As an entomologist, I’m interested in the interactions between plants and insects. I study forest health by looking at native and invasive pests, their impact on our forests, and potential management strategies.
Identifying new forest health issues starts with careful observations. To address our research questions, I need to always look out for details that could be easily overlooked, like small insects on a leaf or a few dead trees in a large forest. Each observation can help you get closer to an answer!
I am working to determine why sugarberry trees (Celtis laevigata) are dying throughout the Southeast. I look at a variety of factors, like insect damage, diseases, location, and climate changes to help determine why these trees are dying and how we might be able to manage this problem.
I often use a net or a simple trap made of a funnel placed inside a plastic drinking cup placed in a hole in the ground to catch insects walking on the ground. The most exciting piece of equipment I have used is a bucket truck! The bucket lifted me up 40 feet to collect canopy insects that I could not reach or see from the ground.
We monitored over 100 sugarberry trees at a nature trail for 5 years to see how fast the trees die and if there is any chance of recovery. Unfortunately, more than half of our trees died in 5 years, which is very quick and detrimental to our forests. We use these data to advocate for this species!
I have always loved being outside, looking at leaves, rocks, insects, and frogs, and learning about our world. Even in 4th grade, I practiced being a scientist. We learned a lot about nature, and I was assigned projects that required me to research eastern white pines, pelicans, and starfish and present posters to my class!
