July 13, 2021 Blog Environment
Thanks for your interest in the mushrooms we found on Coal Creek Farm. It’s been a dry spring, so the mushrooms are “resting” but the bugs are alive and buzzing. We’ve had researchers on property cataloging the bugs. It’s fascinating to watch them work. I wrote a story about it for the American Entomological Society Journal.
And, they found a new species of grasshopper, Menapolus Lendemannii, which is a fine name, though I kind of liked the idea of Grasshopper George…
April 25 2023 Blog Environment
Some scientists estimate that native grasslands have declined by as much as 99 percent. By some estimates, this resulted in three billion fewer birds on the landscape than 50 years ago. This has harmed both the eastern meadowlark and the bobwhite which are both found on Coal Creek.
April 20 2023 Blog Environment
Historically, open savannas and woodlands were largely maintained by periodic fire, which served to remove dense blankets of accumulated leaf litter from the ground and promote the growth of fire-adapted trees, such as shortleaf pine. Due to the loss of periodic fire, it is estimated that at least 90% of shortleaf pine-oak savanna has been lost.