Green Jersey

Mosquito hunting in the Arctic

In this part of the country, when you hop into a van after spending time outside, the mosquitoes often follow that van in a desperate swarm as you leave.

I spent much of today in a green headnet, taking samples from the Toolik River. Later, I walked on and under an aufeis, an ice formation created when a stream freezes and then adds layer after frozen layer. Mosquitoes in my photos look like birds. I got some bites, despite using the net, DEET, permethrin and fragrance-free everything.

Check out this video by a colleague from Audubon Magazine, who filmed it as we got back into our 8-person van during a trip on the Dalton Highway. We’re going postal on the mosquitoes. I miss Jersey bats.