What's in this issue? A celebration of May! Take a look at some of the plants and animals that are thriving in spring and learn a bit bout them! Magical May It’s spring at last! There are many interesting natural events happening in South Jersey. Take a walk or add native flowers to your garden. Visit one of SJLWT’s preserves. May is when mountain laurel first blooms in the understory of the woods and is always a treat to see. Here are a few treats: Mountain Laurel Mounta

April is National Native Plant Month, first established by Congress in 2021. Events may be planned in your community to celebrate native plants and help educate others about the many benefits of native plants to our fragile ecosystems, or you can work on your own or with your neighbors to help support native plant gardening. Why are native plants so important? Because they are a source of food and shelter for native bees, butterflies, birds, caterpillars, and all wildlif

There’s a crucial connection between monarch butterflies ( Danaus plexippus ) and milkweed plants (genus Asclepias ). You may know that monarchs only lay their eggs on milkweed, and that this plant is the only one on which the larvae (caterpillars) can feed. The milkweed plant, however, is a challenge to eat. It’s covered in fine hairs (trichomes, a defense mechanism that helps deter herbivores), exudes sticky latex when bitten that can glue a small insect’s mouthparts t

What's in this issue? A brand new tract of land has been preserved and it's got a poetic piece of history attached! LAUREL LAKE PRESERVE & WALT WHITMAN On January 16, 2026, South Jersey Land & Water Trust conserved a 3.5-acre remnant of woods along Laurel Lake in Laurel Springs, New Jersey, where Walt Whitman once found enduring inspiration, and where generations of children have “played in the woods.” We believe the “Good Gray Poet” would be jubilant! Our newly established L

What's in this issue? A look into some of the nocturnal residents of our forests and fields to help you learn where and how to find them! Owls in January by Suzanne McCarthy It’s always a treat to hear owls at night! If you are in a rural location, you may begin to hear them calling to each other in January as they pair up. Great Horned Owls are the most likely ones to hear, with their hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo call. If you are in or near denser woods, you may hear the Barred Owl

What's in this issue? A look into an often overlooked but extremely important native animal to our freshwater streams. The humble mussel! The Freshwater Mussel-A Fascinating Animal by Suzanne McCarthy A Freshwater Mussel https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/wildlife/freshwater-mussels/ Do you know this animal? You may or may not have eaten mussels but, if you have, those were a marine species, like the clams we eat. Freshwater mussels are also a food source but for birds, otters, raccoo

What's in this issue? As the season changes over to fall many people will have yards full of old leaves that have recently left their trees. We encourage you to not get rid of them but instead use them to help create habitat for a wide variety of organisms! LEAVE THOSE LEAVES by Suzanne McCarthy Does the thought of cleaning up your yard this fall leave you with a sense of dread? You really don’t need to do all that work – raking all your leaves. It’s actually better to lea

What's in this issue? The buzzing sound of insects is divisive to many people but is incredibly important for our ecosystem. The absence...

What's in this issue? The wonderful trill of a small but mighty treefrog is a common sound in the Southern New Jersey area. While they...

What's in this issue? North America's smallest falcon is quite the star and you can read all about how this diminutive predator is doing...

What's in this issue? Have you ever heard of a stream buffer? They are extremely important for the health of an ecosystem and there are...

By Suzanne McCarthy Did you know that Congress first adopted April as Native Plant Month in 2021? A yearly bipartisan resolution focuses...

By Suzanne McCarthy Climate and weather are always changing, and, currently, changing in the direction of global warming. How do we know...

The family of woodpeckers, Picidae , includes seven species that rely on the woods of southern New Jersey. Many of these birds can also...

Learn what trees do to help us and why we need your help reforesting a section of our Oldmans Creek Preserve!

What's in this issue? How do wild birds deal with the rough weather in winter? How can you help them? BIRD SURVIVAL IN WINTER By Suzanne...

What's in this issue? What's that seasonal plant found over our doorways! Did you know it can be found growing here in New Jersey?...

What's in this issue? Where does your drinking water come from? What is an aquifer? A new name for a new property thanks to the support...

What's in this issue? What lives in your stream? Why preserving farmland matters and how it works. Additionally we share an important...

What's in this issue? What is a rain garden and how can you create your own? As well as an introduction to how we at South Jersey Land &...