• Granite mountains on islands along coast

    Acadia

    National Park Maine

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  • Trail closures

    April 22, 2013: The Precipice, Orange and Black, Valley Cove, and Jordan Cliffs Trails are closed until further notice because of nesting peregrine falcons. All other trails in the park are open, whether accessible from the park or from state roads.

  • Reopening

    June 14, 2013: The Western Mountain road loop is now open.

BioBlitz Series - Minor Orders

Man, woman, and child look for insects on a sheet.

Three generations interested in insects

NPS/David Manski

The Minor Order Blitz ran from August 7 to 10, 2009, at the park's Schoodic Education and Research Center. A total of 46 professional and amateur entomologists participated in the blitz, spending 1,308 hours searching for and collecting insects from 16 orders that have relatively few species in Maine.

Preliminary Results
Participants identified approximately 98 species over the weekend; the final tally may increase or decrease depending upon the actual number of springtail species (Collembola) positively confirmed. The approximate number of species collected and identified for each of the minor orders was:

  • Collembola - est. 40
  • Psocoptera - 20
  • Trichoptera - 13
  • Orthoptera - 10
  • Neuroptera - 6
  • Thysanoptera - 4
  • Dermaptera - 1
  • Diplura - 1
  • Archaeognatha - 1
    • Plecoptera - 1
    • Dictuoptera (Mantodea, Isoptera, Blattodea) - 1
    • Mecoptera - 1
  • Thysanura - 0
  • Ephemeroptera - 0
  • Phasmida - 0
  • Strepsiptera - 0

Interesting Finds

  • The Archaeognathan, Petrobius brevistylus, is known be restricted to the bedrock shores of the coast of NE North America. It was collected twice during the weekend.
  • The bog cricket, Neonemobius palustris, was taken at both bogs in the Schoodic section of the park using yellow pan traps.
  • The only Dictuopteran collected, was an introduced forest cockroach, Ectobius lapponicus, which was very common.
  • Several Psocopterans of interest were also collected.

Participants represented a number of institutions: Maine Entomological Society, Maine Forest Service, New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, University of Maine, University of New Hampshire, University of Southern Maine, Illinois State University, University of North Alabama, Texas A&M University, Colby College, and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. In addition, a taxonomist from the University of Tennessee has agreed to identify the Collembola species not identified at the BioBlitz.

 

  • A graduate student prepares and pins specimens caught during the BioBlitz.
    Diptera Blitz
    11 Photos
  • Volunteer Max Swann collects small insects using an aspirator while Maine Entomological Society member David Borque looks on.
    Minor Order Blitz
    19 Photos
  • Specimens were pinned and mounted at the end of the BioBlitz. Not all specimens were easily identifiable, as shown by this collection needing further identification.
    Lepidoptera Blitz
    12 Photos
  • BioBlitz participants look through their finds to see if there are any species worth keeping.
    True Bug Blitz
    11 Photos
  • Blitz participants gather for a pre-blitz session with Dr. Richard Bradley.
    Spider Blitz
    12 Photos

Did You Know?

A girl stands along the stone steps of the Kurt Diederich Path in this historic image taken around 1920.

Acadia National Park contains more than 120 miles of historic hiking trails. Many of these trails were established by local village improvement societies in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today many of the historic features, such as stonework, are still visible.