Field Notes

10 12, 2024

Getting Ready for Winter Hiking

2024-12-10T13:17:01-05:00December 10, 2024|Field Notes|

As long as you prepare, hiking in the winter can be an excellent opportunity for fun! The outdoors in the winter months offers unique and beautiful scenery that you can only experience while cold hiking. When cooler temperatures begin, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy nature – we'll show you how ...

31 10, 2024

Spotted Lanternflies & Tree of Heaven

2024-10-31T12:08:28-04:00October 31, 2024|Field Notes|

Spotted Lanternflies As many of you have been noticing, the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) has been spreading in the Mid Atlantic over the last few years.  Also known as SLF, the spotted lanternfly is native to China and parts of Vietnam where its populations are kept under control since ...

19 09, 2024

2024 Bluebird Monitoring Update

2024-09-19T14:01:07-04:00September 19, 2024|Field Notes|

Bird populations have been decreasing across the globe for the past 50 years. Bluebird populations in particular experienced a dramatic decrease in population size in the early 20th century, reaching a 90% population decrease at one point. Largely due to habitat loss and introduction of aggressive species that outcompeted bluebirds ...

5 08, 2024

Invasive Species 101

2024-08-05T14:27:29-04:00August 5, 2024|Field Notes|

Invasive species are defined as any non native organisms that are introduced to an area and begin to spread beyond the original site of introduction. This could include animals, plants, parasites, or even diseases. Invasive plant species typically share many of the ...

1 07, 2024

Helping Injured & Orphaned Wildlife

2024-07-01T14:49:14-04:00July 1, 2024|Field Notes|

  Emily, one of our Rangers, helping a baby cottontail in one of our work areas. As spring transitions into summer, wildlife across our region are busy raising their young. It's common during this time to encounter seemingly orphaned or injured animals. However, wildlife parenting is very different ...

30 05, 2024

Spotlight on Cedar Pond Pavilion

2024-06-17T10:12:37-04:00May 30, 2024|Field Notes|

Tucked away in a serene setting in the southern section of The Greens, Cedar Pond Pavilion was envisioned by the founders of Willowsford as a place for education, recreation, and contemplation. Over the years, it has been used as a venue for birthday parties, nature classes, scout sleepovers, and the ...

14 05, 2024

All About Farm Stands

2024-05-14T17:09:55-04:00May 14, 2024|Field Notes|

The Willowsford Farm Stand opened this week for the Summer season! It’s our favorite time of year to see this Willowsford landmark bustling with activity. While our Farm Stand may be unique with its location and hours, the history of roadside Farm Stands and markets goes way back before the ...

2 05, 2024

Go Native!

2024-05-02T09:53:24-04:00May 2, 2024|Field Notes|

Willowsford residents take pride in their lawns and gardens, and rightfully so! Some residents have even taken it upon themselves to incorporate native plants into their landscapes which we love to see here at the conservancy! In this article, we’ll focus on why native plants are a great option ...

18 04, 2024

Food Choices Impact Our Planet

2024-04-18T18:37:58-04:00April 18, 2024|Field Notes|

This month we celebrate Earth Day – and today we would like to share a bit about how agriculture plays a substantial role in the world we live in and what you can do to help us cultivate a brighter future. Some of you have probably already experienced when shopping ...

1 04, 2024

Vernal Pools

2024-04-01T18:19:19-04:00April 1, 2024|Field Notes|

If you’ve ever visited our wet meadow in the Grange village, you may have noticed some small pools of water, they’re called vernal pools. A vernal pool is a seasonal pool of water that provides habitat for distinct plant and animal species. They are a unique type of wetland, as ...

21 03, 2024

Soil Health, The Best Investment A Farm Can Make

2024-06-17T16:21:09-04:00March 21, 2024|Field Notes|

If you’ve taken any of the farm tours at Willowsford Farm you often hear Farmer Eric or Farmer Andrew talking about the importance of soil health (image on the left is sharing this message with the Jr. Chef Academy kids). It is difficult to pin down exactly what constitutes a ...

6 03, 2024

What is “Brush Hogging”?

2024-03-06T08:21:38-05:00March 6, 2024|Field Notes|

The health and well being of our natural environment is a top priority for the Land Stewardship team at Willowsford, that is why we conduct routine maintenance on our meadows, forests, trails, and open spaces. Brush hogging is one of our upkeeping practices to maintain and improve the overall ...

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