Bethpage State Park Ecology

Four years ago, a colorful but invasive organism made its way into Pennsylvania from Asia, and has thus, become a topic of concern among the science and ecotourism community. For those of you not yet familiar, the insect is  Lycorma delicatula ,  most commonly referred to as the spotted lanternfly (SLF). According to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), while not currently a strong presence in our state, this insect has already made its way into New Jersey, Virginia, and Delaware. With that in mind, scientists and park officials do want to err on the side of caution to limit this invasive species' dispersal and educate the public-- Lets start now!  What makes SLF destructive? Spotted lanternfly  is a sap-sucking planthopper. It feeds on tree phloem; t his is the vascular tissue that enables trees' to transport its sugars. In doing so, SLF can alter tree immunity and make it vulnerable to other insect attacks or diseases. Besides that, there are ot

As the park ecologist (and also an avid butterfly admirer ), I have made it my mission this summer to monitor as many locations across our park for monarch butterfly activity. Since June, I have diligently counted hundreds of monarch eggs, larval instars, chrysalises, adult monarchs and the number of milkweed plants they have been found on too. If you are a golfer, there is a good chance you might have stopped to ask me what I was looking at on #17 of the Green Course or perhaps #11 of the Red Course. If you are a biker or picnic-goer, you may have even seen me scanning the garden for bright orange flowers called butterflyweed. This is one of the milkweed host plants that monarch caterpillars feed on. While much of my time has been spent monitoring these types of protected pollinator spaces, this year our maintenance crew brought my attention to another location...one, small flower box behind the mechanic shop, bursting with color and absolutely COVERED in monarch caterpill

Happy National Pollinator Week! Around this time in June, our mission is to honor and spread awareness about the numerous ecosystem services that pollinators provide to our park and parkgoers. To clarify, pollinators refer to any  organisms that transfer pollen as a result of feeding on flowers. While the commonly known pollinators are bees and butterflies, the job is also completed by a variety of beetles, moths, flies, birds and even bats ! Regardless of the organism, the movement of pollen from one flower to the next, promotes a new generation of plants.  This means increased floral beauty in our green spaces, cleaner air, additional forage/refuge for other fauna... the list goes on and on, especially when you consider what pollinators do for our diets and our economy (I bet that  your favorite fruit or vegetable needs bees!). However, pollinators need our help now; their populations have been dwindling in part because their nectar sources have been removed by urbanization an

Over the years, the annual bluegrass weevil  (Listronotus maculicollis)  has become quite the nuisance for North American golf courses. At Bethpage State Park, our fair(way) share of this pest starts when the weather gets warmer and the rhododendrons begin to bloom. As the species name suggests, annual bluegrass weevils (ABW) are beetles that feed predominately on annual bluegrass (Poa annua), especially when mowed short. This obviously makes golf course habitats extremely suceptible to ABW activity. In early spring, adult ABW migrate from forest edges and roughs, into fairway collars and greens. There they will lay eggs in the sheaths of  P. annua.  Early larvae will feed on these stems until they become too big and shift to feed on the crown of the turfgrass. It is at this stage that ABW is believed to cause the most damage.  With an overwintering population and multiple generations per year, it is no wonder that these little insects succeed at creating a great deal of troubl