By Noah Gress, Director of Community Farm Program

People often ask at Rushton Farm, “How are the bees?” reflecting their fascination. It might be the sweet elixir of honey that sparks this interest—satisfying a sweet tooth, evoking nostalgia, or awakening primal senses shared with early ancestors. Historically, honey was a rare and valuable commodity due to its sweetness and medicinal qualities. Evidence of early humans collecting honey is seen in cave paintings and hieroglyphics. The Egyptians were among the first to domesticate honeybees, using clay pots turned upside down for hives. When visitors see the wooden hives at Rushton Farm, they might sense some ancient magic or power in the bees. A hive filled with honey and bustling with nearly 60,000 bees can be truly awe-inspiring, each capable of producing up to 70 pounds of surplus honey during the spring nectar flow.

Some visitors are intrigued by the honeybee as she goes about her day. Most often, people encounter honeybees while admiring the many flowers blooming in fields and hedgerows; the bee moves methodically, almost dancing, around each flower, filling the pollen baskets on her hind legs. Look closely to see her dip her straw-like proboscis into a drop of nectar. The bee doesn’t eat the nectar but stores it in her honey crop. Once filled, she flies straight back to the hive. The work of a forager may take her as far as three miles from her home. Very rarely does she lose her way. Through dead reckoning and the sun’s position, the honeybee is an excellent navigator. A summer’s lifespan is about a month, and she brings home not much more honey than what clings to a fingertip dipped into a jar of honey. Now that the goldenrod is blooming, the hive’s foragers will make nearly a million trips to gather enough nectar to produce one pound of honey.

Honeybees collect more than just pollen and nectar; some are water enthusiasts. They can be seen by the hydrant gathering water to cool the hive. Others prefer mineral-rich water from a freshly watered seed flat. Sometimes, the Rushton Farm staff notice their bee coworkers drinking from the irrigation tubes that water the fields.

Some bees specialize in collecting tree sap and plant resins from essential oil-bearing plants. Bees then use these ingredients to craft a medicinal, glue-like substance called propolis. Honeybees use propolis to seal tiny cracks in their hive. The ingredients in propolis help keep the colony healthy. Historical records show that propolis was used during mummification in ancient Egypt. It is also used for mouth ailments and topically for skin conditions, infections, and inflammations.

When the sun begins to set and the day’s work ends, the honeybee returns to her hive. She is greeted by an elder bee who has retired from their more active job as a forager to become a guard bee. The guard bees gather at the entrance and welcome the homecoming forager to ensure she belongs to the hive. Once inside, the bees resume housekeeping chores and rest until dawn. The fact that bees spend the night in the hive has become the foundation of a thousand years of beekeeping.

We have been told about the importance of honeybees to our food supply. What makes them vital for maintaining it? Simply put, their home can be moved. The hive can be screened off and carried along as civilizations migrated. They were loaded onto wooden ships, modern container ships, wagons, and tractor trailers. As the fruits that sustain humanity bloomed, the hive was there to pollinate them. For millions of years, honeybees have played a crucial role in spreading pollen and other floral materials across the Earth. They ensured pollination, which became the foundation of the environment, and sparked the development of new species and varieties.

Despite the close intertwining of humanity and honeybees, bees often escape domestication and return to the wild. In spring, when the hive is filled with honey and the bees are running out of space to raise their young, the hive naturally develops the urge to split. This is how honeybees reproduce. The workers build special combs to raise new queen bees. The queen lays an egg in this “queen cup.” About two weeks later, the new queen will be fully developed and emerge to replace her predecessor as the hive’s leader. Just before the new queen matures completely, experienced foragers will push the queen, who led the colony through the previous winter, out of the hive’s entrance. Then, the queen and around 15,000 foragers fly off to start a new colony. Many people become inspired to take up beekeeping after seeing a swarm flying across a field.

When folks ask me, “How are the Bees?” I find it hard to know what to say. I usually reply that they are doing well or that they’re collecting more and more honey everyday. Inside, I think to myself, where to begin. To me, they are amazing, magical, and make me feel connected to nature and my ancestors. Sometimes I see them as a worthy adversary, especially when the hive is 60,000 bees strong and it’s the day I‘ve come for their honey. When Fred passed away, the bees, through the ancient ritual of “the telling of the bees,” helped me mourn and remember the good times we had when Fred would visit me while I was working with the bees.

From the first time I saw a swarm fly across a field I was farming, I knew I wanted to be a beekeeper. Wearing the hat of a beekeeper has allowed me to connect with all kinds of people in a way that reveals our shared humanity. We are all one people living in one world. The next time you visit Rushton Woods Preserve and see a bee, don’t hesitate to ask her how she is doing. You might be surprised by what you discover.

Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) is committed to inspiring the next generation of conservationists through its immersive, experiential education initiatives. Throughout the year we are fortunate to work with some talented and motivated young people, from middle schoolers to graduate students and everyone in between, who are passionate about saving land and wildlife. Featured here are some of those young voices and the projects they accomplished alongside WCT’s program staff.

MEET THE AUTHORS

My Amazing Monarch Butterfly Experience | Sid Ghatta

When I learned that the scientific name for the Monarch Butterfly, Danaus plexippus, means “sleepy transformation” in Greek, I became really curious. These big orange, black, and white insects have a 4-inch wingspan and depend completely on milkweed, it’s the only plant their larvae can eat. Monarchs travel up to 3,000 miles from the Eastern U.S. to Mexico (a little less for the Western ones heading to California). Their migration is one of the most amazing in the insect world! Sadly, climate change and land development are reducing milkweed, making it harder for monarchs to survive.

The Monarch Larvae Monitoring Project (MLMP) collects data about monarch eggs, larvae, and milkweed across North America. This helps scientists understand how to protect them, because without monarchs to pollinate plants, our meadows would lose much of their beauty.

Rushton Woods Preserve has lots of Common Milkweed right next to farm fields, a perfect habitat for monarchs. I first learned about them from Ms. Blake in Willistown Conservation Trust’s Rushton Nature Keepers program. When my mom saw how interested I was, she asked Ms. Blake if I could help with the MLMP, and she said yes! Thanks to Ms. Blake for deciding to give me a shot and helping with my interest in nature conservation.

My dad and I started monitoring every weekend. At first, we had no idea what we were doing, but Ms. Blake taught us how to identify eggs, larvae, and instars (and not to mistake latex drops for eggs!). Each visit, we chose milkweed plants, flipped the leaves, and recorded what we found. Between May 30 and August 4, we monitored nine times and found 21 adults, 10 caterpillars, and 94 eggs!!!

One time my dad got too close to take a butterfly photo and, bam!, he got a shock from the electric fence. This project was a super fun experience for me (and my dad despite the shock!), and I hope we made an effort to help save this endangered species for future generations to see.

“Nature is life’s greatest form of happiness. Of course, my MLMP partner, my Dad, agrees with me too! Hope you do, too” -Sid

Classrooms Without Walls | Julia Griffin

At Rushton Woods Preserve and Farm, learning begins not from books but from the sound of wind whispering through tall grasses, the sight of a purple martin soaring across the meadow above, and the feel of footsteps on a woodland trail. In an era when children are easily drawn indoors by screens, environments such as Rushton remind us that nature itself is the most valuable teacher.

This summer, WCT hosted a group of girls, ages 8-11, from Girls Inc. The nonprofit focuses on evidence-based programs, pro-girl environments, and mentorship. Girls Inc. equips young girls, especially those from underserved communities, with the tools to achieve their full potential. After two visits the once-reluctant girls gained comfort in Rushton’s natural spaces. From their first forest walk to confidently harvesting and identifying crops, their creativity and imagination seemed to thrive with the gardens and meadows that grew around them.

The girls practiced “forest bathing”, essentially a walk in the woods surrounded by the visual, auditory, and olfactory components of the outdoors. At first, the prospect of insects and mud created discomfort, but within a few minutes hesitation had given way to curiosity as they saw bugs and overturned logs in search of worms. They stopped repeatedly to examine fallen leaves, follow the movement of woodland animals, and listen to birdsong overhead. Next, the girls observed the banding of some of Rushton’s breeding birds like Gray Catbirds and Purple Martin chicks. Watching these delicate birds up close, the girls experienced firsthand the fragility and complexity of life, learning that patience and careful observation can reveal the beauty of the natural world. The girls continued to the farm fields, harvesting vegetables, tasting honey from Rushton Farm’s hives, and making tea with herbs from Rushton’s gardens. Through these activities, the girls were encouraged to use all five senses and to notice the connections between themselves, the land, and the life it sustains.

Introducing children to a greener world involves more than reading about it in books. They need to be able to feel it with their own hands and hearts, see it, and listen to it. The forest, farm, and trail spaces of Rushton are classrooms in which wonder is kindled, imagination is developed, and confidence is gained.

“Nature is a living teacher, a lifelong sanctuary, and an endless source of inspiration” -Julia

Nestbox Monitoring in Action! | Catherine Oblack

As a long-time Rushton Nature Keeper, I treasure each moment outside surrounded by Willistown’s beautiful landscapes. After exposure to nest boxes at WCT’s nature preserves, I was inspired to track how birds are using our preserved lands. This season I tracked nesting activity on the WCT preserves, an amazing experience that led me to realize how important conserved habitat is for the continued survival of bird species.

At the beginning of the nesting season, Education Programs Manager, Blake Goll, showed me how to make sure that each nest box had the optimal conditions for the birds, such as clearing long grass around the pole to prevent snakes or mice from entering the boxes. I also learned how to make sure that I minimized disruption to the birds, such as knocking before I opened boxes and keeping my visits quick. I set up a Cornell Lab of Ornithology NestWatch account, an easy tool to input and track data while in the field. There were over 100 chicks in 50 nesting boxes this season including 47 bluebirds, 37 tree swallows, and 24 other native birds including house wrens and chickadees.

During the spring and early summer, the preserves were full of emerging life. It was exciting to see birds building up their nests or raising their first brood of chicks. These months were very productive, with many of the nesting attempts resulting in successful fledging. It was an amazing experience watching a bird box from the construction of the nest to adorable, vocal feathered fledglings. In the heart of midsummer, there was still plenty of activity to observe. It was fascinating to see the landscape shift around me while the birds persisted in their nesting attempts. Later in the season, my focus shifted to bird box “housekeeping”. When appropriate, clearing out old and dirty nesting material after birds fledged allows the box to be used for another nesting attempt and prevented pests that could potentially harm future nesting success.

Monitoring nest boxes is an amazing opportunity to learn how birds use their surrounding habitats as well as adapt to the many challenges that they face today. It provides not only interesting data, but a deeper connection with nature through the season. If you have bird boxes on your lands, consider checking in on your feathered friends through the spring and summer months!

“I got to learn from the bird boxes, but also from all nature around me as I walked along the beautiful trails” -Catherine

By: Ian Salisbury, Stewardship Intern

This past summer, I had the privilege of being the Stewardship Intern here at Willistown Conservation Trust. I worked with the Stewardship department to maintain all five of our nature preserves, while learning the techniques and protocols to do so. When managing land, you are pulled in many directions – there is no way to predict how one day or another is going to go. For instance, when we have storms, trees fall, and anything else you were planning on doing has to get pushed off until the downed tree is dealt with. Consequently, there is very limited time to observe how nature is interacting with the land you are managing. This is why, as an intern, I wanted to complete a project involving surveying. Surveying is the act of making observations in a planned and organized manner so as to collect the most reliable data possible. This data is then used to influence decision making.  

To conduct my surveys, I chose Kestrel Hill Preserve, the newest preserve owned by WCT. Observations here are vital in creating an accurate management plan that is tailored to a specific land area. I collected data on woody plants, birds, insects/pollinators, and mammals living within the Preserve, which contains grasslands, meadows, and forest with tributaries that lead to nearby creeks and streams. Much of the land was previously used as agricultural fields with an annual crop rotation of corn and soybeans. This land use history highlights the importance of proper management to help restore the land back to native habitat, only possible with a comprehensive management plan.  

By surveying, you gain an understanding of how the ecosystem is truly functioning, and what constitutes the habitat. Most ecological surveys begin by first designating an area to study. It is unrealistic to expect that we could observe everything that is happening on an entire preserve at any given time, so we make zones or transects (specifically measured areas, often boxes in a grid pattern, depending on the terrain and needs of the survey) to help get a representative sample of the site. After determining what details and information should be recorded, we finally conduct the survey. This can be done just once, weekly, biweekly, annually, etc. – as long as you feel it is necessary to collect good data.  

The best data I collected was from trail cameras during my mammal surveys. Capturing eastern coyotes (Canis latrans), red fox (Vulpes Vulpes), Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana), lots of raccoons (Procyon lotor), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), was absolutely the highlight of this project. When surveying mammals, it is a common practice to track and record the presence of various predatory species because their presence is directly correlated to the number of prey species present in the ecosystem. While prey species are hard to observe, they are important to understanding the impact we are having on our preserves. Mammalian prey species, mainly small rodents, rely on the plants in their environment. By planting native plant species and removing invasives, we are directly benefiting both the predators and their prey.  

I also conducted pollinator surveys that showed how the newly restored meadow and grasslands are already helping our beneficial insect populations grow by providing nectar sources and host plants for young to feed on. I was able to observe a variety of swallowtails, skippers, and other beautiful native butterflies, as well as multiple native bee species, many of which are declining in population. The grassland is particularly worth noting because many of the species of skippers rely on native grasses to lay eggs on and for their caterpillars to feed on. Caterpillars and other insects are also vital food sources for both migrant and resident bird species. While bird surveying didn’t produce as many results as I wanted, I was able to see a Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) in August, which is their migration season, an unusual site for me. There are also many American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) nesting in nest boxes that have been set up, showing we have suitable habitat for them. Finally, I have observed Northern Harriers (Circus hudsonius), Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), and many hawk species flying around the preserve, indicating there must be ample food supply for all of them to feed on.  

Unfortunately, due to my limited time here, I couldn’t fully conduct the surveys in the way I would have preferred. With a longer project period, I could have had proper transects creating more usable data, more recorded bird survey data blocked by habitat type, time of day and weather, and much more specific trail camera data that catalogued behaviors, species identifications, and number of individuals. My hope is that these surveys can be continued by other researchers moving forward who may be able to expand upon the work I have started. 

Surveying is an under-appreciated part of land management in my eyes, particularly with the trail cameras. We can easily walk around the Preserves during the day, but we can’t at night when a lot of our local wildlife are active. With restoration efforts already underway in the meadows and grasslands, surveys and continued monitoring will help demonstrate the long-term impact of these projects. As I mentioned before, when managing land, you are pulled in many directions. Restoration work on the scale being done at Kestrel Hill requires many hands and hours of work to achieve. This internship has been a gift to me, and I am grateful for the environmental playground that I was allowed to explore and experiment with at Kestrel Hill Preserve.