Project:

You are the Lantern to my Fly

Students:

Adelaide Feldman, Noelle Saldana

School:

Ethical Culture Fieldston School, The Bronx

Mentors:

Nim Lee

Abstract:

For our experiment, we will aim to collect several samples from Van Cortlandt Park where we will try to extract their DNA. We are testing lanternflies, Lycorma delicatula, that originated in China and came to the US in 2014 to Pennsylvania. They are an invasive species and therefore negatively impact our natural urban ecosystems. These insects feed on more than 70 different plant species. Lanternflies are attracted to fruits and vegetables and specifically feed on grapevines. For our experiment, we will survey the lanternflies in Van Cortlandt Park. Our goal is to find out more information about the lanternflies by extracting their DNA.

Poster:

Team samples: