Field Trip Reports

The weather was perfect on this Sunday morning, as members of the Philadelphia Botanical Club joined the leader for an informal 600-meter linear survey, aggregating to less than one-tenth of an acre, of the plant life around the perimeter of a small suburban shopping mall and a recent construction zone. We were rewarded by finding 109 species of vascular plants of which 52 were annuals, 34 were perennials, and 23 were woody plants or woody vines. Of the 52 annuals, 31 were non-native. Of the 34 perennials, 16 were non-native. Of the 23 woody plants, 13 were non-native. Of the 109 total species, 60 were non-native.

The Philadelphia Botanical Club’s trip to Ricketts Glen State Park took place on Saturday, July 13th and Sunday, July 14th. There were roughly twelve participants who joined the trip.

The park is one of the most scenic areas in Pennsylvania and is roughly 13,000 acres, spread through parts of Luzerne, Sullivan, and Columbia counties. It includes the Glens Natural Area, which is a National Natural Landmark, and is known for its many waterfalls. The 94-foot Ganoga Falls is the highest of 22 named waterfalls. Parts of the park contain true old growth trees with a diversity of shrubs, understory plants, and wildlife.

This trip was organized in conjunction with Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers (WRV), an ecological restoration group based in the Wissahickon section of Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. The leaders were Dr. David Hewitt, many of whose students attended as part of the class “Trees of Philadelphia” sponsored the Wagner Free Institute of Science; Dr. Ryan Rebozo, President of the Philadelphia Botanical Club, and Mr. Steve Jones, President of WRV. The tour included sites that are part of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park.