On Sunday, July 9, my ecology class visited Willisbrook Preserve, an area protected by the conservation organization Natural Lands. It is located in the Piedmont Uplands, not far from Malvern, Pennsylvania. Willisbrook Preserve includes woods, grasslands, and a rare ecosystem known as serpentine barrens. Serpentine soil is rich in magnesium and iron, which is a… Continue reading A winding path through the serpentine barrens
On Sunday, June 25, my ecology class visited the Wissahickon Valley Park, situated in northwest Philadelphia along the Wissahickon Creek. The park is located in the Upland Piedmont region of the Piedmont province; the creek runs through a gorge characterized by schist and gneiss, crystal-flecked metamorphic rocks used for building materials in many historic structures… Continue reading Walking the Wissahickon
On Sunday, June 18, my ecology class visited three sites in the Inner Coastal Plain: Mount Holly, a forested cuesta; Timbuctoo, a historic settlement founded by free Blacks in 1826; and Rancocas State Park, a protected area along the North Branch of Rancocas Creek. The day was sunny and warm, although comfortably cool in the… Continue reading From the Mount Holly summit to the Rancocas tidal freshwater marsh
On Sunday, June 11, my ecology class went to the Pine Barrens. Although Philadelphia and New Jersey had been experiencing high values of particulate matter due to the wildfires in Quebec, the air seemed to have improved by the weekend, and it was a sunny and clear day. Although the forecast predicted temperatures in the… Continue reading Paddling the cedar waters of the Pinelands
I am taking a regional field ecology course this summer, so nearly every week my class takes a trip to a nearby park or preserve. I've enjoyed this so much and learned so much from these excursions that I've decided to post my field reports (lightly edited), for my records as well as for anyone… Continue reading The Jersey Shore I’ve never seen before
Context: FDR Park is a sprawling park located at the southernmost point of South Philly, not far from where the Schuylkill River joins the Delaware River. I visited it for the first time on my first pandemic birthday, and have since become a member and a volunteer. As I've pulled weeds and picked trash, I've… Continue reading Climate case study: Invasive plants in FDR Park
Sara Davis 