Photo credit: Tyler Varsell, nytimes.com

Much like the broad leaf evergreens highighted in this month's EcoQuest, there is still plenty of life to our stewardship programs in the winter months despite the colder temperatures, snow and shorter day lengths. January brings with it some opportunities to apply for one of our multiple AmeriCorps positions for the upcoming season (keep scrolling to learn more!). Many of our PRISM partners are hosting some fun and educational invasives-themed events in the coming weeks. The Lower Hudson PRISM is also in the process of collecting project proposals for management projects that will be considered for the Invasives Strike Force (ISF) crew to work on this year and will soon be soliciting applications for projects to be funded. Interested in winter volunteer work or in upcoming volunteer opportunities for the spring? Contact Invasive Species Citizen Science Program Coordinator, Brent Boscarino, at [email protected] for more information!

Keep reading to learn about these and other ways of staying involved in our efforts to protect our natural areas and promote native biodiversity in the upcoming weeks.

Leaves of winter creeper are thick, glossy and opposite, with silvery veins and finely-toothed margins (leaves are usually anywhere from 1 to 2 1/2 inches long). In natural areas, it can quickly form dense mats that smother native vegetation and leach nutrients and water from the forest soil. Photo credit: bugwood.org

While many leafy plants lose their green color in the winter months, there are still several native (and invasive!) evergreen plants that can be spotted in the forest at this time of year. This month’s challenge will focus on two species of "winter-named" broadleaf evergreen plants that you may find in the forest understory: the invasive winter creeper (Euonymous fortunei), and the native spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata).

Winter creeper, or creeping Euonymous, was originally introduced into North America as a quick-growing, ornamental ground cover plant in the early 1900’s but quickly spread into our parks and trail systems! In natural areas, it can quickly form dense mats which can smother underlying native vegetation on the forest floor. It is also capable of climbing up trees and shrubs where it can outcompete native plants for vital nutrients.

Spotted wintergreen is a native perennial evergreen herb that you may see popping up through the leaf litter at this time of year. Don’t be fooled by its name – its glossy, toothed leaves are NOT spotted, but actually feature a distinct white stripe down the center (see photo below). It was originally designated as “spotted” wintergreen due to the red spots on its buds which appear in early spring.

To join the Invasives Strike Force EcoQuest and help us monitor the distribution of these winter warriors, all you need to do is 1) register to participate here (no need to re-register if you've already done so for a previous challenge) 2) visit our new 2020 EcoQuest webpage for ID tips 3) download the free iNaturalist App, 4) hit the trail, head to a park or look around your property for the target species, and then 5) point, click, and upload photos directly to iNaturalist!

Spotted wintergreen among the leaf litter. Photo credit: https://the-natural-web.org

A particular thank you goes out to Morris County Vocational School high school student, Joseph Perrelli, who has just finished up a 120-hour volunteer internship with the Trail Conference. Joseph completed over 12 miles of standard and intermediate surveys, helped to organize multiple outreach and education events and aided in research and development for new invasives-based programs in 2019. Thank you Joseph for your generous time and efforts!

We would also like to thank Melissa Pazcoguin for her help in reviewing photos and helping to curate our iNaturalist-based EcoQuest Challenge collection. Melissa spent dedicated time not only getting caught up to speed on program protocols in 2019, but also focused efforts on researching the anatomical features of each month's focal species to be able to help with photo identification.   

We cannot thank our volunteers enough for their amazing efforts to keep the trails and natural areas that we love in good health!

Peggy Fitzgerald with members of the 2017 ISF Crew.

It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Margaret “Peggy” Fitzgerald, ISF Volunteer and longtime Trail Conference member, passed away a few days before Christmas.  Peggy fell to her death after slipping on ice while hiking at Mohonk Preserve. Peggy was a regular Invasive Strike Force trail crew volunteer since 2012 attending almost 30 volunteer workdays over the years. Whether it was Delaware Water Gap, Flat Rock Brook Nature Center, Bear Mountain or Westchester Wilderness Walk, Peggy would travel to wherever our events were being held across our region and made an unforgettable impact on our memories and for the environment. 

Although she was retired, Peggy was a great role model of physical health to our young crew. She sometimes would come to the workday after just returning from a week long bike trip. She often out-worked the crew and they would have to pull her away from the invasive shrubs when it was time to stop for the day. In 2014 the Invasives Strike Force crew nicknamed her the “energizer bunny” because she just kept going and going, and this apt nickname stuck.

She was a true asset and will be missed. We are all stunned by the loss of such an active person but we take comfort in knowing that Peggy passed while doing something she loved outdoors.