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Mariton: Year in Review

December 31, 2014

by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager

As I put the new calendar on the wall, I thought I would do a brief review using photos from this year’s blog posts.  This isn’t everything, just some of the highlights.  We had a snowy and cold winter and I wrote a series on dressing to enjoy the weather.

Winter Hats

Some of the photos of the season:

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Photo by Carole Mebus

Bladder nut in ice

During the spring Mike and Kieu Manes planted American Chestnuts.  The wildflowers at Mariton were glorious.  There were several bird walks.  The  nest boxes had a lot of activity.

planting Chestnuts

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Trillium by Carole Mebus

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Swainson’s Thrush by Carole Mebus

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Moving into summer, the Bird Walks transitioned to Butterfly Walks.  There were Kayak trips on Lake Nockamixon.  And we had a great group of children for Nature Camp.

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Coral Hairstreak by Carole Mebus

Haycock Run

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Nature Camp visits Traugers by Carole Mebus

The fall colors in 2014 were fantastic. During our weekly walks in October we marveled at the colors, along with being treated to exciting bird sightings and more butterflies.

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Mariton Field by Carole Mebus

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Female Bluebird with Fall Backdrop by Carole Mebus

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Eastern Comma butterfly under Pawpaw Tree by Carole Mebus

2014 was a special year for Mariton.  It marked the 45th anniversary of the Guerrero’s establishing the Deed of Trust that protects Mariton.  It also marked the 70th anniversary of the first purchase of land that would later become Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary.  During the year we showed the movies that the Guerrero’s made when they first moved to the property(in the late 1940’s), along with a slide show of vintage photos.

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The Guerrero’s in Belgium in the early 1960’s

I’m wishing you a Happy New Year for 2015.  I hope you find time to be inspired and moved by nature’s beauty.