By Eduardo Dueñas, NextGen Council member

Hi, everyone. My name is Eduardo Duenas, and I’m proud to serve as a member of the Natural Lands’ NextGen Council. Recently, my family rescued a puppy and—let me tell you—our lives have completely changed in the best way.

Bella, our energetic and curious pup, loves to walk and explore new places. As new dog parents, we’re always looking for safe, scenic, and welcoming spaces where she (and my twin eight-year-old boys) can stretch their legs and discover nature.

I had been hearing incredible feedback from fellow dog owners about Saunders Woods Preserve, so we decided to experience it ourselves. And, wow—it did not disappoint.

From the peaceful wooded trails to the sense of calm you feel as soon as you step onto the path, it’s truly a special place. Bella loved every second of it, and it has quickly becoame one of our favorite weekend adventures. Watching her explore reminded me exactly why protected open spaces matter—not just for wildlife, but for families like ours who rely on these natural places to recharge and connect.

We highly encourage everyone—especially fellow dog lovers — to visit this beautiful preserve. It’s a gem. (Just remember to keep your dogs leashed at all times and pick up their waste.)

Now we’re officially on the lookout for our next Natural Lands dog walk adventure.

If you value preserved open spaces, I encourage you to consider donating or becoming a member of Natural Lands. Organizations like this ensure that these places remain protected, ecologically healthy, and accessible for generations to come.

See you on the trails!

MEDIA, Pa., January 5, 2026 – Natural Lands announced today the permanent preservation of a 23.4-acre property in East Bradford Township, Chester County. The land, now protected under a conservation easement held by Natural Lands, is connected to hundreds of acres of open space, offering important contiguous habitat to wildlife.

“We are grateful to the landowners, who wish to remain anonymous, for their generous donation of a conservation easement on their property and to East Bradford Township for their enthusiastic support of this project,” said Sarah Turner, land protection project manager for Natural Lands. “Conservation of this beautiful property increases the acreage of protected open space in East Bradford Township, helping to ensure the area’s natural and scenic values are protected in perpetuity.”

An easement is a legally binding agreement that keeps land in private ownership while ensuring it is conserved from development. It applies to present and future owners of the land. Natural Lands currently holds 500+ easements on more than 26,000 acres and monitors these properties regularly to ensure the terms of the easements are being upheld.

Natural Lands’ 571-acre Stroud Preserve is located less than a half of a mile from the now-conserved land. The organization’s most recent strategic plan, entitled Thriving Nature, Thriving Communities, Thriving Organization, includes goals to protect special places that provide conservation benefit and cultural significance to the community. Natural Lands’ nature preserves are just such places, and the plan calls for preservation of land adjacent to and nearby existing nature preserves, a goal that this conservation easement meets. Natural Lands’ strategic plan will guide the nonprofit’s priorities through 2030 and can be viewed at natlands.org/strategicplan.

The property was identified by East Bradford Township as a conservation priority in their 2016 comprehensive plan, and they are an enthusiastic partner in seeing this property conserved.
“East Bradford Township is proud to partner with Natural Lands to permanently protect more than 23 acres in the western portion of the township,” said Mandie Cantlin, township manager. “This conservation easement reflects our shared commitment to preserving open space, protecting natural resources, and ensuring that this land remains protected for the benefit of future generations.”

The landowners donated to value of the conservation easement and East Bradford Township covered Natural Lands’ expenses as well as a $20,000 contribution to the easement stewardship fund, which underwrites Natural Lands’ costs to monitor and manage the easement in perpetuity.

Natural Lands is dedicated to preserving and nurturing nature’s wonders while creating opportunities for joy and discovery in the outdoors for everyone. As the Greater Philadelphia region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization, Natural Lands—which is member supported—has preserved more than 136,600 acres, including 40+ nature preserves and one public garden totaling more than 23,600 acres. About five million people live within five miles of land under the organization’s protection. Land for life, nature for all. natlands.org.

Please note: “Natural Lands” is the organization’s official operating name and should be used instead of its legal designation (Natural Lands Trust, Inc.).

Media Inquiries:
Kit Werner, Senior Director of Communications
610-353-5587 ext. 267

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Every fall, Monarch butterflies across eastern North America travel thousands of miles to spend the winter in the mountaintop forests of central Mexico. They cluster by the hundreds in oyamel fir trees, waiting for early spring when they’ll begin the journey back to our region. For the past two decades, scientists in Mexico have estimated the population of Monarchs overwintering there by measuring the acres of trees occupied by the butterflies.

Last winter, the population of winter Monarchs in Mexico occupied about 4.4 acres, double the area of the previous year, giving hope for this beloved pollinator that has faced decades of decline. Experts believe the surge in numbers was due to favorable weather conditions during fall migration, unlike the previous couple of years when there were extended droughts and major storm events.

But, before we start to celebrate this nearly 100 percent increase, scientists believe 15 acres of roosting Monarchs is needed for the population to stabilize. While planting native milkweed species—the only plants on which adult Monarchs lay eggs and larval Monarchs feed—is critical, it’s only a part of the complex puzzle of this species’ survival.

avoid captive rearing.

One recent study, which aggregated about 2,600 community scientists’ observation of Monarch “roosts” along the fall migration route, showed that roost sizes declined from north to south along the flyway. These data show the roosts in Texas are about 80 percent smaller than they were 17 years ago. This indicates an issue during migration.

While experts don’t fully agree on the reasons for this decline, many point to a dramatic increase in captive-bred Monarchs. On the face of it, rearing Monarch caterpillars in predator-proof enclosures seems like a great way to help the species. Yet, captive breeding—which has increased apace with concern for the threatened species—can negatively impact overall species health. It can spread disease, reduce genetic diversity, and create competition for limited resources. Several studies have shown that captive-bred Monarchs have lower survival rates.

plant only native milkweed.

A little protozoan parasite, Ophryocystes elektroscirrha or OE for short, is causing big problems for these imperiled pollinators. High OE levels in adult Monarchs have been linked to lower migration success as well as reduced lifespan, mating success, and flight ability. The parasite travels with Monarchs, and, as they sip on milkweed flowers, the butterflies inadvertently deposit it on the plants’ leaves. When caterpillars hatch and feed on the tainted foliage, they ingest the OE.

When native milkweed species die back, the parasite dies along with them. However, non-native tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) remains evergreen through winter, allowing OE levels to increase year over year. Additionally, emerging research suggests that tropical milkweed may become toxic to caterpillars when the plants experience the warmer temperatures associated with climate change.

As a way to help feed Monarchs, more and more people have been planting tropical milkweed. Ironically, much like captive breeding, well-meaning people are contributing to the butterfly’s challenges.

plant lots of natives, in addition to milkweed.

Native milkweed species—which include common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), and poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata)—are essential for Monarch caterpillars. In fact, milkweed is the only species of plant the caterpillars can eat. It is also a great source of nectar for all pollinators.

But milkweed alone is not enough for adult butterflies. Planting a diversity of summer- and fall-flowering native plants ensures there are food sources throughout the adult stage of their life cycle. This not only helps Monarchs, but also beneficial native bees, wasps, and flies. Top choices include goldenrods, coreopsis, monarda, purple coneflower, Joe Pye weed, asters, phlox, and ironweed.

“At Stoneleigh, we’ve observed a few nectar superstars that draw an impressive number of pollinators, including wild mint (Mentha arvensis), anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), clustered mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum), and aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium),” said Ethan Kauffman, director of Stoneleigh: a natural garden. “These plants enrich biodiversity and are incredibly beautiful—great additions to any yard, garden, or container.”

add your observations.

The International Monarch Monitoring Blitz is a call to action for anyone interested in the species’ conservation to contribute to community science conservation efforts. The information collected by thousands of volunteers each year helps researchers assess population trends. For example, gathering data on the number of both Monarch caterpillars and milkweed plants allows for the calculation of a “cat”-to-milkweed ratio. Researchers use this ratio to estimate the size of the Monarch population.

continue to support conservation.

By supporting Natural Lands with your membership, you help Monarchs and other pollinators. The land conservation and stewardship work that is core to Natural Lands’ mission ensures native species have access to flower-filled meadows, clean water, and biodiverse flyways.

Your financial contribution also underwrites engagement programs that introduce children and adults to butterflies, moths, and other insects as well as conservation concepts. By providing impactful experiences with the wonders of nature, you help cultivate future generations of caring conservationists.

counting winged things.

A fifth (22 percent) of U.S. butterflies have disappeared since 2000. About 33 percent of species underwent “significant shrinkage” in populations.

The study, published in the journal Science this past spring, combined data from 76,000 surveys including those by community scientists. Of the 554 species included, the scientists had enough data to make conclusions about 342 species. Their results revealed 13 times more species declined than increased, with 107 species losing at least half of their populations.

For the past three decades, volunteers and staff at Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary have been counting butterflies as a way to evaluate species populations and biodiversity. The participants count an average of 17 different species per year at our Easton, PA, nature preserve.

“There are some species that were noted in years past that are now absent, but we’ve also seen new species show up,” said Zane Miller, preserve manager.

“For example, last year was a huge year for Huron Sachem, a southeastern U.S. species that migrates north each year. They seem to be expanding their northerly range due to climate change. Red-banded Hairstreaks are another southern species that have started showing up more frequently in recent years.”

The Mariton community scientists have noted a steep decline in Monarch butterflies that correlates with regional observations.

“Observers counted only two Monarchs in 2015,” Zane said.

“But the past couple of years have been more hopeful. This past summer, we recorded 20 of them. Maybe the attention this poster-child pollinator has received in recent years—and the increase in milkweed many folks are planting in their yards—is helping turn the tide for Monarchs.”

MEDIA, Pa., December 18, 2025 – Natural Lands is celebrating a banner year for tree planting in 2025.  The non-profit conservation organization has planted 22,500 trees across 75 acres at four of its nature preserves. The seedlings are all native species. As they mature, the trees will help reduce erosion, filter and recharge groundwater, clean and cool the air, sequester carbon, and provide habitat for insects and wildlife.

The large-scale plantings transformed meadows, former farm fields, and stream corridors at Diabase Farm Preserve (New Hope, Bucks County), Peacedale Preserve (Landenberg, Chester County), Sadsbury Woods Preserve (Coatesville, Chester County), and Stroud Preserve (West Chester, Chester County). These preserves are free and open to the public year-round.

In addition, Natural Lands hosted several volunteer and member tree planting events where community members planted more than 1,000 trees at ChesLen (Coatesville, Chester County) and Stroud Preserves.

The seedlings planted include red maple, silver maple, hornbeam, redbud, tuliptree, black gum, sycamore, white oak, swamp white oak, pin oak, chestnut oak, elderberry, and flowering dogwood. Planted at a density of about 300 trees per acre, the seedlings are protected from deer by five-foot-tall tree shelters that photodegrade over time. The trees and shrubs were planted in 12-foot rows, wide enough to allow preserve stewardship staff to mow between them, which will reduce competition from other vegetation until the seedlings have matured.

“It’s really quite remarkable how much of a positive impact planting trees has on water quality,” said Gary Gimbert, vice president of stewardship for Natural Lands. “As these species mature, their roots allow water to penetrate deep into the ground, which reduces flooding and recharges underground aquifers. Alongside creeks, the tree roots stabilize the soil to reduce erosion.”

In addition to improving water quality, the planting projects will re-establish forest cover and improve wildlife habitat. In particular, woodlands are essential for migratory songbirds—such as Scarlet Tanager and Wood Thrush—that rely on the dense forest for food and protection from the weather and predators.

When Europeans first explored Pennsylvania, trees covered 90 percent of the territory. Though the Native Americans who had lived in the region for thousands of years did clear some land for hunting and agriculture, famed naturalist John Bartram still found forests so thick it was “as if the sun had never shown on the ground since the creation.” But by 1850, millions of acres had been cleared for farming, timber, and firewood.

Natural Lands’ is committed to restoring habitat on their nature preserves, which cover more than 23,000 acres of land across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Planting seedlings that will someday become thriving forests is part of this stewardship ethos.

Funding for these projects were provided by:

• Conservancy Grant Program, Commissioners of Chester County, Pennsylvania
• E. Kneale Dockstader Foundation
• Generous donors to Natural Lands’ Preserve Restoration Fund
• Growing Greener Grant provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

Please see this video about the yearlong reforestation project across Natural Lands’ preserves.

Natural Lands is dedicated to preserving and nurturing nature’s wonders while creating opportunities for joy and discovery in the outdoors for everyone.  As the Greater Philadelphia region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization, Natural Lands—which is member supported—has preserved more than 136,600 acres, including 40+ nature preserves and one public garden totaling more than 23,600 acres. About five million people live within five miles of land under the organization’s protection. Land for life, nature for all. natlands.org.

Please note: “Natural Lands” is the organization’s official operating name and should be used instead of its legal designation (Natural Lands Trust, Inc.).

By Daniel Barringer, preserve manager.

I have always said that November brings a special light. The sun angles lower, and though peak fall foliage is past, there is a lovely peach color in the air. In the photo above, it is remarkable that the sun shining through the base of the trees reveals that the hill is not nearly as tall as we think—the trees add a lot to the perceived height. That hill is located in Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, part of the landscape of the Hopewell Big Woods, a large protected area of national, state, and county parks as well as preserves protected by nonprofit organizations like Natural Lands.

Turning east at sunset offers another view that reminds me of the light captured in Maxfield Parrish paintings. Sunset illuminates puffy clouds low in an otherwise clear sky.

November light is also the stored energy of trees split for firewood. Most trees that fall we leave to nurture the soil and grow more trees, but some I cut up and give away as firewood. I also keep some for home.

The family pets jockey for position in front of the wood stove. I can’t imagine having a wood stove without a window in the door. We enjoy the light as much as the heat, and that glow makes the darkness of winter much easier to bear.

By Kit Werner, Senior Director of Communications

Say the word “prairie,” and most of us picture the vast plains of the Midwest. In contrast, the northeastern U.S. is the land of would-be woods, where every farm field and meadow quickly reverts to forest without intervention. Yet early accounts of this region—“Penn’s Woods,” as colonists named it—reveal a far more nuanced picture of Pennsylvania’s native ecology. One that included thriving eastern prairies that evolved with fire. 

Some 400 years ago, English explorers of the North American continent were met with awesome expanses of grasslands. With no word for this habitat type, they adopted the French term for meadow: prairie.  

Contrary to the common belief that the northeastern U.S. was once entirely forested, historical accounts depict tall meadows and broad savannahs tended with fire by Indigenous communities. Regional placenames are another clue. Southwest Philadelphia’s Kingsessing is derived from the Lenape word for “place where there is a meadow.” The Wyoming Valley region around Wilkes-Barre takes its name from a corruption of the Indigenous word for “great meadows.” 

Eastern prairies have long disappeared throughout their range in the face of farming and development. The removal of native people and their millennia-old relationships with the land—particularly, their seasonal controlled burns that held back trees and regenerated the grasslands—have further ensured the decline of these unique meadow ecologies. 

On Natural Lands’ nature preserves, however, prairies are making a big comeback. 

“Over the past decades, we’ve converted almost 1,000 acres of former farm fields to native grassland meadows,” said Gary Gimbert, vice president of stewardship. “  

In 2025 alone, we installed meadows at ChesLen and Diabase Farm Preserves with a focus on pollinators, birds, and other wildlife that rely on this type of habitat for food, nesting, and—in the case of raptors—hunting sites.”  

Grasslands are of particular importance to several species of native songbirds—including Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, and Grasshopper Sparrow—that build their nests on the ground, tucked between clumps of meadow grasses. With more and more land lost to development each year, grassland birds are really struggling, having lost a third of their numbers in the last half-century. 

Meadows are also home to a vast array of nectar-rich wildflowers that support our native pollinators: bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, beetles, and flies. 

“Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about how to create thriving meadows,” said Gary. “We can’t just plant grass and wildflower seeds and walk away. Meadows take regular maintenance, or they’ll be filled with invasives and eventually become forests.”  

One important technique Natural Lands uses to keep its meadows healthy is fire. For 25 years, prescribed burns have been part of the organization’s comprehensive approach to land stewardship. 

Many meadow species have evolved not only to withstand but also benefit from periodic burning. Two native grasses, big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), respond to fire by sprouting substantially more growth and setting more seeds. Fire stimulates the underground rhizomes of Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum).  

The secret to these and other native grasses’ survival of fire is their deep roots; three quarters of the plant is underground. The visible plants are merely the photosynthetic leaves gathering sunlight. These deep roots make meadow plants valuable carbon sinks. Unlike forests, they don’t release that carbon when burned because most of the plant material is under ground. 

“The results speak for themselves,” said Darin Groff, director of land stewardship and burn boss for Natural Lands’ prescribed fire crew. “We walk away from a burn with the plants charred black. But very quickly after, you can see life—meadow grasses sending up new shoots, seedlings sprouting, hawks circling overhead.”  

Added Darin, “Controlled burns aren’t a short-term fix. Meadow management takes ongoing effort from our land stewardship team.” 

Fortunately for the birds, bees, butterflies, and blooms, Natural Lands is in the business of forever and will keep tending the remaining eastern prairies in our care.  

benefits of prescribed fire. 

• Helps control the encroachment of woody plants and the growth of invasive species 
• Helps remove the buildup of dried plant material, which reduces the risk of wildfires 
• Improves the release of nutrients from dead plant material so that they can be recycled through the ecosystem  
• Warms the soil in early spring by allowing more sunlight to reach the ash-darkened ground, increasing microbial activity, further helping to release nutrients from dead plant matter 
• Improves and increases food and cover for wildlife, as new growth flushes after fires and attracts grazing animals  
• Improves plant diversity 

training & testing before ignition.

by Fateen Stafford, 21st Century Conservation Fellow

On an early morning in April, a crew dressed in yellow and green wildland fire gear starts prepping its equipment. The drip torches are refueled, the backpack pumps are checked for any leakage, and the hand tools are sharpened. All these items are loaded onto the back of trucks and all-terrain vehicles that have been specially outfitted with water tanks, pumps, and a few hundred feet of hose.  

This is the start of a burn day at one of Natural Lands’ meadows. 

But long before the first blades of grass are ignited, Natural Lands stewardship staff goes through significant training to be certified in the use of prescribed fire. 

The process starts with study—about 40 hours of it to pass five courses covering equipment and terminology, the Incident Command System, and working with peers in a high-risk environment. Each year, the Natural Lands fire crew participates in this training, which culminates in a Work Capacity Test. Every participant must walk two miles in 30 minutes with a 25-pound vest on, to simulate the weight of fire-fighting gear. A Field Test requires physical demonstration of all the skills learned online. 

After my training this past spring, I had the confidence to use the drip torch to light a section of meadow at ChesLen Preserve, use hand tools to scrape back the dried winter grass so that the fire would be contained when it hit the bare soil, and “mop up” at the end of the burn by spraying down smoldering areas.  

So, the next time you visit a Natural Lands meadow, you’ll have a little sense of the work that goes in to keeping these habitats healthy. One fire at a time. 

MEDIA, Pa., October 31, 2025 – Natural Lands announced today the addition of two adjacent, undeveloped parcels totaling 102 acres to its Bryn Coed Preserve in Chester Springs, Chester County. The newly acquired lots bring the total acreage of the nature preserve to just over 612 acres. The properties will be stewarded to benefit native plants and wildlife.

In the 1970s, the Dietrich family assembled the vast acreage known as Bryn Coed Farms one parcel at a time. One of these tracts was the former homestead of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts, who named his farm “Bryn Coed,” which means “wooded hill” in Welsh.

Many worried over the fate of the pristine farmland and forests—located just 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia—as development pressures increased in the region. In 2018, Natural Lands acquired the entirety of the 1,505-acre property to protect it from large-scale development. The organization created a 510-acre nature preserve at the heart of the property and partnered with West Vincent Township, which created the 72-acre Opalanie Park immediately adjacent to the preserve. Natural Lands preserved the remainder of the land by selling large-acreage lots, each under permanent conservation easement, to conservation-minded buyers.

Donors who wish to remain anonymous have gifted two of those lots back to Natural Lands to increase the size of the preserve and, ultimately, to make more of this important landscape available for public recreation. The parcels consist of gently rolling fields, forest, and hedgerows.

Said Natural Lands President Oliver Bass, “Saving Bryn Coed was the chance of a lifetime, and we’ve benefitted mightily from the support of devoted partners, funders, and donors. This extraordinary gift of an additional 102 acres will expand both the footprint and the benefits of the preserve for generations to come.”

He added, “I have such respect for Preserve Manager Darin Groff and Assistant Preserve Manager Caleb Arrowood, who have transformed Bryn Coed into a thriving nature preserve filled with native plants. They will steward these new parcels with the same care and passion, and we’ll all reap the benefits of their work.”

“It’s very exciting to add additional acreage to the preserve,” said Darin Groff, director of land stewardship. “Over the next couple of years, we will be planting wildflower meadows for pollinator habitat and additional grasslands, and work to connect wooded areas to one another by planting additional trees.”

Natural Lands is dedicated to preserving and nurturing nature’s wonders while creating opportunities for joy and discovery in the outdoors for everyone. As the Greater Philadelphia region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization, Natural Lands—which is member supported—has preserved more than 136,600 acres, including 40+ nature preserves and one public garden totaling more than 23,600 acres. About five million people live within five miles of land under the organization’s protection. Land for life, nature for all. natlands.org.

Please note: “Natural Lands” is the organization’s official operating name and should be used instead of its legal designation (Natural Lands Trust, Inc.).

Media Inquiries:

Kit Werner, Senior Director of Communications
610-353-5587 ext. 267

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By Kit Werner, senior director of communications, and Tianna Godsey, events manager

 

turning fear into facts.

As Halloween approaches, we thought it was a good time to highlight the native bats of Pennsylvania. Though sometimes considered spooky or frightening, these remarkable mammals are no threat to people. In fact, they are beneficial to us all.

There are nine common bat species in Pennsylvania: big brown, little brown, tricolored, small-footed, long-eared, silver-haired, hoary, eastern red, and Indiana. They range in size from about 15 inches for the hoary bat down to the tiny Indiana bat, which is only about the size of your thumb.

Big brown bats are the most commonly seen in our region, usually just after sunset or right before sunrise during feeding time. They eat agricultural pests, like June and cucumber beetles, and stinkbugs; they also eat ants, stoneflies, mayflies, lacewings, mosquitos, and, occasionally, moths. A small colony of 25 bats can eat a pound of insects every night.

The Ancient Greek word for bat, chiroptera, means “hand wing.” This apt name comes from the animal’s elongated fingers that make up the main structure of the wings. A delicate skin membrane, called the chiropatagium, spans digits two through five. By moving their fingers, they can control the movement of their wings, offering these animals far more flight agility and efficiency than birds or insects.

Big brown bats typically live between six to 19 years in the wild. But bats as an order have been around for centuries. In fact, the oldest fossilized bat ever discovered (found in Wyoming) is an estimated 52 million years old.

Female bats give birth to pups upside down. Most bats only have one pup at a time, largely because the young are born weighing almost a third of their mother’s weight, which means she needs to use a lot of energy to keep them fed, nursing them until they are weaned and transition to insects. Mother bats often fly with their pups. The young cling to their mother’s underarm nipple with their mouths and hang onto her waist with their toes.

While vampire bats are real, they are not present in our region. They live primarily in Central and South America, with some species found in Mexico and the southern U.S. They generally feed on the blood of livestock like cattle, not humans.

Bats can carry rabies, but the incidence of rabies in bats is extremely low—less than one percent—and not a reason to fear these remarkable creatures.

If you want more bats around for natural insect control, skip bat boxes. They generally don’t work to attract bats and can spread disease. Instead, turn off your lights at night and plant lots of native plants, which, in turn, attract native insects.

If you can handle the cuteness, check out this video of a hoary bat named Astrid being fed mealworm grubs at our Bat Bonanza event at Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary. Pennsylvania Bat Rescue is caring for her for the rest of her life as she only has one wing and cannot be released.

By Kit Werner

Before we talk about autumn’s arboreal display, let’s have a mini science lesson.

There are several types of pigment in leaves:

• Chlorophyll (green)
• Xanthophylls (yellows)
• Carotenoids (oranges)
• Anthocyanins (reds)
• Tannins (browns)

These pigments are always present in the trees’ leaves but are hidden by green chlorophyll spring and summer. In fall, shorter days and less sunlight are signals for trees to stop making chlorophyll and prepare for dormancy. As the green fades, the reds, oranges, and yellows become visible. Because they do not fade, brown tannins are the last colors to remain in a leaf before it falls.

Peak leaf peeping in southeastern Pennsylvania generally occurs in mid-October, though weather impacts both timing and the intensity of the color display. However, there are some native plant species that never fail to deliver vibrant fall leaf color, regardless of drought, deluges, and cold snaps. Here are a few of our favorites:

Trees:

• Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica)
• Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
• Smoketree (Cotinus obovatus)
• Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum)
• American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
• Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)

Shrubs:

• Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica)
• Witch-Alder (Fothergilla spp.)
• Sumac (Rhus spp.)

Perennials/Vines:

• Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii)
• Spotted Cranesbill (Geranium maculatum)
• Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Happy fall, y’all! Now get out there into the woods and enjoy the autumn show while it lasts.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA, Pa., August 4, 2025 – Natural Lands announced today the addition of a 53-acre property to its Bear Creek Preserve in Buck Township, Luzerne County, PA. The forested land, located immediately adjacent to the now 3,986-acre nature preserve, will be managed for ecological health, species diversity, and public recreation. Bear Creek Preserve is open to the public, free of charge, from dawn to dusk every day except Mondays.

“For generations, this property has been maintained as woodlands,” said John Brislin, representing the Corgan family. “Selling the property to Natural Lands to become part of Bear Creek Preserve was an easy decision as a way to help preserve the Lehigh Valley watershed and to make this land available to people to enjoy for generations to come.”

Bear Creek Preserve, one of more than 40 nature preserves in Natural Lands’ care, is part of a vast mosaic of protected lands including state game lands, Bureau of Forestry property, and private conservation easements. As part of Bear Creek Preserve, this once-vulnerable property will never be developed.

“Bear Creek Preserve is part of a larger landscape of protected open space, including state parks and game lands, that spans more than 150,000 acres,” said Jack Stefferud, Natural Lands’ senior advisor for land protection. “Seventy percent of Pennsylvania’s forests are privately owned, which means they are vulnerable to development. We are grateful to the Corgan family for choosing to preserve their land by selling it to Natural Lands.”

More than half of the newly acquired property falls within the “Dry Land Hill Pools,” a special designation determined by the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. The large vernal pools—which appear in spring but dry up as the weather warms—are set within an oak-dominated forest, an area usually quite dry.

The area is home to two “species of concern”: the few-seeded sedge (Carex oligosperma) and the Bog Copper butterfly (Lycaena epixante), the latter of which uses cranberry as its larval host plant. Wetlands, including ephemeral pools, serve as nature’s living water filters. Water moving downstream slows as it passes through wetlands, allowing time for it to be reabsorbed into the ground. Plants growing in the wetlands break down contaminants, filter out sediment, and store excess nutrients like carbon dioxide. Insects, plants, and animals—including people—benefit from the water cleaning services that wetlands provide, free of charge.

These boggy habitats are home to more plants, bugs, birds, frogs, fish, and invertebrates than any other habitat on Earth. More than half the plants and animals in Pennsylvania rely on wetlands for food and reproduction. Yet, in the past 200 years, more than half of all the wetlands in Pennsylvania have been lost to development.

The Allerton Foundation provided support for this project.

Natural Lands is dedicated to preserving and nurturing nature’s wonders while creating opportunities for joy and discovery in the outdoors for everyone.  As the Greater Philadelphia region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization, Natural Lands—which is member supported—has preserved more than 136,600 acres, including 40+ nature preserves and one public garden totaling more than
23,600 acres. About five million people live within five miles of land under the organization’s protection. Land for life, nature for all. natlands.org.

Please note: “Natural Lands” is the organization’s official operating name and should be used instead of its legal designation (Natural Lands Trust, Inc.).

Media Inquiries:

Kit Werner, Senior Director of Communications
610-353-5587 ext. 267

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