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Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops), nectaring on Blue Flase Indigo (Baptisia australis) in Great Falls Park. - Photo by Brent Steury |
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This group undoubtedly represents the greatest amount of biodiversity found within the George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) and is also the least known in terms of biological inventories. Currently, a total of 76 species of butterflies and 387 species of moths have been documented from GWMP. The only additional taxa that have been documented are 70 species of Homoptera, 48 species of Odonata, 36 Trichoptera, 21 Coloptera, 7 Hemiptera, 6 Orthoptera, 6 Hymenoptera, 5 Neuroptera, 3 Hemiptera, 2 Orthoptera, 2 Diptera, 2 Mecoptera, 1 Dermaptera, 1 Isoptera, and 1 Plecoptera. Other arthropod species known from GWMP include 5 Chilopoda, 2 Dioploda, 3 Entognatha, and 2 Arachnida. A moth inventory at Great Falls Park, an inventory of all the insect taxa found in Dyke Marsh, and a survey of the bee pollinators found in our urban landscapes are currently underway and will greatly add to the knowledge of the insect diversity found at GWMP. Additionally, data from a two day Bioblitz of numerous invertebrate taxa is currently under review and will result in numerous new records for the park.
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