Capture evolution in your own backyard by collecting fruit flies from your compost pile. Your compost pile is teaming with life, and fruit flies are an important part of that ecosystem. Over the course of the summer, your pile will be inhabited by about a dozen different fruit fly species (in addition to many other flying, walking, and crawling invertebrates).

For some of these species, up to 15 generations can pass between the spring and fall. You can help us track the evolutionary dynamics of fruit flies in real-time by collecting and preserving flies from your compost pile! We’ll ask you to collect flies every two weeks over the growing season and into early winter, and then preserve them in ethanol until we pick up your collections.

Don’t worry, we’ll give you all of the gear you might need, as well as provide a comprehensive online training. If you’re interested in being a valuable citizen scientist, head over to https://bergland-lab.org/backyard-evolution to sign up to be a collector! Have further questions? Contact us at virginia.backyard.flies@gmail.com.