Spring arrived early for some this year. And it’s complicated

Kara HolsoppleMarch 16, 2023

Climate change is making record-breaking early springs more likely. There are downsides and some upsides, too.

Climate ChangeConservationYour Environment Update

Goats do the hard work at South Side Park

Andrea LaurionAugust 19, 2022

Goats have been eating invasive plants along the steep slopes of South Side Park in Pittsburgh for years. Now, native trees are being planted.

ConservationWild Pennsylvania

New survey finds urban woodlands dense with landscaping plants

Julie GrantJuly 15, 2022

The study in the Cincinnati area follows surveys going back 200 years. Today, wild places are filled with plants that have escaped from yards and gardens.

Conservation

How to spot poison hemlock, a dangerous invasive plant masquerading as a wildflower

Kara HolsoppleJuly 13, 2022

Its lacy, white flowers are sometimes confused with other plants in the same family, like Queen Anne's lace. If ingested, poison hemlock can be fatal.

ConservationWildlifeYour Environment Update

Researchers are finding spotted lanternflies make a tasty meal for some birds and other bugs

LehighValleyNews.comJuly 7, 2022

Newly discovered predators of the spotted lanternfly like praying mantises, spiders and cardinals could lead to biological controls for the invasive bug.

ConservationWild Pennsylvania

Your Lawn Is an ‘Ecological Deadzone.’ The Case For Replacing It with Native Plants

Kara HolsoppleMay 27, 2022

Entomologist Doug Tallamy says ditching half of our lawn space could make room for planet-saving biodiversity.

ConservationWild PennsylvaniaYour Environment Update

A new group wants to help you make your yard more wild

Kara HolsoppleMay 27, 2022

A new Western Pa. chapter of the nonprofit Wild Ones wants to help people plant yards and gardens that nurture the Earth rather than harm it.

ConservationWild PennsylvaniaYour Environment Update

The Race to Save a Rare Mountain Lover

Andy KubisMay 27, 2022

One of the rarest plants in Pennsylvania may go extinct. Scientists are trying to save it, armed with squirt bottles and notepads.

ConservationWild Pennsylvania

How to prevent invasive jumping worms from ruining your garden

Kara HolsoppleApril 1, 2022

The wriggling intruders degrade the structure of soil and deplete its nutrients, but we have some tips to keep them out of your garden.

ConservationFood and AgricultureWild PennsylvaniaYour Environment Update

Penn State researchers aim to debunk myths surrounding spotted lanternfly

Rachel McDevittFebruary 11, 2022

One myth: The pest threatens all kinds of plants. But, it appears to only kill grapevines and Tree of Heaven, also an invasive species.

Conservation