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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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Hawkwatcher’s Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors
Golden Eagle Aging Chart
Riverside Firemen’s Retreat (www.fireattackstrategy.com)

Category: New England Aster

Posted on October 19, 2026October 19, 2026

Photo of the Day

Common Eastern Bumblebees on New England Aster — Seeking a late-season supply of nectar following a pair of frosty mornings, these Common Eastern Bumblebees visit the showy blooms of a New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae). In the landscape, these enduring plants look especially striking among mixed stands of other pollinator-friendly wildflowers, particularly the various species of goldenrods and white asters.

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 (48)
Birds on Radar (19)
Disasters: The Big Three (2)
Eating Invasive Species (8)
Fish Surveys (2)
Forty Years Ago in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (13)
In the Doghouse (7)
Photo of the Day (211)
Planting for Wildlife (97)
Ponds/Pools (55)
Prescribed Fire (17)
Stream Temperature (9)
TMI Unit 2 Accident (8)
Uncle Tyler Dyer (18)
Voyage of the S. S. Haldeman (2)

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In the current…

Photo of the Day October 19, 2026
Now Moving Through: Tundra Peregrines October 13, 2026
Photo of the Day October 11, 2026
Pow! Right in the Kisser October 8, 2026
Photo of the Day October 6, 2026

Archives

Archives

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM:

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
Bacteria
- Spirochaetes (Spirochaetota)
  - Spirochaetes (Spirochaetia)
    - Spirochetes (Spirochaetales)
      - Spirochetes (Borreliaceae)
        
        Borrelia burgdorferi
Birds on Radar
Climate
Diatoms (Diatomeae)
Early Naturalists
Extinct Species
Fungus (Fungi)
- Sac Fungi (Ascomycota)
  - Class: Leotiomycetes
    - Order: Thelebolales
      - Pseudeurotiaceae (Incertae sedis)
        
        White-nose Syndrome Fungus (Pseudogymnoascus destructans)
  - 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

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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