Nescopeck State Park

THANK YOU SO MUCH to the crew of volunteers who worked so hard this morning! After weeding and more mulching, hundreds of plugs finally went in to the butterfly garden. A few of the plants may flower this year, but it should really start to fill in and blossom in coming years. We look forward to welcoming many pollinators to our garden.

Wood anemone May 7, 2021

With the big storm coming tomorrow, we're sorry to make this announcement. The park will be open for you to cross-country ski, snowshoe, play and build snow critters... we just won't be able to provide equipment.

#WinterWonder Black bears (Ursus americanus) are seldom seen in winter. They enter dens in late fall and although they aren’t considered true hibernators, they do rest as their respiration and heart rate decline. On warm days, bears may briefly emerge from their dormancy. In their dens, females give birth to cubs in early January. Cubs will nurse throughout the winter and will leave the den in spring. The following winter, the mothers and cubs will den together again and the family group will disband the next spring. For more information on Pennsylvania's black bears, see the Pennsylvania Game Commission's wildlife note: https://www.pgc.pa.gov//WildlifeNotes/Pages/BlackBear.aspx

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#WinterWonder Now here’s an animal you’re not going to see in winter! Have you ever wondered what salamanders do in winter? Well, in the case of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum), a species of mole salamander, they brumate! Brumation is a lot like hibernation, but the metabolic process amphibians go through is not quite the same as hibernating warm-blooded animals. Mole salamanders here in our area include Jefferson salamander, marbled salamander, and spotted salamander. They spend most of their lives underground in burrows, and this includes winter. Once temperatures warm up again in the spring, the salamanders emerge.

#WinterWonder Winter is one of the best times to locate signs of river otters (Lontra canadensis). These playful critters enjoy sliding into creeks and have been spotted swimming around the park’s ponds. When there’s snow on the ground, look for slide chutes on the banks of the creek. River otters use these chutes to slide head-first into the water. Active all year, they eat fish and crayfish they find in the water. Their incredibly dense fur and a layer of fat under their skin helps keep them warm when they’re out in the freezing temperatures. For more information about river otters, please see the Pennsylvania Game Commission's wildlife note: https://www.pgc.pa.gov//WildlifeNote/Pages/RiverOtter.aspx

#WinterWonder Pennsylvania’s state mammal, the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), is a common sight at the park through all seasons. Deer are active in winter, surviving on evergreen branches, dry leaves and a variety of twigs. One secret to their winter survival is their fur. Deer shed their summer coats at the beginning of fall, giving way to their winter coat of hollow, wooly guard hairs and densely packed underfur. You may note a change in their coloration betwe...en summer and winter; Summer coats are reddish brown, but winter coats are more gray. When thick snow covers the ground, deer rely on valleys of evergreen trees like Eastern hemlock and white pine to provide cover within extensive tracts of hardwood forest. See the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s wildlife notes for more info on white-tailed deer. https://www.pgc.pa.gov//Wildli/Pages/White-tailedDeer.aspx

#WinterWonder Don’t you hate it when the bitter cold gives the tip of your nose, ears, and tail a frosty bite? One animal that’s especially susceptible to the cold is the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana). They have thick white fur with darker guard hairs covering their bodies, but the fur is sparse on their ears, face and tail. Opossums tend to stay in their dens on the coldest days, but do remain active throughout winter. They spend a lot of time searching for food during the winter and will eat nearly any plant or animal they come across, including carrion. See the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s wildlife notes for more information on Virginia opossum. https://www.pgc.pa.gov//WildlifeNotesIn/Pages/Opossum.aspx