Saturday, July 23, 2011
Lost and Found
Please use this blog post to report lost and found items. In order to exchange items, you may use the caretaker's mailbox with note attached or coordinate between yourselves.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Invasive species removal
Students from the School of Natural Resources removed invasive species from a stretch of forest on the main trail near the stone gate on Saturday, May 7th. We mainly used hedge clippers to cut Japanese Barberry near its base and then used small paint brushes to apply herbicide.
Japanese Barberry (scientific name Berberis thunbergii) is a dense, spiny shrub that has bright red berries. It is not native to North America and, like other invasive plants, can alter our ecosystems. According to the National Park Service, Japanese Barberry can alter pH, nitrogen levels, and biological activity in soil. It also displaces native plants and reduces wildlife habitat and forage. Japanese Barberry is a common plant used in landscaping for privacy hedges, but they spread rapidly causing them to turn up in places like Stinchfield Woods!
Japanese Barberry (scientific name Berberis thunbergii) is a dense, spiny shrub that has bright red berries. It is not native to North America and, like other invasive plants, can alter our ecosystems. According to the National Park Service, Japanese Barberry can alter pH, nitrogen levels, and biological activity in soil. It also displaces native plants and reduces wildlife habitat and forage. Japanese Barberry is a common plant used in landscaping for privacy hedges, but they spread rapidly causing them to turn up in places like Stinchfield Woods!
Record wildlife sightings here!
We invite you to record wildlife sightings by commenting on this post. This will help the University of Michigan and fellow Stinchfield hikers to know what fauna are living in the forest. Thanks!
Four baby raccoon were born on top of the old observatory, summer 2011.
Wood duck, March 2012
Barred owl, March 2012
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