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LIFE IN THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER WATERSHED

A Natural History of Conewago Falls—The Waters of Three Mile Island

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Riverside Firemen’s Retreat (www.fireattackstrategy.com)

Posted on June 12, 2026July 2, 2026 by L. L. Coble

Good News and Bad News

Axanthic Eastern Garter Snake — The good news is that following a forty-year period without seeing this rarity, we were delighted to finally have the opportunity to observe one again. The bad news is that it was found flattened like a pancake on a street next to a construction site. What is it? To find out, go to our reptiles page by clicking the “Reptiles” tab at the top of this page, then scroll down until you find this same photograph there.

CategoriesEastern Gartersnake

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Plastics are not only an unsightly environmental nightmare, they put all of us in danger in the event of a fire. It doesn't matter whether you're a firefighter, an E.M.S. provider, a police officer, a municipal planner, or just a citizen concerned for the safety of one's self and family, you need to know the hazards and what to do about them. Don't wait; click this image to visit our Riverside Firemen's Retreat page and get informed.

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2017 Autumn Migration Count (16)
2018 Autumn Migration Count (1)
Bird Feeding (47)
Birds on Radar (19)
Disasters: The Big Three (2)
Eating Invasive Species (7)
Fish Surveys (1)
Forty Years Ago in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (13)
In the Doghouse (6)
Photo of the Day (202)
Planting for Wildlife (90)
Ponds/Pools (53)
Prescribed Fire (16)
Stream Temperature (8)
TMI Unit 2 Accident (8)
Uncle Tyler Dyer (16)
Voyage of the S. S. Haldeman (2)

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In the current…

Are Ants Invading your Summertime Picnic? Not in Our Neck of the Woods July 6, 2026
This Independence Day, Don’t Fall Victim to the BOMBs July 4, 2026
Swarms of Sulfurs June 27, 2026
Photo of the Day June 26, 2026
Fishwatching on a Coldwater Stream June 14, 2026

WARNING: BIG FOOTPRINT ALERT!

The lower Susquehanna valley's native wildlife and plant communities continue to be decimated by the expanding range of the planet's most invasive species: BIG FOOTPRINT (Homo sapiens macrovestigiorum). These are merciless, destructive beasts. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE!

Where does your water originate? Who and what gets impacted when we waste and/or pollute it? Click this image for a PDF version of a detailed diagram of the water cycle developed by the United States Geological Survey.

Click this image for current NOAA/National Weather Service river stage readings and forecasts.

Hierarchical Index

Animals (Animalia)
Astronomy
Autumn Meadowhawk
Bacteria
- Spirochaetes (Spirochaetota)
  - Spirochaetes (Spirochaetia)
    - Spirochetes (Spirochaetales)
      - Spirochetes (Borreliaceae)
        
        Borrelia burgdorferi
Birds on Radar
Bittersweets (Celastrales)
Climate
Early Naturalists
Extinct Species
Fungus (Fungi)
- Sac Fungi (Ascomycota)
  - Class: Sordariomycetes
    - Order: Ophiostomatales
      - Pathogenic Tree Fungi (Ophiostomataceae)
        
        Ophiostoma himal-ulmi
        
        Ophiostoma novo-ulmi
        
        Ophiostoma ulmi
Geology
- Erosion
  - Floodplains
- Gettysburg Basin
  - Gettysburg Formation
    - Triassic redbeds
  - York Haven Diabase
    - Conewago Falls
      - Pothole Rocks
Habitats
Hawk Watches
Landmarks
Non-native/Introduced Species
- Invasive Species
Physiographic Provinces
Plants (Plantae)
- Conifers (Pinopsida)
  - Cypresses (Cupressales)
    - Cypresses (Cupressaceae)
  - Extant Conifers (Pinales)
    - Pines (Pinaceae)
- Flowering Plants (Angiosperms)
Pollution and Stream Impairment
Prions
- Prions in Humans
- Prions in Non-humans
Stream Rehabilitation
Tributaries
Uncategorized

Alphabetical Index

"Augochlorine Green Sweat Bee"
"Barthelemyi Golden Eagle"
"Beaver Ponds"
"Beaver Pools"
"Blue Goose"
"Bradford Pear"
"Cordilleran Flycatcher"
"Digger Bee"
"Domestic Pig"
"Eastern Palm Warbler"
"Eastern Peregrine Falcon"
"Fort Indiantown Gap Little Bluestem"
"Garbage Soil"
"Gloriosa Daisy"
"Golden Rainbow Trout"
"Hollywood Juniper"
"Hybrid Juneberry"- Amelanchier x lamarkii
"Metallic Chalcid Wasp" (Torymidae)
"Pacific-slope Flycatcher"
"Palomino Rainbow Trout"
"Pteromalid Chalcid Wasp" (Pteromalidae)
"Scavenger Flies" (Miltogramminae)
"Taiga Merlin"
"Tiger" Wolf Spiders (Tigrosa species)
"Traill's Flycatcher"
"Tundra Peregrine Falcon"
"Western Palm Warbler"
Acadian Flycatcher
Acanthus (Acanthaceae)
Accident at Three Mile Island
Acid Mine Drainage
Acute Bladder Snail
Alder Flycatcher
Alderflies (Sialidae)
Alderflies and Dobsonflies (Megaloptera)
Allegheny Vine
Allegheny Woodrat
Alluvial Terrace Wetlands
Altamira Oriole
American Avocet
American Barn Owl
American Beautyberry
American Beech
American Bison
American Bittern
American Black Duck
American Bladdernut
American Chestnut
American Coot
American Copper
American Crow
American Dog Tick
American Eel
American Eelgrass
American Elm
American Flagfish
American Flamingo
American Goldfinch
American Goshawk
American Hazelnut
American Herring Gull
American Holly
American Kestrel
American Lotus
American Oystercatcher
American Pipit
American Pokeweed
American Redstart
American Robin
American Shad
American Sweetgum
American Toad
American Tree Sparrow
American Wigeon
Amphibians (Amphibia)
Animals (Animalia)
Annual Cicada
Anoles (Dactyloidae)
Antares/Cygnus Launch
Anthracite Coal Sediment (Culm)
Aphids (Aphididae)
Aphrodite Fritillary
Apollo 11
Apollo 13
Apollo 8
Apple Snails (Ampullariidae)
Arachnids (Arachnida)
Arrowheads and Tapegrasses (Alismatales)
Arthropods (Arthropoda)
Arums (Araceae)
Ashes and Mints (Lamiales)
Ashes and Olives (Oleaceae)
Asian Multicolored Lady Beetle
Asian Tiger Mosquito
Asiatic Clam
Asparagus (Asparagaceae)
Aster species
Asterids
Asteroids
Astronomy
Atlantic Coastal Plain Province
Atlantic Ghost Crab
Atlantic Horseshoe Crab
Atlantic Marsh Fiddler Crab
Atmospheric Exchange
Autumn Meadowhawk
Avicides
Avocets and Stilts (Recurvirostridae)
Bacteria
Baird's Sandpiper
Bald Cypress
Bald Eagle
Bald-faced Hornet
Balsams (Balsaminaceae)
Baltimore Oriole
Banded Darter
Banded Hairstreak
Banded Killifish
Bank Swallow
Barberries (Berberidaceae)
Barn Owls (Tytonidae)
Barn Swallow
Basswood and Mallows (Malvales)
Bat-faced Cuphea
Bay-breasted Warbler
Bean (Tarleton Hoffman)
Bear (Scrub) Oak
Beavers (Castoridae)
Beck (Dr. Herbert H.)
Bee Flies (Bombyliidae)
Beech Leaf Disease Nematode
Beeches and Oaks (Fagaceae)
Bees (Apidae)
Bees and Ants (Hymenoptera)
Beetles (Coleoptera)
Bellflowers (Campanulaceae)
Belted Kingfisher
Bewick's Wren
Bibio species
Big Bluestem
Big-headed Ant
Bignonias (Bignoniaceae)
Birches (Betulaceae)
Birds (Aves)
Birds on Radar
Bittersweets (Celastraceae)
Bittersweets (Celastrales)
Bittersweets (Celastrales)
Bivalves (Bivalvia)
Black Cherry
Black Chokeberry
Black Creek
Black Francolin
Black Locust
Black Oak
Black Saddlebags
Black Swallowtail
Black Tupelo
Black Vulture
Black Walnut
Black Willow
Black-and-white Warbler
Black-and-yellow Mud Dauber
Black-bellied Plover
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Black-billed Cuckoo
Black-capped Chickadee
Black-capped/Carolina Chickadee
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-eyed Susan
Black-headed Gull
Black-necked Stilt
Black-shouldered Spinyleg
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackbirds (Icteridae)
Blackburnian Warbler
Blackhaw
Blackjack Oak
Blackpoll Warbler
Bladder Snails (Physidae)
Bladdernuts (Crossosomatales)
Bladdernuts (Staphyleaceae)
Blizard of 96
Blow Flies (Calliphoridae)
Blue Catfish
Blue Dasher
Blue Grosbeak
Blue Jay
Blue Ridge Sculpin
Blue Ridge Section
Blue Vervain
Blue Wood Aster
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue-winged Teal
Blue-winged Warbler
Bluegill
Bluntnose Minnow
Bobolink
Bog Turtle
Bold Jumping Spider
Bonaparte's Gull
Borages and Forget-me-nots (Boraginaceae)
Borages and Forget-me-nots (Boraginales)
Borrelia burgdorferi
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)
Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area
Bridge Orb Weaver
Bridges
Brill's Run
Broad-necked Root Borer
Broad-winged Damselflies (Calopterygidae)
Broad-winged Hawk
Bronzed Cowbird
Brook Trout
Brown Creeper
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Brown Pelican
Brown Trout
Brown-headed Cowbird
Brunner Island
Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)
Bryozoans (Bryozoa)
Buffalo Springs
Bufflehead
Bull Thistle
Bumble Bee species
Burrowing Mayflies (Ephemeridae)
Burrowing Owl
Bush Katydid species
Buttercups (Ranunculaceae)
Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera)
Butterfly Weed
Buttonbush
Cabbage White
Cackling Goose
Cacti and Carnations (Caryophyllales)
Cactus Wren
Caddisflies (Trichoptera)
Callery Pear
Camel Crickets (Rhaphidophoridae)
Camponotus species
Canada Goose
Canada Mayflower
Canada Warbler
Canadian Serviceberry
Cane Toad
Canines (Canidae)
Canvasback
Cape May Hawk Watch
Cape May Warbler
Carangaria (Anabantiformes)
Carbaryl (1-naphthyl methylcarbamate)
Cardinal Flower
Cardinals (Cardinalidae)
Carnivores (Carnivora)
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Grasshopper
Carolina Parakeet
Carolina Saddlebags
Carolina Wren
Carps and Minnows (Cypriniformes)
Cashews and Sumacs (Anacardiaceae)
Caspian Tern
Catfish (Siluriformes)
Cats (Felidae)
Cattails (Typhaceae)
Cattle (Bovidae)
Cedar Waxwing
Central Stoneroller
Channel Catfish
Channelization
Chats (Icteridae)
Checkered Sculpin
Chestnut Oak
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Chickadees and Titmice (Paridae)
Chickens and Turkeys (Phasianidae)
Chimney Swift
Chinese Juniper
Chinese Mantis
Chinese Mystery Snail
Chinkapin Oak
Chipping Sparrow
Chiques Creek
Chordates (Chordata)
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)
Cicadas (Cicadidae)
Citrus and Maples (Sapindales)
Clapper Rail
Class: Sordariomycetes
Cliff Swallow
Climate
Clouded Sulphur
Cloudless Sulphur
Clubbed Mydas Fly
Clubtails (Gomphidae)
Coal Dredging
Cocalico Creek
Cockroaches and Termites (Blattodea)
Codorus Creek
Coffees and Madders (Rubiaceae)
Coldwater Stream
Collared Worms (Clitellata)
Coltsfoot
Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge
Comb-lipped Casemaker Caddisflies (Calamoceratidae)
Commelinids
Common Baskettail
Common Buckeye
Common Carp
Common Cattail
Common Dandelion
Common Drone Fly
Common Eastern Bumble Bee
Common Flesh Fly
Common Gartersnake
Common Goldeneye
Common Grackle
Common Green Darner
Common Loon
Common Map Turtle
Common Merganser
Common Milkweed
Common Nighthawk
Common Paper Wasp
Common Pawpaw
Common Persimmon
Common Raven
Common Shiner
Common Spicebush
Common Sunflower
Common True Katydid
Common Water Snake
Common Whitetail
Common Winterberry
Common Yellowthroat
Condylostylus species
Conestoga River
Conewago Creek (east)
Conewago Creek (west)
Conewago Falls
Conifers (Pinopsida)
Conodoguinet Creek
Conowingo Dam
Conoy Creek
Convective Heating within Heat Island
Cool-season Grass Meadows
Coolwater Stream
Cooper's Hawk
Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae)
Corn (Maize)
Coronal Mass Ejection
Couch's Kingbird
Cover Crops
Coyote
Crab Spiders (Thomisidae)
Crabgrass
Crabs (Malacostraca)
Crabs and Crayfish (Decapoda)
Craneflies (Tipulidae)
Cranes (Gruidae)
Cranes and Rails (Gruiformes)
Crayfish (Cambaridae)
Creeping Ancylid
Creeping Juniper
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)
Cross Vanes
Crown Vetch
Cuckoo Wasps (Chrysididae)
Cuckoos and Roadrunners (Cuculidae)
Cuckoos and Roadrunners (Cuculiformes)
Cucumber Tree
Cupheas and Loosestrifes (Lythraceae)
Curassows and Guans (Cracidae)
Custard Apples (Annonaceae)
Cutlips Minnow
Cypresses (Cupressaceae)
Cypresses (Cupressales)
Cyprinids (Cyprinidae)
Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-morph Broad-winged Hawk
Darners (Aeshnidae)
Dawn Redwood
DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)
Dead Zone
Deer (Cervidae)
Deer Tick
Diabase Pothole Rocks Microhabitat
Different-gilled Snails (Heterobranchia)
Differential Grasshopper
Disconnected Stream
Diurnal Raptors (Accipitriformes)
Dobsonflies and Fishflies (Corydalidae)
Dogbanes (Apocynaceae)
Dogwoods (Cornaceae)
Dogwoods (Nyssaceae)
Dogwoods and Tupelos (Cornales)
Domestic Cat
Domestic Chicken
Domestic Dog
Donegal Creek
Double-banded Scoliid
Double-crested Cormorant
Double-striped Bluet
Downy Serviceberry
Downy Woodpecker
Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata)
Drosophila species
Drought
Drywood Termites (Kalotermitidae)
Ducks and Geese (Anatidae)
Ducks and Geese (Anseriformes)
Dunlin
Dusky-tailed Sunflower Aphid
Dutchman's Breeches
Dwarf Wedgemussel
Early Successional Habitat
Earth and Moon
Earthworms (Lumbricidae)
Eastern Amberwing
Eastern Black Carpenter Ant
Eastern Blacknose Dace
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Box Turtle
Eastern Buck Moth
Eastern Carpenter Bee
Eastern Chipmunk
Eastern Cicada Killer
Eastern Comma
Eastern Copperhead
Eastern Cottontail
Eastern Coyote
Eastern Dobsonfly
Eastern Elliptio
Eastern Forktail
Eastern Gartersnake
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Eastern Hemlock
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Lampmussel
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Mole
Eastern Newt
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Ratsnake
Eastern Red Cedar
Eastern Redbud
Eastern Scissor Grinder
Eastern Spring Beauty
Eastern Subterranean Termite
Eastern Sycamore
Eastern Tailed Blue
Eastern Tent Caterpillar
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Eastern White Pine
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Yellowjacket
Ebony Jewelwing
Eels (Anguilliformes)
Elf Owl
Elms (Ulmaceae)
Emerald Ash Borer
Emeralds (Corduliidae)
Ephemerella dorothea
Equal-valved Clams (Venerida)
Erebid Moths (Erebidae)
Erosion
Eskimo Curlew
Eudicots (Eudicotyledon)
European Beech
European Hornet
European Paper Wasp
European Starling
Eutrophication
Evaporation
Even-toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla)
Evening Grosbeak
Exoprosopa species
Extant Conifers (Pinales)
Extinct Species
Fairy and Clam Shrimp (Branchiopoda)
Fairy Shrimp (Anostraca)
Fairy Shrimp (Chirocephalidae)
Falcons (Falconidae)
Falcons (Falconiformes)
Fall Field Cricket
Fallfish
Familiar Bluet
Fatal Familial Insomnia
Fathead Minnow
Feather-legged Fly
Feline Spongiform Encephalopathy
Fescue species
Field Sparrow
Field Terracing
Fiery Skipper
Finches (Fringillidae)
Fish Crow
Fishflies (Chauliodinae)
Five-lined Skink
Flamingos (Phoencopteridae)
Flamingos (Phoenicopteriformes)
Flat-headed Mayflies (Heptageniidae)
Flathead Catfish
Flesh Flies (Sarcophagidae)
Flies (Diptera)
Floodplain Impairment
Floodplain Restoration
Floodplains
Floods
Florida Applesnail
Flowering Dogwood
Flowering Plants (Angiosperms)
Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)
Forest Nut Trees (Fagales)
Forested Stream Buffers
Formica species
Forster's Tern
Fowler's Toad
Fox Grape
Fox Sparrow
Foxtail species
Fragile Forktail
Fraternal Potter Wasp
Freshwater Bryozoans (Phylactolaemata)
Freshwater Bryozoans (Plumatellida)
Freshwater Cordgrass
Freshwater Eels (Anguillidae)
Freshwater Mussels (Unionoida)
Frigatebirds and Cormorants (Suliformes)
Frogs (Anura)
Frost Aster
Fungus (Fungi)
Gadwall
Garber (Dr. Abram P.)
Gars (Lepisosteidae)
Gars (Lepisosteiformes)
Gentians (Gentianales)
Geology
German Yellowjacket
Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker Syndrome
Gettysburg Basin
Gettysburg Basin Archipelago
Gettysburg Formation
Ghost Crabs and Fiddler Crabs (Ocypodidae)
Gizzard Shad
Glaucous Gull
Glossy Ibis
Gnatcatchers (Polioptilidae)
Golden Eagle
Golden Shiner
Golden-backed Snipe Fly
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Goldenrod Crab Spider
Goldenrod species
Goode (George Brown)
Gossamer-winged Butterflies (Lycaenidae)
Grapevines (Vitaceae)
Grapevines (Vitales)
Grasses (Poaceae)
Grasshopper Sparrow
Grasshoppers and Crickets (Orthoptera)
Grassy Plants (Poales)
Gray (Prof. Asa)
Gray Catbird
Gray Comma
Gray Dogwood
Gray Garden Slug
Gray Hairstreak
Gray-headed Coneflower
Great Apes (Hominidae)
Great Black Wasp
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Skimmer
Great Brown Drake
Great Crested Flycatcher
Great Egret
Great Horned Owl
Great Kiskadee
Great Lobelia
Great Rhododendron
Great Spangled Fritillary
Great-tailed Grackle
Greater Roadrunner
Greater Scaup
Greater Yellowlegs
Grebes (Podicipedidae)
Grebes (Podicipediformes)
Green Anole
Green Ash
Green Frog
Green Heron
Green Jay
Green June Bug
Green Sunfish
Green-headed Coneflower
Green-striped Grasshopper
Green-winged Teal
Greenbottle Fly
Greenside Darter
Groove-billed Ani
Ground Beetles (Carabidae)
Groundwater Input
Guelder Rose
Gulf Coastal Plain
Gulls and Terns (Laridae)
Gyron pennsylvanicum
Habitats
Hackberries and Hops (Cannabaceae)
Hairy Woodpecker
Halberd-leaved Rose Mallow
Haldeman (Prof. Samuel S.)
Halloween Pennant
Hammer Creek
Hard Ticks (Ixodidae)
Harlequin Duck
Harris's Hawk
Harrisburg International Airport
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
Hawk Watches
Hawks and Eagles (Accipitridae)
Hawthorns (Crataegus species)
Heat Flux Processes
Heath Hen
Heathers (Ericaceae)
Henslow's Sparrow
Herbicides
Hermit Thrush
Herons and Egrets (Ardeidae)
Herring (Clupeidae)
Herring (Clupeiformes)
Hickory Shad
Hickory Tussock Moth
Highbush Blueberry
Highbush Cranberry
Hollies (Aquifoliaceae)
Hollies (Aquifoliales)
Holtwood Dam
Honey Bee
Honeysuckles and Valerians (Dipsacales)
Honeysuckles and Viburnums (Adoxaceae)
Hooded Merganser
Hooded Warbler
Horace's Duskywing
Horned Grebe
Horned Lark
Horseshoe Crabs (Limulidae)
Horseshoe Crabs (Xiphosura)
House Finch
House Fly
House Sparrow
House Wren
Houseflies and Stableflies (Muscidae)
Hover Flies (Syrphidae)
Hudsonian Godwit
Human
Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)
Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Debby
Hydroelectric Dams
Ibises and Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae)
Ice Age
Ice Jam of 1996
Ice Jams
Ice Scour
Iceland Gull
Ictalurids (Ictaluridae)
Impaired Hyporheic Exchange
Impatiens and Azaleas (Ericales)
Incident Shortwave Radiation
Incoming Temperature and Flow
Indian Hemp
Indian Strawberry
Indiangrass
Indiantown Run
Indigo Bunting
Infiltration
Insecticides
Insects (Insecta)
Intestinal Roundworms (Ascarididae)
Invasive Species
Irises (Iridaceae)
Ivory-billed Woodpecker
Jaguarundi
Japanese Beetle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Jays and Crows (Corvidae)
Jefferson Salamander
Jewel Beetles (Buprestidae)
Joe-Pye Weed species
Jumping Mice (Zapodidae)
Jumping Spiders (Salticidae)
Juniata River
Katydids (Tettigoniidae)
Kentucky Warbler
Killdeer
Killifish and Livebearers (Cyprinodontiformes)
Killifish and Topminnows (Fundulidae)
Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)
Kinglets (Regulidae)
Kiptopeke Hawk Watch
Kishacoquillas Creek
Knotweeds and Smartweeds (Polygonaceae)
Kreutz Creek
Kuru
Lady Beetles (Coccinellidae)
Lake Clarke
Lakes
Lance-leaved Coreopsis
Lancet Clubtail
Landmarks
Lanternflies (Fulgoridae)
Lapland Longspur
Large Moths (Saturniidae)
Largemouth Bass
Larger Blue Flag
Larks (Alaudidae)
Lasioglossum species
Late-successional (Climax) Habitat
Laughing Gull
Laurels (Lauraceae)
Leaf-footed and Squash Bugs (Coreidae)
Leafcutter Bee species
Least Flycatcher
Least Grebe
Least Sandpiper
Least Skipper
Least Tern
LeConte (Prof. J. L.)
Legacy Sediment
Legacy Sediment Removal
Legumes (Fabaceae)
Legumes and Milkworts (Fabales)
Lentic Waters
Lesser Angle-winged Katydid
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Lesser Canada Goose
Lesser Celandine
Lesser Duckweed
Lesser Mystery Snail
Lesser Scaup
Lesser Yellowlegs
Leucrocuta aphrodite
Leucrocuta minerva
Libhart (Judge John J.)
Lilies (Liliaceae)
Lilies (Liliales)
Limpets and Ram's Horns (Planorbidae)
Limpkin
Limpkin (Aramidae)
Lincoln's Sparrow
Linnaean Society of Lancaster City and County
Lionfishes and Sculpins (Scorpaeniformes)
Litter
Little Blue Heron
Little Bluestem
Little Chiques Creek
Little Conestoga Creek
Little Conewago Creek
Little Glassywing
Little Wood-Satyr
Livestock in Streams
Loblolly Pine
Loggerhead Shrike
Long-billed Thrasher
Long-horned Bee species
Long-legged Flies (Dolichopodidae)
Long-tailed Duck
Longhorn Beetles (Cerambycidae)
Longnose Dace
Longnose Gar
Longspurs and Snow Buntings (Calcariidae)
Longwave (Infrared) Radiation
Loons (Gaviidae)
Loons (Gaviiformes)
Losing Stream
Lotic Waters
Lotus Lilies (Nelumbonaceae)
Louisiana Waterthrush
Lovegrass species
Lower Rio Grande Coyote
Luna Moth
Lungless Salamanders (Plethodontidae)
Magicicada cassini
Magicicada septendecim
Magicicada septendecula
Magnolia Leaf-footed Bug
Magnolia Warbler
Magnolias and Tuliptrees (Magnoliaceae)
Magnolias and Tuliptrees (Magnoliales)
Magnolias and Tuliptrees (Magnoliids)
Mahanoy Creek
Maize Calligrapher
Mallard
Mallard (polygamous form)
Mallows (Malvaceae)
Mammals (Mammalia)
Man-made Freshwater Pool
Mapleleaf Viburnum
Marbled Salamander
March Flies (Bibionidae)
Margined Madtom
Marsh Blue Violet
Marsh Wren
Maryland Senna
Mason and Leafcutter Bees (Megachilidae)
Mason Bee species
Mayapple
Mayflies (Ephemeroptera)
McCaskey (John P.)
Meadow Vole
Merlin
Meteors
Mexican Cigar
Mice and Voles (Cricetidae)
Mile-a-minute Weed
Mimic Shiner
Mimics (Mimidae)
Mints and Sages (Lamiaceae)
Mississippi Kite
Mole Crab
Mole Crabs (Hippidae)
Mole Salamanders (Ambystomatidae)
Moles (Talpidae)
Mollusks (Mollusca)
Monarch
Monkeys and Apes (Primates)
Monocots (Monocotyledon)
Monodontomerus species
Mosquitos (Culicidae)
Moth species
Motmots and Kingfishers (Coraciiformes)
Mottled Sculpin
Mountain Laurel
Mourning Cloak
Mourning Dove
Muddy Creek (York Co.)
Multiflora Rose
Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4)
Muskellunge
Muskrat
Mustards (Brassicaceae)
Mustards (Brassicales)
Mute Swan
Mydas Flies (Mydidae)
Myrtles (Myrtales)
Mystery Snails (Viviparidae)
Narrow-headed Marsh Fly
Narrow-winged Tree Cricket
Nashville Warbler
Nematodes (Nematoda)
Neonicotinoids
Neotropical and Afrotropical Parrots (Psittacidae)
Net-spinning Caddisflies (Hydropsychidae)
New World Quail (Odontophoridae)
Nighthawks and Nightjars (Caprimulgidae)
Nighthawks and Nightjars (Caprimulgiformes)
Ninebark
No-till Farming
Non-biting Midges (Chironomidae)
Non-native/Introduced Species
Non-tick Mites (Acariformes)
North American Beaver
Northern Bobwhite
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Northern Green-striped Grasshopper
Northern Hackberry
Northern Harrier
Northern Hog Sucker
Northern House Mosquito
Northern Leopard Frog
Northern Mockingbird
Northern Paper Wasp
Northern Parula
Northern Pike
Northern Pintail
Northern Red Oak
Northern Red-bellied Cooter
Northern Ring-necked Snake
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Northern Short-tailed Shrew
Northern Shoveler
Northern Slimy Salamander
Northern Snakehead
Northern Spring Peeper
Northern Walkingstick
Northern Water Snake
Northern Waterthrush
Norway Spruce
Nuthatches (Sittidae)
Nutrient Management
Nutrients and Sediment
Ocelot
Oil Spills
Old World Sparrows (Passeridae)
Oleander Aphid
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Ophiostoma himal-ulmi
Ophiostoma novo-ulmi
Ophiostoma ulmi
Orange Bluet
Orange Sulphur
Orb-weaver Spiders (Araneidae)
Orchard Grass
Orchard Oriole
Orchids and Asparagus (Asparagales)
Order: Ophiostomatales
Oriental Beech
Osprey
Osprey (Pandionidae)
Ovenbird
Owls (Strigiformes)
Oxeye
Oystercatchers (Haematopodidae)
P.C.B.s (polychlorinated biphenyls)
Painted Bunting
Painted Lady
Painted Turtle
Pale Touch-Me-Not
Palm Warbler
Parasitic Nematodes (Anguinidae)
Parasitic Nematodes (Rhabditida)
Parasitoid Wasps (Scelionidae)
Parrots (Psittaciformes)
Partridge Pea
Passenger Pigeon
Pathogenic Tree Fungi (Ophiostomataceae)
Paulownias (Paulowniaceae)
Pavement Ant
Pearl Crescent
Pectoral Sandpiper
Pelicans (Pelecanidae)
Pelicans and Herons (Pelecaniformes)
Perch and Darters (Percidae)
Perch-like Fishes (Perciformes)
Perching Birds (Passeriformes)
Peregrine Falcon
Periodical Cicada
Persimmons (Ebenaceae)
Pesticides
Philadelphia Vireo
Philodromus species
Physiographic Provinces
Pickerelweed
Pied-billed Grebe
Piedmont Province
Pigeons and Doves (Columbidae)
Pigeons and Doves (Columbiformes)
Pigs (Suidae)
Pike and Mudminnows (Esocidae)
Pike and Mudminnows (Esociformes)
Pileated Woodpecker
Pin Oak
Pine Siskin
Pines (Pinaceae)
Pinxter Flower
Pipe Organ Mud Dauber
Pipevine Swallowtail
Pitch Pine
Plain Chachalaca
Plains Coreopsis
Plane Trees (Platanaceae)
Plane Trees and Lotus (Proteales)
Plants (Plantae)
Plovers (Charadriidae)
Point Source Pollutants
Poison Ivy
Pokeweeds (Phytolaccaceae)
Pollution and Stream Impairment
Pond Damselflies (Coenagrionidae)
Pond Turtles (Emydidae)
Poppies (Papaveraceae)
Poppies and Buttercups (Ranunculales)
Pothole Rocks
Potomac Sculpin
Powdered Dancer
Prairie Warbler
Praying Mantises (Mantidae)
Praying Mantises (Mantodea)
Prince Baskettail
Princess Tree
Prions
Prions in Humans
Prions in Non-humans
Pteromalus venustus
Pumpkinseed
Pupfish (Cyprinodontidae)
Purple Coneflower
Purple Dead Nettle
Purple Finch
Purple Gallinule
Purple Loosestrife
Purple Martin
Purpletop
Pyrrhuloxia
Quillback
Rabbits and Hares (Leporidae)
Rabbits and Pikas (Lagomorpha)
Raccoon
Raccoon Roundworm
Raccoons and Ringtails (Procyonidae)
Rails (Rallidae)
Rain Barrels
Rain Garden
Rainbow Trout
Rainfall
Rathvon (Simon S.)
Ray-finned Fishes (Actinopterygii)
Red Admiral
Red Clover
Red Crossbill
Red Fox
Red Jungle Fowl
Red Maple
Red Milkweed Beetle
Red-banded Hairstreak
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-billed Pigeon
Red-breasted Merganser
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-eared Slider
Red-eyed Vireo
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-legged Grasshopper
Red-necked Grebe
Red-osier Dogwood
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-spotted Purple
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Redbreast Sunfish
Redhead
Reed Canary Grass
Regal Fritillary
Reptiles (Reptilia)
Retention
Richardson's Cackling Goose
Ridge and Valley Province
Ring-billed Gull
Ring-necked Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Riparian Woodlands
River Birch
River Chub
River Mussels (Unionidae)
River Snail
Riverine Grasslands
Robber Flies (Asilidae)
Robber Fly species
Robinson's Cicada
Rock Bass
Rocky Mountain Locust
Rocky Ridge County Park
Rodents (Rodentia)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Roseate Spoonbill
Roses (Rosaceae)
Roses and Nettles (Rosales)
Rosids
Ross's Goose
Rough Boneset
Rough-legged Hawk
Roundworms (Chromadorea)
Royal Tern
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ruddy Duck
Rue Anemone
Ruffed Grouse
Running Crab Spiders (Philodromidae)
Rushes (Juncaceae)
Rusty Blackbird
Rusty Crayfish
Sac Fungi (Ascomycota)
Sachem
Safe Harbor Dam
Saharan Dust Storm
Salamanders (Urodela)
Salmon and Trout (Salmonidae)
Salmon and Trout (Salmoniformes)
Saltwater Cordgrass
Sanderling
Sandhill Crane
Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)
Sassafras
Sassafras and Laurels (Laurales)
Savanna-like Grasslands
Savannah Sparrow
Saxifrages (Saxifragales)
Scaled Quail
Scaled Reptiles (Squamata)
Scarab Beetles (Scarabaeidae)
Scarlet Bee Balm
Scarlet Tanager
Scaup species
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Scoliid Wasps (Scoliidae)
Scoter species
Scrapie
Sculpins (Cottidae)
Sea Snails+ (Caenogastropoda)
Seaside Dragonlet
Second Mountain
Sedges (Cyperaceae)
Segmented Worms (Annelida)
Semipalmated Plover
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Shadow Darner
Shagbark Hickory
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Shepherd's Purse
Shield Bugs (Pentatomidae)
Short-billed Dowitcher
Short-eared Owl
Short-horned Grasshoppers (Acrididae)
Shorthead Redhorse
Shrews (Soricidae)
Shrews and Moles (Eulipotyphla)
Shrikes (Laniidae)
Silky Dogwood
Siltation
Silver Maple
Silver-spotted Skipper
Silvery Checkerspot
Skimmers (Libellulidae)
Skinks (Scincidae)
Skippers (Hesperiidae)
Skunk Cabbage
Skunks and Badgers (Mephitidae)
Slaty Skimmer
Sleepy Orange
Slimy Sculpin
Smallmouth Bass
Smooth Shadbush
Snail Kite
Snails and Slugs (Gastropoda)
Snakeheads (Channidae)
Snapping Turtle
Snapping Turtles (Chelydridae)
Snipe Flies (Rhagionidae)
Snout Beetles (Curculionidae)
Snow Blizzard
Snow Bunting
Snow Goose
Snowberry Clearwing
Snowy Egret
Soapberries (Sapindaceae)
Soft Rush
Soil Stabilization
Solar (Shortwave) Radiation
Solar (Shortwave) Radiation
Solar Eclipse
Solar Rotation
Solitary Sandpiper
Solitary Wasp species
Solitary Wasps (Sphecidae)
Song Sparrow
Sora
Southern Magnolia
Southern Red-backed Vole
Space Travel
Sparrows (Passerellidae)
Spatterdock
Sphinx Moths (Sphingidae)
Spicebush Swallowtail
Spider Wasps (Pompilidae)
Spiders (Araneae)
Spiderworts and Water Hyacinths (Commelinales)
Spilomyia species
Spiny Crawler Mayflies (Ephemerellidae)
Spire-shelled Freshwater Snails (Pleuroceridae)
Spirochaetes (Spirochaetia)
Spirochaetes (Spirochaetota)
Spirochetes (Borreliaceae)
Spirochetes (Spirochaetales)
Spot-winged Glider
Spotfin Shiner
Spotfin Shiner/Satinfin Shiner
Spottail Shiner
Spotted Knapweed
Spotted Lanternfly
Spotted Salamander
Spotted Sandpiper
Spotted Touch-Me-Not
Spotted Turtle
Spring Beauties (Montiaceae)
Spring Field Cricket
Springtime Fairy Shrimp
Squirrels (Sciuridae)
St. Anthony's Wilderness/Stony Valley
Staghorn Sumac
Standing Stone Creek
Starlings and Mynas (Sturnidae)
Stevens (Honorable Thaddeus)
Stick Insects (Phasmatodea)
Stilt Sandpiper
Stoneflies (Plecoptera)
Stony Creek
Storks (Ciconiidae)
Storks (Ciconiiformes)
Stormwater
Stormwater Management
Stream Bluet
Stream Rehabilitation
Streambank Fencing
Streambed Conductive Exchange
Striped Bass
Striped Skunk
Subterranean Termites (Rhinotermitidae)
Suckers (Catostomidae)
Summer Azure
Sun
Sun Halo
Sunfishes (Centrarchidae)
Sunflowers (Asteraceae)
Sunflowers and Bellflowers (Asterales)
Sunspots
Superasterids
Superrosids
Surf Scoter
Surface Runoff
Swainson's Hawk
Swainson's Thrush
Swallow-tailed Kite
Swallows (Hirundinidae)
Swallowtail Butterflies (Papilionidae)
Swallowtail Shiner
Swamp Cicada
Swamp Darner
Swamp Milkweed
Swamp Rose Mallow
Swamp Sparrow
Swamp White Oak
Swarr Run
Swatara Creek
Sweat Bees (Halictidae)
Sweet Autumn Virgin's Bower
Sweet Birch
Sweet Cherry
Sweet Vernal Grass
Sweetbay
Swifts (Apodidae)
Swifts and Hummingbirds (Apodiformes)
Switchgrass
Syrphus species
Tachinid Flies (Tachinidae)
Tapegrasses and Waterweeds (Hydrocharitaceae)
Tar Balls
Temperate Basses (Moronidae)
Tennessee Warbler
Tent Caterpillars (Lasiocampidae)
Terrestrial Slugs (Agriolimacidae)
Terrestrial Snails and Slugs (Stylommatophora)
Terrestrial Worms (Opisthopora)
Tessellated Darter
Thick-walled Clams (Cyrenidae)
Thin-leaved Coneflower
Thread-waisted Wasp species
Three Mile Island
Three Mile Island Generating Station
Thrushes (Turdidae)
Ticks (Ixodida)
Timber Rattlesnake
Timothy
Tmarus species
Tornado
Toucans and Woodpeckers (Piciformes)
Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy
Transverse Flower Fly
Tree and Bush Crickets (Oecanthidae)
Tree Shelters
Tree Swallow
Tree-of-heaven
Tree-of-heaven (Simaroubaceae)
Treecreepers (Certhiidae)
Treefrogs (Hylidae)
Triassic redbeds
Tributaries
Tropical Storm Lee
Trout Lily
True Bugs (Hemiptera)
True Crickets (Gryllidae)
True Frogs (Ranidae)
True Salamanders and Newts (Salamandridae)
True Toads (Bufonidae)
Trumpet Vine
Trumpeter Swan
Tufted Duck
Tufted Titmouse
Tundra Swan
Turk's Cap Lily
Turkey Vulture
Turtles (Testudines)
Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch
Twelve-spotted Skimmer
Two-spotted Scoliid Wasp
Two-striped Grasshopper
Typical Owls (Strigidae)
Typical Snakes (Colubridae)
Umbrella Magnolia
Uncategorized
Ungulate Spongiform Encephalopathy
Unicorn Clubtail
Variable Dancer
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD)
Variegated Fritillary
Veery
Verbenas (Verbenaceae)
Vernal Ponds
Vesper Sparrow
Vespid Wasps (Vespidae)
Viceroy
Vinegar and Pomace Flies (Drosophilidae)
Violets (Viola species)
Violets (Violaceae)
Vipers (Viperidae)
Vireos (Vireonidae)
Virginia Bluebells
Virginia Creeper
Virginian River Horn Snail
Vultures (Cathartidae)
Waders and Gulls (Charadriiformes)
Waggoner's Gap
Wagtails and Pipits (Motacillidae)
Walkingsticks (Diapheromeridae)
Walleye
Walnuts (Juglandaceae)
Wandering Glider
Warblers (Parulidae)
Warbling Vireo
Warm-season Grass Meadows
Warmwater Stream
Wastewater Treatment
Water Hyacinths (Pontederiaceae)
Water Lilies (Nymphaeaceae)
Water Lilies (Nymphaeales)
Water Stargrass
Water Striders (Gerridae)
Water Willow
Waterfowl Feeding
Waxwings (Bombycillidae)
West Gulf Coastal Plain
Western Cattle Egret
Western Conifer Seed Bug
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
Western Flycatcher
Western Sandpiper
Wetland Restoration
White Admiral/Red-spotted Purple
White Oak
White Perch
White Snakeroot
White Sucker
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-crowned Sparrow
White-eyed Vireo
White-footed Mouse
White-rumped Sandpiper
White-tailed Deity
White-throated Sparrow
White-tipped Dove
White-winged Crossbill
White-winged Dove
White-winged Scoter
Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)
Wild Bergamot
Wild Indigo Duskywing
Wild Senna
Wild Turkey
Wildfire Smoke
Wildfires
Wildfowl (Galliformes)
Willow Flycatcher
Willows (Salix species)
Willows and Poplars (Salicaceae)
Willows and Violets (Malpighiales)
Wilson's Phalarope
Wilson's Snipe
Wilson's Warbler
Winged Sumac
Wingstem
Winter Stoneflies (Taeniopterygidae)
Winter Wren
Wintercreeper
Witch-hazel
Witch-hazels (Hamamelidaceae)
Wolf
Wolf Spiders (Lycosidae)
Wood Duck
Wood Frog
Wood Stork
Wood Thrush
Wood Turtle
Wood-fruited Trees (Altingiaceae)
Woodchuck
Woodland Jumping Mouse
Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Woolgrass
Worm-eating Warbler
Wrens (Troglodytidae)
Yellow Buckeye
Yellow Iris
Yellow Lampmussel
Yellow Perch
Yellow Poplar (Tuliptree)
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Yellow-breasted Chat
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Vireo
Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellowjacket Hover Fly
York Haven Dam
York Haven Diabase
Zabulon Skipper
Zebra Swallowtail
Zerbe Run

Why are those ducklings in the storm drain?…and so on.

Today, the fate of wildlife diversity, both locally and globally, is largely determined by the actions of sprawling masses of humans. If the conservation/preservation mindset of the public at large fails to broaden beyond lawn care, outdoor recreation, pet-keeping, and the hysteria of cute animal rescue, then at-risk species and the ecosystems within which they function and thrive will have no real chance of long-term survival.

What does all that mean? It means you can stop feeding ducks now. It’s a good start.

Hand-fed waterfowl like these Mallards (polygamous form) quickly domesticate and lose their instinct to migrate. They soon become accustomed to human activity and begin wandering fearlessly into traffic where they are hazards not only to themselves, but to people too. Their incessant foraging within a small range pollutes water, degrades fisheries, and obliterates aquatic food chains, often extirpating entire populations of native plants and animals from local streams and wetlands. The irony of it all: duck feeding damages vital resting and breeding habitats needed by migrating waterfowl, the truly wild ducks and geese. So if you really love ducks, don't feed them. See how easy that is?

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