Chapters in Pennsylvania

Screening of Doug Tallamy's video The Extraordinary Caterpillar. Over 98% of the living world on Earth is smaller than a bee. Yet humans view the planet as a world centered around themselves. Landscapes are deconstructed to suit human needs, often with little regard for the natural systems that sustain the food web. The Extraordinary Caterpillar follows the scientists and community activists with this peek into the dazzling world of nature’s tiniest superheroes.

Board meeting (all members welcome) starts at 6:30 pm and the general membership portion of the meeting starts at approximately 7 pm. 

Walk along the Appalachian Trail (flat hike) to see spring ephemerals in bloom, led by Wild Ones South Central PA member Lorrie P.   (Rain date is Sunday, April 19 same time).

Enjoy spring blooms at Jenkins Arboretum and shop on opening day of the outdoor nursery.

Join our host Melinda Guinn as she tours us around Salamander Park.

Salamander Park is a 17-acre natural area in Fox Chapel Borough featuring a stream (Sycamore Run), mature forest, and a rare vernal pool that supports Spotted Salamanders and Wood Frogs.

In 2023, volunteers — including AP Environmental Science students — began removing invasive privet and other woody species to prepare the site for second graders to plant native trees during annual field trips. This collaboration between local schools, Audubon Society of Western PA, and Fox Chapel Borough earned the 2024 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.

Since then, more than 1,000 students have participated in stewardship projects across the borough’s 500-acre park system. Scout-led surveys identified Hemlock Woolly Adelgid infestations, launching a treatment program. Large areas have been restored, making room for 5,000 native trees and shrubs representing more than 40 species.

An innovative partnership between volunteers and borough staff has also created a cost-effective invasive management system: volunteers identify and cut invasives, creating habitat brush piles, while licensed staff follow up with targeted stump treatments. This efficient approach has successfully restored large sections of the park while maximizing professional resources.