With nets over their shoulders, guide books in pockets, and jars for observation in hand, the Shaver’s Creek staff set out to find the butterflies. Every year, groups all over the nation search for butterflies in a national butterfly count that is compiled by the North American Butterfly Association. Shaver’s Creek staff identified and kept…
The Naturalist Notebook
Welcome to the Shaver’s Creek blog! The entries here are posted by staff, interns, and volunteers, and aim to keep you informed about the programs, updates, and natural history happenings here at the Creek. Enjoy!
Summer certainly has many forms of beauty, but none captures us more than that of ornately patterned butterflies. Without a doubt, butterfly and pollinator gardening is one of the fastest growing fads in landscaping. Unfortunately, when looking for plants to attract butterflies to our gardens, we often overlook very beneficial native plants in favor of…
Memorial Day weekend this year marked a time for Shaver’s Creek staff to honor those who served our country, and also one of its most notable teachers, Joan Turns. Friday, May 23rd was Joan’s final day of overseeing school programming—no small cause for celebration, considering she has over 700 programs under her belt since she joined…
As we move ever faster towards the dog days of summer, unexpected beauty is beginning to crowd the air above the water at Shaver’s Creek. Yes, Dragonfly flight season is in full swing and some of the largest and showiest of our species are beginning to emerge in search of mates—and their mosquito prey. I…
A record number of participants made the 2013 Birding Cup a fantastic event! 105 birders represented 23 different teams, bound together in a 24-hour competition to find the most birds. Even though a number of species hadn’t returned from migration yet, in total, birders discovered 169 species! The Birding Cup is Shaver’s Creek’s annual fundraiser.…
In a world saturated with such vast technological advances as ours, there is something to be said of appreciating the more basic and primitive skills of survival in the wilderness. One group of such primitive survival skills is that of different fire making techniques. Among our talented environmental education interns, Shaver’s Creek’s very own Nora…
The Birding Cup isn’t the only exciting event happening this weekend. Come celebrate the arrival of spring and return of wildflowers at Shaver’s Creek on Saturday, May 4, from 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. with the Central Pennsylvania Native Plant Festival! Bring friends and family for educational walks, programs, and resources, including guided walks of our native plant…
Whether you have gone birding or not, you have probably enjoyed the captivating sight of American Robins scavenging for insects or Turkey Vultures circling and wobbling overhead. As a newer birder, I too have enjoyed these delights and have recently begun to focus my energy on preparing for an upcoming event at Shaver’s Creek. Bird…
It’s that time of year again—the time of the salamander migration. A few nights ago, after a heavy rain, I ventured out to find some friendly amphibians. Walking hunched over around a vernal pool, I suddenly saw one. My flashlight caught the glimmer of a beautiful spotted salamander. These amphibians are striking in size and…
As the weather warms up this week, it may be the perfect time for a weekend hike. You’re invited to walk with the experts at Shaver’s Creek—in a Vernal Pools Walk on Saturday, April 13th from 1:00 p.m.–3:00 pm. Join Penn State ‘s Dr. Jim Julian and Jerod Skebo from Shaver’s Creek to investigate these small temporary ponds, the pockets…