We were all astonished to see and hear a scarlet macaw in the oaks near the EcoPreserve gravel lot. Who knew that macaws like to eat acorns? The bird spent a good bit of Wednesday morning pulling acorns off the branches from a number of different pin oaks. A very impressive bird and very loud! Lorenzo, as we learned was the macaw’s name when the owner came to try to coax him down from the treetops. After a few hours,…
Two new benches were added to the central portion of the EcoPreserve. One adjacent to the large meadow off the Orange/Green Trails (pictured above); the other overlooking Buell Brook off the Red Trail. The seat and backs are from slabs sawn from a Dawn Redwood tree that came down on campus; the frame is oak. Thanks to the Urban Forestry program (Dr. Jason Grabosky and Rosyln Dvorin) for the redwood slabs.
Rutgers students Kathryn Wulf, Jun Zhang, Gabriel Palmieri inspecting a mosquito trap Dr. Jennifer Sun, Assistant Professor in the Rutgers University Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology (SEBS), leads a research group interested in the myriad relationships present between insects and microorganisms in nature. In particular, they look at the effects microorganisms have on insect behavior. A core facet of insect-microbe interactions is the insect microbiome, the collection of microbes that live on and inside of the bodies of bugs. Sun’s lab…
If you look right as you enter the EcoPreserve parking lot, you may see the above signs. Take the short stroll over to see what is blooming. This small meadow patch includes milkweeds and various wildflowers to attract pollinating insects, including monarch butterflies. The core of the patch is the result of a new product called wildflower sod produced by the Meadow Lab in Columbia, NJ. We also sowed in milkweed seeds gathered from local sources. Thanks to Rutgers IP&O…