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
Hey there. It's still summer in the northern hemisphere, which means those of us in the US are still seeing a great many climate impacts firsthand. As always, I've collected news about a few (hardly all!) because I think it's important to know and try to understand what climate change looks like in different parts… Continue reading Climate Roundup: Dog days of summer
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
Buckle up, it's a long one. Summer in the Northern Hemisphere always sees an uptick in climate reportage, almost a climate panic, because the impacts are so visible and inarguable: higher temperatures, more wildfires, more intense storms, floods. Homes are damaged; lives are lost. We see this every summer. And since summer happens every year,… Continue reading Climate Roundup: Air, water, fire
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
Sara Davis 