Berks County Nature

Updated
September 29, 2016

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** Berks County Nature **
Since 2002. Now at www.berkscountynature.org.
Nature Activities of Organizations in Berks County, Pennsylvania

This site contains information about programs, field trips, exhibits, and organizations relating to natural history in and around Berks County, Pennsylvania. Programs and events are open to the public. . Mengel Natural History Society .To receive a monthly email notice of programs and field trips sponsored by the Mengel Natural History Society send an email request to

Mengel Natural History Society Page updated (9-29-16)	BairdOrnithological Club Baird flashbirdwalks Baird Facebook page	Lancaster Butterfly & Entomology Club
Butterflies seen by month in 2016 50 species 1n 2016 Updated (9-6-16)	Planetarium -Reading Public Museum	Birds seen in 2015 (245 species)
Butterfly Walks 2016 Updated (4-15-16) .	Reading Public Museum	Yearly Berks Bird & Butterfly Sightings; 2000-15
Berks Nature Formerly Berks County Conservancy	Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center	Berks Mineralogical Society
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary	Monocacy Hill Conservation Association	Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club
Pike-Oley-District Preservation Coalition	Berks County Amateur Astronomical Society	Quittapahilla Audubon Society Lebanon County
Blue Marsh Lake	*Orchids of Berks County, Pennsylvania* by Hans Wilkens A checklist published by the MNHS.	Tulpehocken Chapter - Trout Unlimited
Muhlenberg Botanic Club	.	Green Lane Park and Events Brochure
Berks County RECYCLE info	Woolly Bears and Look-alikes in Berks Co.	Blue Mountain Wildlife

Don't Forget Other Great Local Sources for Natural History are listed below

	Baird Ornithological Club October 14, 2016 Friday 7:30 PM The Physics of Bird Flight" by Tom Reider, a birder who is retired from the aviation and educational fields. His interest in birds and aerodynamics have led him to explore the evolutionary development of bird flight, from therapod dinosaurs to current bird flight. Join us in this fascinating overview of bird flight. Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center, on PA-625 2 miles south of PA-724. All welcome. Free.
	Sacred Oak in Oley October 15, 2016 Saturday 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM "Sacred Oak in Oley" The Sacred Oak in Oley will be open to the public today from 9-2. Visit the 500+ year old Chinquapin Oak (Quercus muhlenbergii) while you are able. The owners kindly open the area to visitors twice a year. Location: 3200 Friedensburg Road, Oley, PA. Call Oley Township for details.
	Mengel Natural History Society October 28, 2016 Friday 7:30 PM "How to Recognize the Spiders of the East" by Ken Lebo. This program is an introduction to spiders found in the East and the unique adaptations of our eight-legged friends. Learn how to identify spiders by their eyes, shape, and webs, as well as discover the ways in which spiders catch their prey. Ken is a Mengel member, nature photographer, and past president of the Baird Ornithological Club. The program will be followed by our Fall Seed Exchange and Giveaway. Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center, on PA-625 2 miles south of PA-724. All welcome. Free.
	Spotted Lanternfly Recent Photograph Spotted Lanernflies on Ailanthus on August 18, 2016 in heavily infested area near the center of the quarantine area.
	Spotted Lanternfly QUARANTINE for several Townships in Berks, Montgomery, and Chester Counties. THE FIRST RECORDED DISCOVERY of this INSECT in NORTH AMERICA Citizen scientists can report sightings or collected specimens to the automated Invasive Species Hotline at 1-866-253-7189 or photographs may be sent to Badbug@pa.gov. This insect (a plant hopper native to SE Asia) was discovered for the first time in North America in September 2014. It is a potential threat to an array of plants from herbaceous plants to trees not only locally, but for the continent.
How many food calories in a gallon of gasoline?	FOOD to GASOLINE Most of us know how many food calories an adult needs per day, so in the debate over making ethanol from corn to replace gasoline, wouldn't it be nice to know how many food calories there are in a gallon of gasoline? Can you skip breakfast and drive to work on the energy you didn't eat? The answer is: the number of food calories in a gallon of gasoline is 31,500 . For most adults this is the energy in about two weeks of food. YOU can calculate this. How to calculate page.

Butterfly Enthusiasts There is a small informal group of local butterfly collectors/observers in Berks Co. If you are interested in butterflies and would like to meet this group, contact

. You are also invited to the butterfly walks found at the link at the top of the page.

You may contact the web master at the same address.

Other Great Local Sources for Natural History Activities and Information Jack's Backyard, hosted by Jack Holcomb, on Saturdays at 8 to 10 am on WEEU, 830 AM, announces natural history activities at 8 am followed by 2 hours of call-ins and interviews about natural history. Rebroadcast on Sunday nights 10:00 p.m. to midnight.

Outside by Mike Slater is a nature column which appears weekly in the Berks Country insert of the Wednesday Reading Eagle. Links to these articles can be found at the Outside page of Berks Country.

The Weekend section of the Thursday issue of the Reading Eagle includes a "To Do" list which includes natural history activities.

Berks County Nature was created January 29, 2002.