January 1, 2019 Field Trip

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Dianne Machesney

Tuesday, January 1, 2019, 12:00 noon
North Park, Irwin Road, Allegheny County
Leader: Richard Nugent: rmnugent@live.com; (412) 487-5549
Directions: From PA 8 north of Pittsburgh, travel north about 7 miles from Etna to Wildwood Road. Turn left onto Wildwood Road and travel 3 miles to a major intersection and stoplight in the park at Babcock Blvd. Turn right onto Babcock Blvd, continuing a short distance to a parking lot on the left side of Babcock Blvd, just after the turn for Pearce Mill Road. Alternatively, travel I-79 north to Exit 73-Wexford. Turn right onto PA 910 and continue 5 miles to Babcock Blvd. Turn right onto Babcock Blvd and travel 2.7 miles to the parking lot on the right, just before Pearce Mill Road.
Enjoying botany and nature on New Year’s Day is now a BSWP/Wissahickon tradition!
This trip could be canceled due to unsafe driving conditions; to learn if the trip is canceled when weather conditions are uncertain, please call Richard at 412-487-5549 the day of the hike.

December 13, 2018 Meeting

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Dianne Machesney

Wissahickon Nature Club Meeting and Holiday cookie exchange

On Thursday, December 13, Don Weiss shared the beautiful sites and stories of his time at Glacier National Park during the first week on September. It is a lovely time of year to be in the park, with many mountain views and beautiful lakes. Although the fires and smoke the park was experiencing blocked many of the dramatic views, they did add their own photographic possibilities. There was plenty of wildlife in the National Bison Range, about 2 hours South of the park. Many birds and even a few flowers.

Our traditional annual Holiday, Christmas Cookie party followed his presentation.

Member Pat Truschel made the beautiful Holiday Favors.

Kate
Dianne and Kim
Marlow
Tim
Pauline
Pat
Icey with a cast of a Grizzly’s paw
Tara
Cookie Table

Meeting November 8, 2018

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Dianne Machesney

On Thursday, November 8, seventeen members braved the traffic caused by the Steelers v Panthers game ( Steelers won) and listened attentively as Polly Shaw presented the Making of Moraine – the Creation of a State Park. This program described the time period from 1946 when Preston and Arthur met, until 1970 when the new park was formally dedicated. Moraine State Park has been characterized as a great achievement in environmental engineering achievement so we looked at how the land use was changed from one of coal mining, oil drilling, farming, and swamp land, into today’s 16,725 acre park with a 3,225 acre lake.

The cover of Polly’s book about Moraine State Park and her upcoming new book about McConnells Mill State Park

Delay Garden Clean Up to Aid Pollinators

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Dianne Machesney

Read member Dianne Machesney's article in the Sunday Post-Gazette
 (10/21/18)  
 http://www.post-gazette.com/life/garden/2018/10/19/Pollinators-messy-winter-garden-butterflies-moths-bees-hoverflies-beetles-Penn-State/stories/201810190007

Meeting October 11, 2018

Posted on September 16, 2018 by Dianne Machesney

Nineteen members met to hear Sarada Sangameswaran present “From Black to Green: The Story of Pittsburgh Botanic Garden.” We learned how they are transforming an old coal-mining site into a beautiful botanic garden. This presentation provided a brief history of the garden and details the land reclamation project that continue to restore our natural habitats She showed pictures of the established areas and the future plans for creating a vibrant place for visitors to enjoy.

Monica started off the meeting by asking for interesting sightings.

Don was our hero by eliminating a pesky wasp.

Kathy listens and our speaker awaits her introduction.

Trip Report Beaver Creek, Ohio

Posted on September 1, 2018 by Dianne Machesney

Eight members joined the hike along Beaver Creek: Carl, our leader, Dick, Mark, Loree, Bob, Dianne, Mary and Ken. It was a sunny, hot day in the upper 80’s. 63 species of flowers were noted, along with 20 species in fruit. See the complete list here:

Joint Field Trip with BSWP

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Dianne Machesney

Beaver Creek State Park, Ohio

Saturday, September 1, 2018. 1:00 PM
Beaver Creek State Park, Ohio
Leader: Carl Patsche , (304) 724-0139

Directions: From Pittsburgh, follow US Route 30 west to the West Virginia state line. Continue west on Route 30 through the town of East Liverpool. About 6 miles from East Liverpool, exit US Route 30 at the State Route 7, Rogers exit. Travel Route 7 north about 2 miles to the entrance to Beaver Creek State Park on the right, just past Beaver Local High School.
Continue about 2 ½ miles to the parking lot on the right, just past the Park Office, where we will meet.
GPS coordinates: 40.72677, -80.61200

September 13, 2018 Meeting

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Dianne Machesney

WINE AND CHEESE RECEPTION

On Thursday, September 13th, Bob and Dianne Machesney presented “Panama, December 2017.” Photos from their butterfly tour at the Canopy Tower and Lodge showed the flora, fauna, birds, butterflies of the area, along with some history and geography. Did you know that Panama means ” abundance of fish?” This was our annual wine and cheese reception.

Trip Report Jennings August 4, 2018

Image

Eighteen people enjoyed beautiful 84 degree, sunny weather to hike the prairie at Jennings. We saw a good variety of blooming flowers, grasses, mushrooms, birds and butterflies. Click here to see the list.

Fr. Bob, Susanne, Sharon

Colleen, Kate, Evan, Sue, Melissa and Adam

Groundnut Apios Americana

Culver’s Root Veronicastrum virginicum

Cordyceps Mushroom

Chanterelle Mushroom

Jack – that is one tall sunflower!! Helianthus giganteus

Water horehound Lycopus americanus

Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnate

Field Trip to Jennings August 4, 2018

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Dianne Machesney

August 4, Saturday, 10:00 Jennings Prairie, by Dianne Machesney
Visit the unique ecosystem at Jennings Prairie.
This is the perfect time to explore the relict prairie. The hot weather brings the stunning Blazing Star and some of the other dazzling summer flowers to peak performance. The goldenrods of fall will begin to show. Don’t miss the spectacular butterflies that grace the prairie with their breathtaking beauty. Flycatchers, vireos, tanagers, Common Yellowthroats and Cedar Waxwings sometimes make an appearance. We may come across a Red Eft, the larval form of a Red-spotted Newt.

Outings are free and open to the public. Bring your friends. Trails are wheelchair accessible.Wear a hat and sunscreen. Bring binoculars, field guides, water and a lunch.

Directions From Pittsburgh: take I-79 North to Exit 99, New Castle/ Butler. Drive east on Route 422 roughly 5.8 miles to the Prospect Exit. Turn left (north) onto Route 528.
Continue on Route 528 for about 7 miles. Meet in the Jennings Environmental Center Parking Lot on the left (west) side of the road.