Sarver Ecological is conducting an ongoing biodiversity assessment at Chanticleer, a renowned public garden including 35 acres of diverse and intimate plantings, including remnant natural forest habitat and a mix of native and non-native ornamental plants. While also documenting birds and herpetofauna, the assessment has focused on insect diversity, including native bees, moths and butterflies, and ground beetles.
To date our biologists have collected over 5,000 individual bees of 142 species, 136 of which are native, 33% of the known bee diversity in Pennsylvania. The cumulative moth species list for Chanticleer currently stands at over 350 identified species, a large percentage of which were not previously documented by modern records for Delaware County, PA. In addition, we documented at least two new state records and several species rarely reported in the state.
Many of our biodiversity records are viewable in the garden’s iNaturalist project. Chanticleer biodiversity surveys are ongoing, and will be expanded during the 2023 season. Results of the assessment are being used to inform better ecological management of the gardens.
