Monarch Butterfly
Scientific name: Danaus plexippus
Favorite snack: Milkweed
Fun Fact: Monarch butterflies in Eastern North America migrate to the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico during the winter.
Spotted Laternfly
Scientific name: Coccinella septempunctata
Favorite snack: Tree sap
Fun Fact: This invasive species is believed to be native to China. Its preferred host plant is Ailanthus Altissima, another invasive species.
Praying Mantis
Scientific name: Mantis religiosa
Favorite snacks: Beetles, crickets, fruit flies
Fun Fact: Mantids can rotate their heads a full 180 degrees. By comparison, humans can only rotate their heads by 80 degrees.
Ladybug
Scientific name: Coccinella septempunctata
Favorite snacks: Aphids
Fun Fact: Ladybugs smell with their feet and antennae. Female ladybugs can eat as many as 75 aphids in one day.
Honey Bee
Scientific name: Apis mellifera
Favorite snacks: Nectar
Fun Fact: A honey bee can fly for up to six miles at a speed of 15 miles per hour in one day.
Interested in learning which native plants will help attract butterflies and birds to your home garden?
Visit nwf.org to learn more.
2021 AWE Capstone Summary
Insects are an essential contributor to the food web and to natural processes such as pollination. Undoubtedly, their presence is indicative of a healthy watershed. However, negative stigma and human activity such as pesticide use has negatively impacted insect populations. Thus, the goal of our Capstone work was to inform residents of Camden City, an inner-city and urban environment, about the role of insects/pollinators in our watershed, and to expose them to these creatures in order to develop healthy behaviors. Additionally, we addressed language barriers by offering content in Spanish. The Camden Children’s Garden addressed these issues by constructing and distributing insect houses to community gardens in the city of Camden including La Esperanza, Cooper Sprouts, and the VietLead gardens.
An example of an insect houses created by the Camden Children’s Garden
Additional Resources
Interesting Insects, Department of Entomology at Rutgers SEBS, CLICK HERE
How to Build a Bee Hotel, National Geographic, CLICK HERE
Summersweet Native Plant Nursery, Summerswet Native Plants, CLICK HERE
How to Make a DIY Insect Hotel, Nourish and Nestle Blog, CLICK HERE