Conservancy Blog

Conservancy Blog

Cool Caterpillar at the Laurels

While cutting invasive oriental bittersweet vines in the Laurels Preserve last week, we discovered a caterpillar that we had never seen before. It sat motionless on a nearby grapevine and could have been easily overlooked because of its cryptic coloration.
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Butterfly Behavior

While visiting one of the Conservancy's easements last week, I came across several Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies that were feeding on manure at the edge of a horse paddock.
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Flying Purple...Beetle Eater??

Have you noticed any purple prism-shaped boxes hanging from trees?  Wondering what is the purpose of these boxes? 

They are traps set by the PA Department of Agriculture to catch a ruthless invader, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB).  Native to eastern Russia, northern China, Japan...

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Restoration with Roses

By now, we all know that invasives plants are bad for our local ecosystems and should be removed whenever possible. But when you kill an invasive plant, you are removing structure from a habitat that certain animals need for survival. Whether it’s an herbaceous plant such as garlic mustard or a woody shrub like multiflora rose that is being removed from the landscape, it is imperative that you replant with native plants or shrubs.
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The Value of Snags

Time and time again we hear property owners say, "That tree is dead.  I am going to have to cut it down."  Our response is usually, "Why?" 

Standing dead trees, generally referred to as snags, provide critical habitat for many species of wildlife. 

Dead wood...

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