Patina Mendez is a caddisfly expert, so it’s no surprise that when KQED Science’s Deep Look wanted to get up close and personal with a caddisfly, they asked Mendez for help.
A lecturer in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and a fresh water ecologist, Mendez happily told them all about the behavior and diversity of caddisflies — known mostly to anglers, who imitate the moth-like adults with their elaborately tied flies — in streams in Mt. Tamalpais State Park. She arranged with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and park authorities to collect caddisfly larvae — specifically the species she studies, Neophylax rickeri — and take them back to KQED’s studio in San Francisco for close-ups.
“I was really happy that Deep Look captured just how picky the caddisflies were in building,” Mendez said. “It’s something I’ve described in a few talks, and everyone is always amazed at how something so small can have so many choosy behaviors. Given how specific humans are when building their own houses, I think it helps people to identify with insects a little bit more.”