Bloomfield Environmental Community

Here’s a note from Monarch Watch about the importance of citizen science and reporting our observations of monarch butterflies to Journey North.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DnHGpGiaj/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Spring is approaching, and monarch butterflies are beginning their spring migration from their overwintering sites. You can help track the journeys of these incredible travelers by reporting your observations this spring to Journey North. Every sighting you share - whether sightings of monarch butterflies, eggs, larvae, or even milkw**d plants - contributes to understanding monarch migration dynamics.

Learn more and submit your sightings at https://journeynorth.org/

📸 A note on this picture: This monarch butterfly on a young milkw**d plant was observed in the springtime around Monarch Watch in a prior year. Many of the monarch butterflies that migrate from their overwintering sites in spring will tend to look a lot more worn because they've spent many months migrating, overwintering, and journeying back north. They've had a long journey! Photo credit: Linda Kunkle Park.

🦌 Oh deer, it's that time of year! 🍂

October thru December is deer mating season in New Jersey. That means young bucks — like this one recently spotted resting in one of our backyards — are out and about looking for love ❤️ … but sometimes in all the wrong places, like near our busy streets!

🚗 Fall is the riskiest time for deer-vehicle collisions. Bucks (male deer) pursue does (female deer), sometimes darting suddenly into roadways. Deer are most active in the early morning and around sunset, when visibility is low due to darkness or sun glare.

🌟 Here are some pro tips to help keep both drivers and deer safe:

🦌 Slow down when you see deer and watch for sudden movement.

🚗 Wait for deer to cross the road — don’t try to drive around them.

👀 Where there’s one deer, there are usually more! Be patient and make sure it’s safe to proceed.

💡 Use high beams on darker roadways when there are no other vehicles around.

⚠️ Slow down when you see “Deer Crossing” signs.

We’re fortunate to share our town with an abundance of wildlife — not just deer — so please drive carefully and stay alert for our furry neighbors! 🐿️🦊🐇

👉 Share this post to remind your friends and neighbors — safety for everyone starts with awareness! 💛

𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻. 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀!

Fake spider webs used as outdoor Halloween decoration can be very dangerous for birds. The stretchy, synthetic fibers of these fake webs can easily trap birds, causing serious injury and even death.
This photo shows an American Robin that was caught in a fake web, but was fortunately discovered in time to be rescued and release without injury.

Even just being caught in a fake web can kill birds from the extreme stress of being trapped, since most birds are not strong enough to break free.

Birds often seek the shelter of trees and bushes to rest and hide, but when these are covered in fake webs they can turn into deadly traps. These fake webs can also trap and injure other wildlife.

We’re not saying you shouldn’t have fun with decorating for Halloween, but please don’t turn your yard into a death trap for birds! And to be clear, we’re talking about the fine, gauzy fake web material that looks like stretched-out cotton candy, not the kind made from thick, rope-like material with large gaps that look like the rope ladders on old-time sailing ships.

Please don’t make Halloween scary for our bird friends – skip the fake webs!

(𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵: 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘋𝘶𝘗𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘺, 𝘐𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴)

Despite living in a high-density, fully-developed urbanized area, we have a diverse variety of bird life in Bloomfield if you take the time to observe. So, put down the tablet or phone, step away from the TV or computer, and go look at some birds!

Leave the leaves where you can!

Nature doesn't mind if your yard looks a little messy. Leave the leaves where you can as a home for butterflies and insects, including fireflies and many beneficial insects that eat the bad bugs and serve as food for birds!

Eliminating the use of gas-powered leaf blowers would make life safer and healthier for everyone in our community.

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of life without gas-powered leaf blowers, and how towns like Montclair and Maplewood have implmented ordinances limiting or prohibiting their use, please attend this community conversation in Maplewood at 7pm on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.

Attendance is free! Please register here (location will be shared when you regiser): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-secrets-of-our-success-tickets-1755266592629

We hope to see you there!

The County of Essex will be holding a Household Hazardous Waste disposal event this coming Saturday, October 4 from 8:30 am to 4 pm at the Essex County Public Works Facility, 88 West Bradford Avenue in Cedar Grove.

This is a great opportunity to clean out your garage or basement of the hazardous chemicals and other items that should never go in the regular trash!

Today is World Firefly Day!

Did you know that fireflies (lightning bugs) spend the first two years of their lives as larvae living and feeding underground.

Here are some things you can do to help fireflies in your yard:

- No more leaf blowers! Leaf blowers blow with the force of a jet engine and blow away soil and organic matter that fireflies and other beneficial insects need to live, and can harm insects living underground.

- Leave the leaves in your yard where you can. Fireflies and other good bugs need decaying leaf matter to survive.

- Avoid using pesticides (bug killers) and herbicides (w**d killers) in your yard because these chemicals get into the ground and kill the firefly larvae and other good bugs. This also goes for mosquito spraying - the mosquito sprays kill all insects, fireflies and other beneficial and important insects like bumblebees. There are other very effective methods to control or eliminate mosquitos in your yard that don't involve spraying chemicals on your lawn.

- Turn off unnecessary outdoor lights or put them on a time or motion sensor. Outdoor lighting confuses fireflies and many other beneficial insects and disrupts their ability to reproduce and thrive.

Thank you for caring about fireflies!

PLEASE PUT OUT WATER FOR WILDLIFE!

We're headed into a dangerous heat wave over the next few days with temperatures expected to hit 100 degrees or more. As bad as it will be for us humans, it will also be distressing and harmful for the birds and animals that live in our neighborhoods.

Please help our wild friends by putting out a shallow bowl or saucer of fresh water. A shallow saucer is best because birds won't use deep bowls. The saucer should be placed on the ground so it's accessible to all animals. Put some small stones in the saucer for the beneficial insects in your yard - they need to drink too! And be sure to change the water every day and wash the saucer regularly to keep it clean.

See the comments for examples of things you can use to put out water for wildlife.

Thanks for caring about our wild neighbors!

Join us and other participating organizations for a fabulous Earth Day celebration from 11am to 3pm this Saturday, April 26th in the Bloomfield Public Library courtyard featuring food trucks, live music, and children's storytime and crafts!

There will be a food pantry collection site to help those in need in our community. Donations of non-perishable food and reusable grocery bags (which food pantries use to distribute food) will be very much appreciated!