WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST

With the Spotted Lanternfly it’s Always Squash Season

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At our most recent free lunch & learn at the Rushton Conservation Center, Meagan Hopkins-Doerr provided a wealth of useful information about the invasive and destructive Spotted Lanternfly (SLF). Meagan is Coordinator for the Master Gardeners of Chester County and Master Watershed Stewards of Chester & Delaware Counties, and she travels the area providing informative sessions like this one on a variety of topics.

Background

SLF is an invasive species that was discovered in Berks County back in 2014. With few natural predators, it has spread and threatens the Pennsylvania economy. It is critical to manage this pest now. SLF was also introduced in South Korea, which is similar in size to Pennsylvania.

So, here are some of the highlights of actions you can take now:

Destroy the Eggs

The SLF adults have now died from the cold, but have left behind their egg masses. Here’s a photo of what they look like.

Photo: Penn State University Extension – Image by Erica Smyers

Females will lay eggs on virtually any outdoor surface. In addition to trees you may find them on:

  • Fence posts
  • Grills
  • Sheds
  • Lawn furniture
  • Outdoor seating cushions
  • Exterior walls (siding, brick, stone)
  • Flower boxes
  • Bird feeders

Careful inspection of your property for the egg masses is an important step in controlling the spread of the SLF. Each egg mass can contain, on average, 37 eggs. Therefore it’s important to destroy any you see. When you see one, here’s what you do:

  • Scrape the egg mass into a jar or similar container
  • Soak the eggs in isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
  • Dispose of the container

You can also smash the egg masses, or burn them if you have a fire pit.

Limit the Spread

Willistown Conservation Trust’s program area is within the quarantine zone. At all stages of growth, SLF are very efficient hitchhikers. There are some things you can do to limit the spread of the SLF:

  • Check your car (wheel wells, grille) and any trailers and remove all SLF before departing. This is important ESPECIALLY before driving out of the quarantine zone.
  • Don’t park under infested trees
  • Do not transport firewood
  • Inspect any material stored outdoors before transporting it elsewhere

Remove Tree of Heaven

If you use landscapers or arborists, ask if they have received an SLF permit from the PA Department of Agriculture. For more information about the permit visit: https://extension.psu.edu/does-your-business-need-a-spotted-lanternfly-permit

Though the SLF will feed on other plants, the Tree of Heaven is one of its preferred hosts. If you have Tree of Heaven, it is important to remove them. You MUST use an appropriate herbicide to treat the tree before cutting it down or it will multiply.

Get Ready for Hatching

Banding. When the SLF eggs hatch in the spring, the nymphs will begin to forage. By banding trees they prefer, you can help to capture them. Bands should be checked regularly and replaced as needed. Excluder cages should be used to  keep other animals away from the bands. Read more about use of traps here: https://extension.psu.edu/using-traps-for-spotted-lanternfly-management

Insecticides. If you have an infestation, it may be necessary to use insecticides. There are a variety of systemic and contact insecticides with varying degrees of efficacy against the SLF. Always read and follow the label before applying any insecticide. Additional information can be found here: https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-management-and-pesticide-safety

See the Penn State Extension website for instructions on how to band trees and for selection and use of insecticides.

Report. Report. Report.

Researchers need data. By reporting sightings of SLF you will help researchers understand how the SLF are moving. To report SLF you can go online to extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly or call 1-888-4BADFLY.

Learn More

You can download a variety of helpful information at the PSU Extension website. The Trust also has some print materials left over from the lunch & learn. You’re welcome to stop by our office and pick up some while supplies last. We also have a small supply of scraper cards, which also have helpful information on them including the number to call to report SLF.

Watch for more informative lunch & learns coming up.

Welcome Andrew Kirkpatrick

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We are thrilled to have Andrew Kirkpatrick join the Willistown Conservation Trust staff as Associate Director of Stewardship, working with Director of Stewardship, Bill Hartman. He joins us from the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education where he was Land Stewardship Manager, in charge of its 340-acre preserve. As part of his duties, Andrew led trail projects, coordinated volunteer activities, and managed their retail native plant nursery.

So how does a guy with a bachelor’s degree in politics and government wind up in land conservation and stewardship? Well, it started in Georgia and ended in Maine.

But before that, fresh out of college, Andrew worked for the Department of the Treasury. It was a great fit for his background and interests at the time. But he found the work, in his words, “really boring.”

He decided to take a little time-out and hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Pennsylvania. He walked home, as he put it. Then after a short hiatus, he picked up where he left off and continued on to the northern terminus in Maine.

Along the way, he marveled at how well the small, tightly knit community of hikers communicated. The way he describes it, the flow of information was organic and seamless, which turned it into a literal and figurative voyage of discovery. Through-hikers like Andrew usually have a trail name – his was Leaf Treader, taken from a Robert Frost poem that describes an individual’s awareness of nature and its cycles. And it was his own awareness of nature, being immersed in it day-after-day (even grim periods of non-stop rain), that led Andrew from the trail to a career in conservation.

He learned about a master’s program in Landscape Architecture and Ecological Restoration at Temple University from his wife. Upon graduation from that program, he started on the path of his new career at Morris Arboretum. And the rest is history.

Andrew is most excited to learn more about conservation easements and monitoring. He and Bill have already hit the ground running conducting monitoring visits throughout our program area and with more than 100 easement properties, there will be plenty of opportunity to learn!

Not surprising, in his free time, Andrew enjoys gardening and hiking with his 7-year old daughter, Stella. When you see him out-and-about, please say hello and join us in welcoming him to the Trust!

Public Notice of Accreditation Renewal

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The land trust accreditation program recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. Willistown Conservation Trust is pleased to announce it is applying for renewal of accreditation. A public comment period is now open.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs. In 2008, Willistown Conservation Trust was one of the first land trusts nationwide to be awarded accreditation by the Commission. According to Bonnie Van Alen, the Trust’s President and Executive Director: “Our accredited status should assure our contributors, easement holders, project partners and other stakeholders of our commitment to meeting the highest national standards of performance and procedures. In other words, not only are we protecting important lands, but we’re doing it in the right way and for the long term.”

The Commission invites public input and accepts signed, written comments on pending applications. Comments must relate to how Willistown Conservation Trust complies with national quality standards. These standards address the ethical and technical operation of a land trust. For the full list of standards see http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/help-and-resources/indicator-practices.

To learn more about the accreditation program and to submit a comment, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org, or email your comment to info@landtrustaccreditation.org. Comments may also be faxed or mailed to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, Attn: Public Comments: (fax) 518-587-3183; (mail) 36 Phila Street, Suite 2, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.

Comments on Willistown Conservation Trust’s application will be most useful by November 14, 2019.

Variety is the Essence of Life

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The old saying goes that variety is the spice of life. In nature, variety is the very essence of life.

Hopefully you’ve read and enjoyed our recent blog posts about the importance of riparian buffers and tips for planting trees and shrubs, if you haven’t yet please take a look. You’ll find helpful guidance, which will be handy for World Planting Day coming up on October 22!

An important aspect of healthy riparian buffer is planting a variety of species, which will help support a variety of insects, animals, bacteria, fungi and other living things. A variety also looks nice, providing different colors and textures in your landscape.

To help you, we’ve assembled a collection of our favorite native trees and shrubs that grow well in riparian buffers.

You can also download a PDF here for future reference.

For detailed information about each of these, you can consult wildflower.org. You can also talk with a reputable native plant nursery or landscape designer about what variety of plants to select for your particular area.

Riparian Buffer Planting – Step 3. Preserve

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The final blog post in our series of 3 is designed to help you plant native trees and shrubs in a riparian buffer (the land that borders streams and other waterways). While we have been focusing on planting in a riparian buffer, most of the tips provided will apply to planting trees or shrubs in other locations on your property.

Once your trees and shrubs are planted, it is important to protect them from deer damage! Placing tree guards or constructing your own fencing (photos below) around individual trees or shrubs is the best way to protect them from deer until they become large enough to survive without protection (typically 8-10 years).

  • Create your own fencing to protect your newly planted tree or shrub. Or…
  • …use commercially-available tree guards. These can be time-savers for large planting projects.

Once installed, periodically check the plants and manually remove any aggressive vines climbing on the tree guards or fencing. Avoid the use of chemicals to fight the vines in riparian zones; they can harm the plants, insects and our waterways.

See our post about the importance of riparian buffers and our first post about preparing to plant and our second post about planting.

Learn how to give your trees and shrubs a strong start by attending one or more of our upcoming tree planting events on October 4, 5, and 6.  Click here to learn more about these upcoming plantings and sign up to volunteer!  

Connect With Us

Willistown Conservation Trust

925 Providence Road
Newtown Square, PA 19073
(610)353-2562
land@wctrust.org

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