Don’t you wish you could take a photo like this one?

Discover your inner Ansel Adams and capture beauty through the lens of the camera. Learn how to use your digital camera effectively and to compose the perfect photo with instruction from Delaware Photographic Society members. Bring your own camera or use ours.

Digital Photography in Nature Series

Members/Non-Members: $50/$60
- Capturing Light: Wed., Aug 4, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
- Composition Makes Interest: Wed., Aug 11, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
- Context and Simplicity: Wed., Aug 18, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
- Using my Pictures: Wed., Aug 25, 6:30 – 8:30 pm

For more information or to register call 302-656-1490 or visit www.delawarenaturesociety.org.

Photo by John Harrod.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 4th, 2010 at 5:07 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Attention SpongeBob Fans…come on an aquatic exploration. Observe life in our pond and compare them to your friends at the Crusty Crab. Catch plankton and observe them under a microscope. Introduce yourself to our marsh community and invent your own SpongeBob adventure!

Saturday July 3, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Member/Non-Member: Adult $10/$15, Child $5/$7

For more information or to register call 302-656-1490 or visit www.delawarenaturesociety.org.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 at 5:40 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Take a scenic cruise along the Christina River and enjoy a fun and lively interpretation of its rich cultural, industrial, and natural history. Meets at the Dravo Plaza dock on the Wilmington Riverfront.

Wednesday, June 2, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Delaware Nature Society Member/Non-Member: $25/$38
For more information or to register call 302-656-1490 or visit www.delawarenaturesociety.org.

Photo by John Harrod.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 at 7:47 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Do you enjoy wildlife, being outdoors and adventure? Join the Young Naturalist Series and meet monthly for action-packed outdoors activities such as using cast nets to catch minnows, hiking, and participating in a conservation project in the marsh and more!

Ages: 9 – 12

• Sat, May 22, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Amphibian Quest
• Sat, June 26, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Fish Finders
• Thurs, July 15, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Insect Sweep
• Wed, August 11, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Helping Hands

Delaware Nature Society Member/Non-Member: $60/$85

For more information or to register call 302-656-1490 or visit www.delawarenaturesociety.org.

Photo by John Harrod.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 8th, 2010 at 12:02 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

May 6th, noon – 1 pm and 5 – 6pm

Come learn about volunteer opportunities at the DuPont Environmental Education Center at the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge on the Wilmington Riverfront. Tour the building, walk the boardwalk and hear about the many ways that you can enjoy getting involved. For more information contact John Harrod, manager of the DuPont Environmental Education Center, at 302-656-1490 x156 or by E-mail.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 at 10:20 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Explore our tidal pond and see how many aquatic creatures you can find using dip nets, minnow and crab traps, and even a cast net! Meet a snapping turtle and other marsh animals in this outdoor exploration!

Ages: 6-8

Saturday, May 1, 1:00 – 3:00 pm

Delaware Nature Society Member/Non-Member: $9/$15

For more information or to register call 302-656-1490 or visit www.delawarenaturesociety.org.

(Photo by Kerry Harrison)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 at 9:44 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

By John Harrod, Manager, DuPont Environmental Education Center

One of my favorite native plants is in peak bloom today in the DuPont Environmental Education Center botanic garden: the serviceberry. Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) is a large shrub or small tree that grows 15-40 feet tall depending on the species and right now it is covered in white blossoms with strap-like petals. It is also known as shadbush because it blooms about the same time shad are swimming up the rivers to spawn. In the next few days those petals will create a soft rain of white as they drift to the ground.

Fruit and vegetable gardening is becoming increasingly popular, but not everyone has the additional space for a new garden. If this is you, then my solution for you is to plant a serviceberry! It serves dual purposes as an ornamental and food source. It produces round, sweet fruits similar to a blueberry in the early summer. So to save space, plant the smallest of the species, Canada serviceberry (A. canadensis), into an existing ornamental flowerbed. The berries start out as a red and matures to a reddish-purple, and taste great. You will have to be quick to collect them since they are a favorite for many birds too, including catbirds and mockingbirds.

As a season finale, the serviceberry has vibrant orange autumn foliage.

Visit the DuPont Environmental Education Center on April 17th for the Copeland Native Plant Seminar to learn more about native plants with special guest Edgar David, tour of the 10-acre botanic garden with the garden’s designer, and put together a container planting with Gateway Garden Center. For more information click here.

After you see the plants, buy your own at the DNS Native Plant Sale at Coverdale Farm the first weekend in May! Canada serviceberry will be at the Sale. For more information click here.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 19th, 2010 at 1:46 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Learn the latest in sustainable horticulture

The Copeland Native Plant Seminar has a reputation for attracting highly regarded regional and national horticultural experts as guest speakers. Seminar attendees know they’ll come away with the most up-to-date knowledge about native plants and sustainable horticulture.

This year’s seminar, set for April 17, promises to be no exception. The special guest speaker is Edgar David, founder and principal architect of SED DESIGN in Blue Bell, Pa. David is widely recognized for his commitment to green design and is considered a pioneer for integrating sustainable principles in the creation of outdoor spaces.

David will focus his presentation on how local geology influences the landscape and how it may shape designs and planting choices. He will encourage attendees to tap into creative landscaping ideas that originate in the beauty of local ecosystems. His presentation will explore the native landscapes and plant communities of the Appalachian Piedmont, which stretches into northern Delaware, and the Atlantic coastal plain, which extends from New York to Florida and includes most of Delaware’s land. He’ll also discuss the native landscapes and plant communities of the Poconos.

The seminar will be held at the DuPont Environmental Education Center, which opened in October 2009 at the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge in Wilmington. The center is owned by the Riverfront Development Corporation and operated by the Delaware Nature Society. Seminar attendees can enjoy not only the natural scenic beauty of the refuge but also that of a 10-acre botanic garden that was installed at the site last fall. Garden designer Bill Duncan, of White Oak Landscaping, will offer a guided tour of the garden that is a marvel of horticultural design and outdoor art. In addition, Gateway Garden Center will offer a hands-on container gardening workshop.

The Copeland Native Plant Seminar is named in honor of the late Pamela C. and Lammot du Pont Copeland, who created Mt. Cuba Center, Inc. and helped to found the Red Clay Reservation, home to Delaware Nature Society’s Ashland Nature Center.

The seminar costs $30 for Delaware Nature Society members; $40 for nonmembers. Hours are 9 a.m. to noon. To register, or for more information, go to www.delawarenaturesociety.org or call 302-239-2334.

For further information contact:
Margo McDonough
(302) 239-2334, ext. 121
Public Affairs Coordinator
Delaware Nature Society
P.O. Box 700
Hockessin, DE 19707

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 18th, 2010 at 2:02 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

By John Harrod, Manager, DuPont Environmental Education Center

All this week visitors to the DuPont Environmental Education Center have been greeted by the calls of the Southern Leopard Frogs. What started out as a grouping of frogs at the beginning of the boardwalk has now spread to a chorus throughout the marsh.

The Southern Leopard Frog is common throughout the coastal plain of Delaware, but is not found on the piedmont. They have dark round to oval spots that form irregular lines on the back and legs and there is a distinctive light spot on the center of tympanum (ear). They closely resemble Pickerel Frogs, but Pickerel Frogs have less rounded spots and no spot on the tympanum. Also, Pickerel Frogs have bright yellow orange coloration under their hind legs.

The advertisement call of the Southern Leopard Frog is typically a fast series of clucks often followed by a low growl that sounds like two balloons being rubbed together. It makes the call through paired lateral vocal sacs on each side of the head. DNS staff member Jim White reports that the leopard frogs at DEEC and other coastal areas of Delaware call somewhat differently than the typical Southern Leopard Frogs. Along with the growl the DEEC or coastal leopard frogs emit clucks singly or in a slow succession instead of in a fast series like the typical Southern Leopard Frog. This “coastal” call variation can easily be confused with the call of the Wood Frog; however Wood Frogs do not growl and typically do not breed in marshes that are of any distance from woodlands. The call of the “coastal” Southern Leopard Frogs is so unique that White and fellow herpetologist Nate Nazdrowicz are investigating the genetics of this population to see if it is a separate subspecies.

Stop by DEEC to listen to the frogs as they should continue to actively call for another week.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 at 2:15 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

By John Harrod, Manager, DuPont Environmental Education Center

Earlier this week, while walking along the Wilmington Riverfront, I spotted a bird that most people might not expect to see in the city. I wasn’t surprised to see it, though, since the plantings along the Riverfront include northern bayberry (Morella pensylvanica), one of this bird’s favorite winter foods.
What was it?…a Yellow-rumped Warbler, or as it is known to some birders, the “Butterbutt.”

Yellow-rumped Warbler. Photo by Alan D. Wilson, www.naturespicsonline.com
Identified by the distinctive yellow patch on their rump, these warblers are fond of the waxy, white fruit of the bayberry and its southern counterpart, the wax myrtle (Morella cerifera). Every year these birds winter in Delaware and can easily be found along the coast where Morella is prolific. They also winter in the Midwest and southeastern U.S., although there they rely on alternate food sources such as berries of the eastern red cedar and poison ivy.

Bayberry fruit. Photo by John Harrod
I don’t expect you to run out and plant poison ivy, but bayberry is definitely garden-worthy. In the landscape, bayberry averages 9 feet tall and grows in full sun to part shade, thrives in poor, sterile, sandy soil, and even performs well in heavy clay soil. (An interesting side note: The plant also provides the scent for “baybreeze” candles.) If you like the idea of adding bayberry to your yard, plan to pick up a few of the plants at the Delaware Nature Society’s Native Plant Sale the first weekend in May. Plant it and they will come!

Yellow-rumped Warbler in a bayberry on the Wilmington Riverfront. Photo by John Harrod.
If you would like to learn more about attracting wildlife to your property or certifying it as an official Backyard Wildlife Habitat, visit the Delaware Nature Society’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat webpage: http://www.delawarenaturesociety.org/bwh.html

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 2:56 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.