Cedar Waxwings: Beyond the Beauty

Pennsylvania is home to an amazing array of bird diversity. As of 2024, over 430 species of birds have been reported from the Keystone state – a fair portion of which are consistently encountered. Of those species, there are a handful who elicit a great deal of appreciation from outdoor enthusiasts. Some, like the Long-eared […]

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A Very Brief History of Southeastern PA’s Geology

4.6 billion years is a long story to tell within a human lifetime, let alone a single article, yet here I am trying to sum up PA’s place – southeastern PA in particular – in Earth’s history in roughly 2,000 words. Why? Because I’ve found that understanding our place in the world of rocks builds […]

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In Praise of Snow and its Vital Role in Wildlife Habitat

Snow isn’t a welcome sight for many. It can obstruct travel plans, often requires shoveling, and creates giant, seemingly everlasting snow mountains that we have to circumvent in parking lots. Yet the services that snow provides, particularly to plants, wildlife, and the people who appreciate them, make all of those gripes seem a bit superficial. […]

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Pawpaw: A Big Fruit in Need of Bigger Love

If you’ve never heard of the fruit and tree known as Pawpaw, you’re not alone, and if you have heard of it, chances are you’re a big fan. As the largest edible fruit native to North America, the Pawpaw has a lot to offer, but it has largely gone under-appreciated in recent years. Small Tree, […]

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Autumn’s Very Own: Meet the Witch Hazel

The basic strategy for plant life in temperate climates is to maximize above-ground activity during the spring and summer months when warmth, water, and light are plentiful. Yet there is one species of shrub common in Pennsylvania that deviates from that strategy in a major way. Now that it’s October, it feels appropriate to highlight […]

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BioBlitz Results Released in New Documentary

Photo by Kara Foran. This past spring, Heritage Conservancy hosted a BioBlitz event at our Croydon Woods Nature Preserve. This 24-hour biological survey was a huge success as staff, biologists, and community scientists identified hundreds of species that utilize the preserve. To conduct the surveys, professionals and community scientists used multiple traps and visual encounter […]

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Garden Party 2023

Held on June 8th of this year, our annual Garden Party is our opportunity to share our appreciation with our community of supporters. Thank you to all who joined us to celebrate our shared preservation successes! This year’s program included a special recognition of Heritage Conservancy’s Legacy Society who joined us for a special pre-event […]

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The Year Ahead

Happy New Year! Heritage Conservancy is grateful to everyone who helped with the successes of the past year. We had many notable achievements in 2022: our Christmas at Aldie event was the most successful one to date, we launched our Guide for Social-Emotional Learning, worked to accept The Grand Theater into our Register of Historic […]

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Fred Beans Family Donates $10,000 to Heritage Conservancy’s Educational Programs

Our Community Engagement Programs Manager Shannon Fredebaugh-Siller (left), Vice President of Fred Beans Automotive Group Beth Beans Gilbert (center), and our Senior Development Associate Emily Bonavitacola (right). Heritage Conservancy is grateful for Fred Beans family’s contribution toward our educational initiatives, which engage over 2,000 students annually across various schools throughout Bucks County. Over the course […]

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