The cool crisp air of October is here and the weather has been very enjoyable with mild temperatures overall. The children are settled into their school routine and this is the unofficial start of the holiday season. The holiday season starts with Halloween and north jersey delivers with ubiquitous holiday displays installed on homes and businesses. There is also the simultaneous Harvest season with displays of pumpkins bundles of hay. Even the trees get into the act displaying their colorful “Autumn Lights”.
Despite it’s name “Oriental Spicebush” is non-invasive and is is native to Northern New Jersey. Oriental Spicebush is a vital host plant for the spicebush swallowtail butterfly, the eastern tiger swallowtail, and the promethea silkmoth. Its nutrient-dense red berries are a primary food source for migrating songbirds.
