Tuesday, August 6, 2019
By: Lillia Schmidt, Brandywine Conservancy Intern
In these wet summer months, it is not unusual to notice a thick foam accumulating on the surface of your stream. Although it can look unnatural, even alarming, suds on your stream is not all harmful, depending on the type. The tricky part is...
Read MoreWednesday, June 19, 2019
By: Kelly Ford, Easement Stewardship Intern
You may have noticed an increase in the number of turtles out on the roads over the last couple of weeks. This is because spring and early summer are the times turtles are moving about to find mates and a place to lay their eggs. Pennsylvania is home to 14 different...
Continue ReadingWednesday, June 19, 2019
By: Grant Folin, Laurels Preserve Manager
Pollinators play a crucial role in every ecosystem and ensure the reproduction of many flowering plants. In recent years, scientists have observed a worldwide decline in pollinators, including native bee species—most notably in honeybees—and some butterfly and moth species. It is believed that the decline has been caused principally by habitat loss and more intensive use of pesticides on crops. In order to thrive, it is important that pollinators find nectar from plants available to them throughout the growing season.
Continue ReadingWednesday, June 5, 2019
By: Susan Charkes, Easement Steward
North America’s largest rodent, the beaver (Castor canadensis), is supremely well adapted to life in and around fresh water. In December 2018, Conservancy staff discovered a new beaver dam and lodge at Waterloo Mills Preserve that had re-routed a stream and inundated the Preserve’s wet meadows. While some of the adverse impacts included the destruction of healthy trees, there have also been some surprising benefits as a result of the Preserve's newest inhabitants.
Continue ReadingSunday, June 2, 2019
By: Kelly Ford, Easement Stewardship Intern
Many invasive species become such a large and familiar part of our landscape that we stop noticing them. Common Reed or Phragmites australis may be one of these plants. It lines highways, fills drainage basins, dominates floodplains and in some places covers thousands of acres. It is so common that even though it often grows to well over 10 feet, we barely notice it. In the northeastern United States and Canada this one plant has cost millions to state and local economies.
Continue ReadingThursday, May 30, 2019
How would you feel about a visitor who arrives without warning, then decides to camp behind your house for a few weeks, singing loudly and raising a family? And oh yes, he’s brought a dozen friends?You might feel differently if your visitors are Bobolinks. These brilliantly colored...
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