Conservancy Blog

Conservancy Blog

What's Eating My Parsley?

If you have an herb garden that contains parsley, coriander/cilantro, dill or fennel you may be lucky enough to see one of these. The black swallowtail butterfly uses members of the Apiaceae family as host plants. The adult butterflies lay their eggs on plants of this family; when the caterpillars hatch, these plants serve as their primary food source. Members of this family of plants include- in addition to the herbs listed above- carrot, celery, parsnip, and the common white wildflower Queen Anne's Lace
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The Economic Importance of Bats

They have a face only a mother could love…or perhaps a farmer.  

A recent study in Science magazine calculated the estimated economic value of bats to Pennsylvania farmers, and the results are astounding.  According to the study, bats save Pennsylvania’s farmers...

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Meet #311

Last week, we discovered two black vulture nests in the Laurels Preserve. 

While turkey vulture nests are numerous in this area, black vulture nests are less common so we were thrilled by this find.  This morning, researchers from Hawk Mountain Sanctuary came down...

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Bald Eagle Numbers Soaring in PA

The Pennsylvania Game Commission just released the results of their 2011 bald eagle nest survey and the news is astounding.

The Commission recorded a total of 203 nests in Pennsylvania this year.  To put that number in perspective, in 1983 there were only THREE nests in the entire...

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Go Wild with Petunias!

Are you looking for a native ground cover to use in your yard? Hairy Wild Petunia is a perennial petunia that is native to several counties in Pennsylvania. It has rather adaptable growing conditions and tolerates full or partial sun, moist to dry conditions, and nearly any type of soil.
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