Spring Farm CARES Nature Sanctuary

05/22/2026

A Wood Duck drake gives GenLo a shove - quite the wise guy!

05/13/2026

Cedar apple rust is a plant pathogen that moves between juniper and apple trees during its life cycle. Shown here at two different stages, spores infecting a juniper host tree will eventually grow into a gall. After the galls become soft and plump from rain, they will release spores that may infect nearby apple trees. Infected apple trees will develop rust spots on both leaves and fruit. From these spots, more spores develop and release when mature, drifting back to the juniper trees and initiating another life cycle.

While the rust can be problematic for apple trees, especially in commercial settings, it does not seem to significantly affect the juniper trees. The eastern red cedars (Juniperus virginiana) shown here at the sanctuary have been infected for years, but they continue to survive - just with a little extra decoration!

Still, we take care to space out new plantings of juniper and apples to help prevent the spread of the fungus.

05/10/2026

Spring Farm CARES Nature Sanctuary is looking for material donations! If you have any of these items that you are looking to rehome, we would happily take them. Stop by the Spring Farm CARES office to drop off supplies.

Wish List:
Fence posts (wood or metal)
Sturdy fencing (welded wire or comparable - even small sections are helpful)
Shovels
Gardening hand tools
Sledgehammer
Silage tarps, billboard Vinyls, or other heavy tarps

All types of donations help us continue our restoration efforts - thank you!

05/06/2026

Until recently, many of the mushrooms in this photo would have been placed in the genus Gyromitra. Commonly known as false morels or lorchels, these fungi have long been regarded as potentially poisonous, or edible only after special preparation due to the presence, in some species, of the toxin gyromitrin.

Advances in DNA-based classification have led to ongoing taxonomic revisions within the group, with some species being reassigned to genera including Neogyromitra and Maublancomyces.

Along with these reclassifications, research shows that the presence of gyromitrin may be restricted to only a handful of species, notably within the Gyromitra esculenta group.

Although some species now being reassigned to new genera may contain little or no detectable gyromitrin, their safety is not fully established, especially as the presence of gyromitrin in different genera may be location-dependent. For this reason, consumption is generally discouraged unless identification can be made to the species level with 100% confidence.

05/01/2026

04/30/2026

We have an exciting roster of events on the calendar for May!

Mushrooms, birds, trees, and more — check out each individual event's page for details and registration info.

Wednesday, May 6 Mushroom Walk 8:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, May 13 Old Tree Walk 8:30 - 10:30 a.m
Tuesday, May 19 Dawn Chorus Walk 5:00 - 7:00 a.m.
Wednesday, May 27 Tree Identification Walk 8:30 - 10:30 a.m
Saturday, May 23 + May 30 Guided Bird Walk with Matt Perry 8:30 - 10:30 a.m

04/23/2026

Trout lily, toad shade trillium, and the mystery trillium in the first picture are some of the earliest plants to emerge in our woodland gardens. All of them have notably mottled leaves, which acts as camouflage from prowling herbivores like deer and rabbits. This camouflage is important, keeping leaves intact on the plants so they can perform photosynthesis. Trilliums and trout lily are slow-growing, taking upwards of seven years to reach reproductive maturity. The camouflage that offers us aesthetic variety is a crucial part of these plants' survival strategy!

04/17/2026

Wood duck drake visits the feeder

04/09/2026

Have you ever wondered why some early-to-emerge plants are purple? That's because many plants produce anthocyanin in response to environmental stressors, including excessively cold temperatures.

The presence of anthocyanins may also act as a visual deterrent to herbivory and as a kind of sunscreen from damaging rays.

1. Early meadow rue - Thalictrum dioicum
2. Twinleaf - Jeffersonia diphylla
3. Hairy wood mint - Blephilia hirsuta
4. Toothwort - Cardamine diphylla