So you’ve come across one of our passive sound recorders!

The green box you scanned that QR code from is a passive sound recorder. Many researchers use these to record and listen for species that might be hard to find in an environment or to gather a better understanding of the biodiversity of calling organisms in that area. Our recorders specifically record at three times every day - morning, afternoon, and evening - for ten minutes during that time frame. We have these recorders set up at several sites along the east coast and the Appalachian Mountains listening for specific organisms.

We are specifically listening for field crickets, Gryllus firmus and/or Gryllus pennsylvanicus. These crickets have very large ranges and even overlap and hybridize/interbreed along the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains. We are interested in when during the year these cricket species emerge as adults (when males begin to call) and how long they persist. This gives us an idea of how much they overlap during their breeding period and how much they may be able to interact with each other along that hybrid zone.