The Naturalist Notebook

Bird feeding is a wonderful thing, is it not? As winter draws near, many birds become more and more likely to visit your home feeding stations, but this time of year also presents some challenges to feeding our feathered friends. With a few simple tricks you can keep them fed and your feeders safe.   …

We’re getting excited for our third annual Shaver’s Creek Music Festival coming up this Sunday, September 30, 2012! From 1:00–6:00 p.m., gather around our beautiful timber-frame stage and kick off your fall with a foot-stomping good time. With a beautiful forest backdrop, enjoy fantastic local folk, rock, bluegrass, and Americana music from Pure Cane Sugar, Grain,…

With summer winding down and the fall semester starting up next week, our summer intern season here at Shaver’s Creek draws to a close today. While a number of our talented summer staff are staying on for the fall season, many are heading off to other adventures. We wish the best of luck to them all,…

Here at Shaver’s Creek we strive to use only what we need, and to recycle (or compost) all that we discard. What better way to recycle used wires, take-out food containers, cardboard boxes, aluminum foil, and soda bottles than to get the creative juices flowing with a fun art project?! During Raptor Camp two weeks…

If you follow our Shaver’s Creek Facebook page, you may have noticed some weird and frequent posts from us earlier today. We’ve been working hard over the past several months to overhaul our website, and today we’re very excited to announce the launch of the new and improved ShaversCreek.org! (The extra Facebook posts you may have seen…

Easily one of the most recognizable butterflies in America, monarchs hold a special place in the hearts of many garden lovers. These beautiful orange and black creatures are always a delight to see in any garden. What makes monarchs so special, and why is Shaver’s Creek taking the time to monitor them this summer? Monarchs…

Visit baypoll.blogspot.com to check out this interesting post from teenage blogger Corey Husic about Barn Owl banding in PA.

Have you been outside at night lately?  There is no better time to take a relaxed nighttime hike to explore your surroundings than right now! The warm summer air fills your lungs as the sun sets over the central Pennsylvania mountaintops.  The chirps and buzzing of insects creates a symphony all around you.  One by…

The milkweed plant family encompasses a large group of plants, with almost 100 species of milkweed in the United States. There are about twelve milkweed species native to Pennsylvania, five of which can be found in the Stone Valley/Shaver’s Creek area. The species you might see around here are: -Poke or Tall milkweed A.exaltata L.…

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are known for their incredible migration patterns, travelling across the United States from Mexico to Canada and back. Some Monarchs have even begun to make trans-Atlantic trips to Bermuda to find milkweed. Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed plants as they migrate, and the caterpillars acquire a toxin from the leaves…