Exploring Insect Life On the Boston Harbor Islands

Insects can be HARMFUL Destroy crops Spread diseases Damage clothing and wood Bite or sting Harmful insects make up only 1½ % of all insect species!

Most are HELPFUL Make honey and wax Destroy pests Pollinate crops Recycle plant and animal waste

FACT: 9 out of every 10 animals on earth is an INSECT. So insects make up 90% of all animal life on our planet!

Boston Harbor Islands national park area Our insects today were sampled from 12 islands

Islands feature different ECOSYSTEMS: An environment that supports a community of interdependent living organisms, both plants and animals.

Herbivores Eat live plants (leaves, wood, stems, roots)

Scavengers Eat dead plants and animals

Eat decayed plants or animal waste and break them down into nutrients Decomposers

Predators Eat live animals

Pollinators Eat pollen and/or nectar from flowers

Now it’s our turn to examine insects, following three simple steps: 1. Identify 2. Record 3. Sort