A Year in Review

As a curious turn of events, the Museum welcomed this past year without a curator of our collections. None of the 4,000 specimens were any worse for wear once the position resumed within a month, but stagnancy does not belong in a museum. I regard our collection as fluid--each object floats between exhibition, rest in storage, or perhaps even transfer to entirely new surroundings as a loan. A curator works to regularly welcome new objects, and occasionally finds reason to remove specimens from the collection too. As I reflect on the past year of an ever-evolving collection, my attention is drawn to a certain few accessions that most inspire my own wonder for our natural world. 

The impact of our most recent annual exhibit has been felt throughout the year. I first participated in an exhibit committee meeting in February, where volunteers casually listed off native bee species by their scientific names without missing a beat. Since then it seems that I, as well as many others around here, have become obsessed with finding bees and their insect relatives. This has inevitably led to me pinning various insects for our collection, as donations of the dried remains steadily trickle in. Despite having cultivated a soft spot for bees, my favorite new insect specimen is a goldsmith beetle. A representative of this species came to me as a mystery beetle in a plastic sandwich bag, the majority of its body a warm metallic gold. It doesn't quite look like something that would live in a northern forest, but may be found in our area although uncommonly so. I promptly stuck a pin through its shiny elytra (wing casing) and welcomed it to our entomology collection.

The Museum's second goldsmith beetle was added to
the collection this summer. The other specimen had
been collected in 1989. 

Speaking of shiny objects, there is little truth in the notion that corvids, such as crows and magpies, especially enjoy anything shiny. On the other hand, I might argue that humans do generally love objects that shine or sparkle. Perhaps that's why many of us collect a variety of mesmerizing minerals without the need to know the names or understand the origin of those formations. Geodes sparkle, but present themselves a bit differently--the crystals are hidden within a cavity which is obscured by a crusty outer layer. Two noteworthy calcite geodes entered the collection this year and continue to be a personal favorite for reasons beyond their sparkle. They're quite large--I found it difficult to carry the weight of both the solid formation and the half piece of another in one trip. I also learned that they were among the largest formations that a trusted geology professor has yet held. Even so, what amazes me most is knowing that prior to specimen status, these geodes had been nearly forgotten lawn ornaments for a number of years!

These two calcite geodes were gifted to the Museum
by one of our volunteers. Many specimens in our collection
have been gifted by community members throughout the years.

Many of our specimens came to the Museum as donations from community members wanting to move on from their treasures. This year, a new visitor realized our collection may be a proper place to rehome a fetal beaver preserved in fluid. Understandably so, this particular type of specimen may not inspire warmth and appreciation from many visitors. However fetal animals are an important part of any scientific collection, demonstrating the fascinating process of animal development in utero. Among others, examples of deer, raccoon, and a snapping turtle at varying fetal stages can now be found in the collection. 

These fetal specimens, a white-tailed deer, snapping
turtle, and beaver, were gifted to the Museum by a
visitor after attending a collections tour program for Boy Scout troops.

Over fifty years of collections development at the Museum means that we have encountered a wide variety of unique specimens. I had not anticipated taking on a fetal beaver or enormous geode when I began my work just under a year ago--in fact it's difficult to anticipate most donated specimens. With a new year ahead of us, I cannot wait to discover what will come through our doors.