An acre of original mixed forest was continuously monitored from 2007 to 2011 using a black light trap permanently operating from March to December, 10 funnel Lindgren traps installed year round throughout the lot, and 10 yellow pan traps set on the ground since 2007 and maintained year round exactly in the same location during this study. The experimental lot is located on private land in Aylmer, Québec (45° 24' N; 75° 50' W), on the north shore of the Ottawa River, 10.5 km northwest of the national capital Ottawa (Ontario).

The studied area consists of a mixed forest on a limestone outcrop. The red cedar (Thuya occidentalis) is the dominant tree but white spruce (Picea glauca) and hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) being the largest and the oldest on the lot, and approximately 140 years old. The white spruce are at the end of their life span and are often knocked down by the ice storms, heavy snow and strong winds. The hemlock is much more resistant to environmental conditions, are still standing healthy and are less prone to climatic damage. Balsam firs (Abies balsamea) are common too but are small, and often rotting inside for an unknown reason. Scattered hardwoods include sugar maple (Acer saccharum), bitternut (Carya cordiformis), red oak (Quercus rubra), aspen (Populus tremuloides), American linden (Tilia americana) and several small ironwood trees (Ostrya virginiana). In the northern portion of the lot, the canopy is more open and the undergrowth of a small area is infested with numerous black buckthorns (Rhamnus frangula). Vinegar-tree sumacs (Rhus typhina), are confined to the sides of the main entrance and the northern side, established after the entirely forested lot was partially opened for the construction of the house. Tatarian honeysuckle bush (Lonicera tatarica) are scattered in an area whereas there are only two individuals of the red-berried elder (Sambucus pubens) which badly suffered and almost died during the 2012 long summer drought. The undergrowth is not very rich because the litter is rapidly processed and considerably reduced by earthworms and also due to the closed canopy which does not allow much light to reach the ground. In addition, the soil dries out almost every summer, sometimes deep, supporting only a few herbaceous plants which can resist such adverse ecological conditions. Nevertheless, the large-flowered trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) is the most noticeable herbaceous plant among the spring flora. The poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) resists summer droughts and forms a thick mat behind the house, and the large-leaved aster (Aster macrophyllus) is the most common flowering plant among the fall undergrowth.

CEUM – Collection entomologique de l'Université de Montréal. Louise Cloutier

CNC – Canadian National Collection. Laurent LeSage

IMQC – Insectarium de Montréal, Québec. Stéphane LeTirant

LEM – Lyman Entomological Museum. Stéphanie Boucher

LFC – Laurentian Forestry Center, Québec. Jan Klimaszewski

MNC – Museum of Nature of Canada. François Génier