Blue Jay Barrens

Each year during September and October, I tend to embark on a large scale management project at Blue Jay Barrens.  This year I worked to s...

As the seasons change, my management activities change.  Summer is a time to hunt and eliminate invasive forbs and grasses.  Sweet Clover...

I’m always pleased when an uncommon plant or animal species shows up in unusually large numbers. This year, I am finding the caterpillars...

An immature Cooper’s Hawk has been hanging around beside the house for the past week.  Its usual perch is atop the stump of a limb rising...

This is a perennial favorite of mine, Camouflaged Looper, the larva stage of the Wavy-Lined Emerald Moth.  There are two caterpillars in ...

Blue Jay Barrens is an excellent example of a xeric environment, meaning that the shallow, well drained soils cause the ground to be excee...

I usually don’t see more than a half dozen Silvery Checkerspot butterflies at Blue Jay Barrens in any one year.  This has been a constant...