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. ...

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 cater...