Ecological Preserve

Dr. Dina Fonseca, Director of the RU Center for Vector Biology, has been surveying the tick population in the EcoPreserve for several years. Surveying here has demonstrated that sections of the EcoPreserve hold a large population of Asian long-horned, lone star and black-legged  ticks, both larval stages and adults. So remember to always take precautions about ticks whenever visiting the EcoPreserve or any nature reserve in NJ.  To learn more http://vectorbio.rutgers.edu/outreach/tickavoid.php This past week, Dr Holly Gaff of Old Dominion…

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Spotted Lanternfly trap monitored by USDA APHIS The Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) (Lycorma delicatula) is an introduced leaf hopper insect that is rapidly spreading across the MidAtlantic states. As it is a serious pest of agricultural crops and selected woody plants, the USDA APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) has an active monitoring and control program. APHIS has set up a trapping station in the EcoPreserve –  so if you come across it please let it alone as it is…

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Planting American Strawberry (Euonymus americanus) bushes Bluebells (Mertensia virgininca) and Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) Several years ago a RUtgers Ecology & Evolution student  (& EcoPreserve land steward) Josh Echols and NJ Conservation Foundation ecologist Emile DeVito found American Strawberry (Euonymus americanus)  growing in a patch of woods near the Edison Monument in Menlo Park. Emile collected seeds and grew them out with the help of Duke Farms staff at their greenhouses. This spring we planted ten of the native shrubs…

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Winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) After being planted almost a decade ago, the grove of native shrubs planted along the riparian zone of Buell Brook has finally become well established. A number of the shrubs experienced a major growth spurt this past year and some are well over head high. These shrubs were planted as part of several student projects in the Natural Resource Management course taught at SEBS. The objective was to stabilize the riparian zone along Buell Brook and…

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