An Extra Set of Eyes (Ecology Basics)

Caterpillars of the non-native invasive Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) are destructive, feeding voraciously on many species of trees and shrubs. Alert park staff to their presence.
Photographer: Flickr user Dennis Wilkinson

It takes a village to keep natural communities healthy. Alert Park staff if you see any of the following along the trail:

  • diseased vegetation
  • infestation by non-native insects
  • invasion by non-native vegetation
  • dumped mattresses, tires, appliances and other environmentally damaging trash
  • unauthorized trails
  • homeless camps
  • anything that looks amiss.

To learn more about these topics in a particular park, visit that park on this website, and under Stewardship and Ecological Threats, explore the Plants and Animals section. For fact sheets about a whole host of non-native invasive plants in the U.S.'s Mid-Atlantic region, look on the website for the National Park Service’s Center for Urban Ecology: http://www.nps.gov/cue/epmt/index.htm

If you do see something worth sharing, make a note of your location and jot down a description of what you see. If possible, take a picture.

If you happen across a display of wildflowers or other beautiful scene, Park staff would probably enjoy hearing about that too.