Burnt Fork Watershed Alliance

Good worms!

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Before you reach for anything, look at what you're actually looking at. Seven of the most common caterpillars in American gardens and yards — and the butterfly or moth each one becomes. 🌿

Seven transformations to recognize:

Black Swallowtail — the green caterpillar with bold black bands and yellow-orange spots on your dill, parsley, or fennel. Leave it. The adult is one of the most striking butterflies in the country.

Mourning Cloak — black with red spots and branched spines, often found on willow, elm, and cottonwood. One of the longest-lived butterflies in North America — adults overwinter and emerge in late winter.

Red Admiral — spiny dark caterpillar on stinging nettles or false nettle. The adult's orange-red wing bands are unmistakable.

American Lady — bristly dark caterpillar often found on pearly everlasting and pussytoes. The adult has distinctive eyespots on the hindwing underside.

Milbert's Tortoiseshell — black and spiny with yellow side spots, found on stinging nettles. Northern species, vivid orange and dark wings.

Cloudless Sulphur — smooth bright green, nearly invisible on its host. Becomes one of the most vivid large yellow butterflies in the US — common from the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast.

Tomato hornworm — the large green caterpillar with diagonal white stripes and a curved rear horn. It becomes the Five-spotted Hawkmoth — a substantial moth with pink and grey patterning and a wingspan approaching five inches. 🌱

Every caterpillar is a future pollinator. Observe before you react.

Please do not move rocks in the creek

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That cute rock stack by the creek just killed a bunch of mosquito killers.

Dragonflies spend most of their lives underwater, sometimes up to five years, clinging to rocks while they grow.

A single dragonfly larva eats hundreds of mosquito larvae before it ever flies.

But dragonflies are just one species. The rocks in a healthy stream are also covering caddisfly larvae, mayflies, stoneflies, water beetles, salamander egg clutches, and the freshwater snails that fish depend on.

Eastern Hellbenders, an endangered giant salamander species, lay their eggs specifically under flat stream rocks. Moving the rock kills the clutch.

When you pull a wet rock out of the water and stack it on the bank, everything clinging to that rock dies. They desiccate within minutes in the sun.

A single rock pile is dozens of small lives lost. Most stream cairns are stacks of fifteen to twenty rocks.

If you see stacked rocks at a creek, knock them over. The stream rebuilds itself faster when rocks are scattered the way water put them.

Leave no trace isn't an aesthetic preference. It's real habitat protection.

Our own former board member, Bill Witherspoon!

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Have you noticed those interesting rock formations along some of Atlanta’s interstates and highways? Georgia is full of geological diversity, like Stone Mountain, Arabia Mountain, Tallulah Gorge, and definitely around the Chattahoochee, as well!

Dr. Bill Witherspoon has noticed - that’s why he coauthored a book about it (Roadside Geology of Georgia). That’s also why he’s partnered with the National Park Service to lead a Geology Hike! Join us for a hike along the river at Island Ford, where Dr. Witherspoon will help us observe and teach us all about the important local geology. By the end of it, your geology knowledge will be rock-solid. 🪨

🗓️ Sunday, April 19th (1:30 - 3:30 PM)
📍 Island Ford (1978 Island Ford Pkwy, Sandy Springs, GA 30350)

Learn more and register at https://chattahoocheeparks.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F37307

Look for the spotted lantern fly. Photograph, kill and report. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1260726099575940&id=100069156851372

Nandina, mahonia, English ivy, Japanese honeysuckle, privet. Please help native plants and animal diversity by removing non native invasive plants. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1353063613515841&id=100064366466743

🌿 What Are Invasive Species, and Why Should You Care? 🌿

Invasive species are non-native plants, animals, or organisms that spread rapidly and disrupt local ecosystems. Unlike native species, they lack natural predators or controls, allowing them to outcompete local plants and wildlife.

So, why does this matter?
🔹 Biodiversity Loss - Invasives crowd out native species, reducing habitat for pollinators, birds, and beneficial insects.
🔹 Environmental Damage - They alter soil, water, and fire cycles, making it harder for native ecosystems to thrive.
🔹 Economic Impact - They cost billions in agricultural losses, property damage, and control efforts.

What can you do?
✅ Learn to identify and remove invasive plants in your area.
✅ Choose native plants for your garden to support local wildlife.
✅ Avoid planting or spreading non-native species.

🌎 National Invasive Species Awareness Week starts today! This is a great time to learn more about how invasives impact Alabama’s ecosystems and what you can do to help. Follow us for more information about invasive species in Alabama!

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TAKE ACTION ‼️ Bad building plans WILL get shoved through if HB 812 and SB 447 advance in the Georgia State Legislature this week. Don't let these bills muddy our waters! Contact your lawmakers TODAY and stand up for clean water at ProtectGeorgia.org (link in bio)

Support this bill! Make data centers pay!

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