where the quino checkerspot butterfly breeding occurs. This breeding program is a crucial contributor to environmental conservation and an important step in recovering the population size of the quino checkerspot butterfly.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_123423" align="aligncenter" width="460"] There are over 5,000 butterflies on this rack! This season was unusually productive, creating a larger number of offspring than expected. This is great news—the lab is directly contributing more to population growth.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_123424" align="aligncenter" width="460"] : If you pick up any given container, you will see several different things. “What are all those funny numbers on the side?” you may ask. Workers in the lab keep track of the number of eggs/caterpillars/butterflies in each container. Sometimes more offspring are born or existing organisms are transferred, so they want to keep the counts as exact as possible. There is also a cloth at the bottom (for cleaning purposes) and a folded towel for the caterpillars to hide under.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_123425" align="aligncenter" width="460"] Mr. Rowley holds the container that is used to release the butterflies back into the wild. There is a system of two containers, one with smaller holes and one with larger holes, so that the butterfly can be protected until it is ready to emerge into the wild. There is also a plastic umbrella on top to stop the contraption from filling with water.[/caption] The interns not only learned about the quino checkerspot butterfly from Mr. Rowley, but also that they can make a direct impact on the environment in their future careers—and it all starts with one butterfly. Dana, Photo Journalist Team Week Two, Fall Session 2017