View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Kosmopolis University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Internship Program Reports Education and Visitor Experience 2018 An Insect Community Study of the Morris Arboretum Green Roof Samantha Nestory University of Pennsylvania Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/morrisarboretum_internreports Part of the Biodiversity Commons, and the Horticulture Commons Recommended Citation Nestory, Samantha, "An Insect Community Study of the Morris Arboretum Green Roof" (2018). Internship Program Reports. 3. https://repository.upenn.edu/morrisarboretum_internreports/3 An independent study project report by The aH y Honey Farm Endowed Natural Lands Intern (2017-2018) This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/morrisarboretum_internreports/3 For more information, please contact
[email protected]. An Insect Community Study of the Morris Arboretum Green Roof Abstract Green roofs are becoming increasingly popular in cities around the globe because of their numerous benefits to humans. Green roofs can also benefit wildlife, particularly insects, through the creation of habitat. The og al of this study was to evaluate the biodiversity of the insect community on the Morris Arboretum intensive green roof and to identify management strategies to promote more diversity. We vacuum sampled the green roof three times in August and September 2017. Insects in the orders Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Neuroptera, and Mantodea were sorted, preserved, and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic rank. Overall, 891 insects were collected and identified. Two groups, ants and aphids, accounted for 566 of those insects. There was low diversity and abundance of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera, which could be attributed to the lack of fall-flowering plants, larval host plants, and overwintering sites.