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Mud Season Notes
The trail between the two ponds today is now free of ice, snow and running water. Even waterproof footwear is not required. -- jpl, 3/9/26
However, due to the trail conditions caused by our snowy winter weather, our March Children's event, scheduled for Sunday 3/1, is postponed. We will reschedule for a beautiful spring weekend once the snow clears. Hoping for an early Spring! - Leslie
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Seen in the Park
A Winter Gallery
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Brightwood Kids & Families
Spring Classes
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Read Across America
(postponed due to poor trail conditions. new date is tbd) |
Our first event of the year!Join us for a fun family event on Sunday, March 1st for National Read Across America Day. The book will be "Around the Pond: Who's Been Here?"
Pre-registration is required Note: wet trail conditions led us to postpone this event. Stay tuned for the new date!
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Brightwood Kids - Nature Detectives!!
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🔍
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Learning About Beech Trees
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Beech Tree Challenge
Next time you're outside: 1. Find a beech tree 2. Check the leaves and bark 3. Ask: Is this tree healthy or stressed? What is Beech Leaf Disease (BLD) This is a newer and grave disease. |
programs and events
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A New Birding Group has Formed
Are you interested in joining a birding group at the park? Some people have expressed interest in meeting occasionally to experience the beauty of our feathered friends - let us know if you might be interested.
Bianca tumbled to this amazing resource on what trees, shrubs and vines will be effective for attracting birds to your home.
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Forest & Park Health
Native Plant Sale Preview & Podcasts
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If you can’t tell a fuzzy bumblebee from a miner bee and aren’t really sure what “buzz pollination” is, Rutgers ecologist Dr. Kim Russell is here to help you stop guessing and start planting!
Learn how to identify native species and build "pollinator ports," habitats that offer much more than just a pretty flower. You will leave with solid, research-backed steps to identify and save your local bees. This event is free; a $10 donation is greatly appreciated to help offset the fees we pay to bring you expert speakers through our Plant for Pollinators program series. PS - Spread the word... at this webinar, GSWA's Hazel England will give a sneak-preview of the 43 native perennials on the list for this year’s Plant for Pollinators Program Online Sale opening April 1st! |
Sustainable Gardening Information for the Curious
Hickory Planting Project
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We are partnering with Rutgers for a germination study of Mockernut Hickory. Initiated and led by Jean Epiphan, Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent at Rutgers, it is designed to counter the regeneration debt of our forests.
The idea is simple: we will plant them like squirrels do - burying nuts in lots of places - and then test the germination rates to see what works better. The idea is to get Mockernut Hickories growing in Brightwood Park. Last December, volunteers planted nuts along the trail parallel to Prospect Park. We concentrated on planting them under existing beech trees to try to remediate the anticipated canopy loss from to beech leaf disease. In early May, we will begin tracking the germination. Until then, we are monitoring that the flags and signs remain in place and if there is any form of digging for the nuts. -Bianca Wright
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Planting Pines and Hollies - How are We Doing?
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Since 2023 we have planted 128 American Hollies (Ilex opaca) and Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida). They are great evergreen trees providing berries for birds in the winter as well as year-round hiding spots for them. Even better: deer do not like to nibble on them so they do not need any wire cages for protection.
This spring we would like to see how they have been faring. Anyone who wants to track through the 4 reforestation areas in the park is welcome to help! photos by Bianca Wright
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Some Great News on Fighting Invasive Species
On his last day in office, Governor Murphy signed the bill that makes the propagation, sale, distribution, import, and export of certain listed invasive plant species illegal, establishes a NJ Invasive Species Council, and gives NJ DEP the authority to enforce the regulations. It is effective immediately.
For now, there are 30 prohibited plants, among them are these 12 that the volunteers of Brightwood Invasive Plant Removal Strike Team have been removing from the park since 2020:
The propagation and importation will be prohibited after 13 months of enactment. The sale, distribution, and export 49 months after enactment. If you are interested in reading the law in its entirety to find out more details, you can find it here .
New Jersey was one of 5 States remaining that didn't have any regulation. With this, gardens and parks will finally not be the source from which these species can naturalize any more.
However, the list is not covering all plants that are eco-system disruptors such as ones that have been naturalized for a long time. Among those are Japanese Knotweed, Mugwort, Japanese Stiltgrass, Pachysandra, Mile-A-Minute and Oriental Bittersweet - all found in Brightwood Park and in the process of being removed.
If you would like to help or find out more, please email [email protected].
For now, there are 30 prohibited plants, among them are these 12 that the volunteers of Brightwood Invasive Plant Removal Strike Team have been removing from the park since 2020:
- Norway maple (Acer platanoides)
- Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
- Porcelain berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata)
- Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii)
- Winged burning bush (Euonymus alatus)
- English ivy (Hedera helix)
- European privet (Ligustrum vulgare)
- Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)
- Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora)
- Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda)
- Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis)
- Running bamboo (Phyllostachys spp.)
The propagation and importation will be prohibited after 13 months of enactment. The sale, distribution, and export 49 months after enactment. If you are interested in reading the law in its entirety to find out more details, you can find it here .
New Jersey was one of 5 States remaining that didn't have any regulation. With this, gardens and parks will finally not be the source from which these species can naturalize any more.
However, the list is not covering all plants that are eco-system disruptors such as ones that have been naturalized for a long time. Among those are Japanese Knotweed, Mugwort, Japanese Stiltgrass, Pachysandra, Mile-A-Minute and Oriental Bittersweet - all found in Brightwood Park and in the process of being removed.
If you would like to help or find out more, please email [email protected].
membership
Volunteer Spotlight: Phil Round
If you'd to help out with the FOBP invasive volunteers, please send us a note!
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Did someone say that weeding can be fun?! Well, maybe not fun, but it can be rewarding.
The Friends of Brightwood Park invasive species volunteers are out in force on Wednesday mornings, and with Phil Round as their dedicated leader, the park is looking much healthier. Phil moved to Westfield in 1985 and lives within walking distance of Brightwood Park. With his background in agriculture, Phil realized that the park’s native species were rapidly being outcompeted by non-native plants. The two main culprits—Japanese knotweed, which was so dense it blocked the view of the pond from the parking lot, and Wisteria, which was destroying mature trees in large areas of the forest and opening significant gaps in the forest canopy. Both species spread rapidly, overtaking native plants, causing significant problems in the park.
Phil already had experience in managing invasive plants from his volunteer work at Watchung Reservation and at the Great Swamp. Alarmed with the situation he saw at Brightwood, he approached the Town of Westfield to begin a task force at Brightwood Park. When he showed people the damage from all the invasive plants, many of them showed up to help. The first efforts were to cut down the Knotweed around the parking lot. After that event and with the support of the town and DPW, the Westfield Park Invasive Plant Strikeforce was formed.
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Volunteers Needed! |
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The Friends of Brightwood Park are working to:
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