by Merrill Creek Reservoir | Oct 20, 2026 | Habitat, Merrill Creek Reservoir, Plants
Lately many visitors have been asking, “What is that plant that sort of looks like short corn along the south end of the Perimeter Trail?” Well, the answer is Sorghum (AKA milo). Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a drought tolerant cereal grass that we are using along with...
by Merrill Creek Reservoir | Aug 26, 2026 | Animals, Habitat, Insects
An occasional butterfly species visitor to NJ was spotted recently near Merrill Creek Reservoir. According to the NJ Butterfly Club (A Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association), this species, the Little Yellow (Eurema lisa) is very small — 1.3” (much...
by Merrill Creek Reservoir | Jul 30, 2026 | Animals, Birds, Habitat, Merrill Creek Reservoir
The American Woodcock (AKA The Timberdoodle) is a small plump semi-migratory shorebird that unlike its coastal cousins lives in young forests and shrubby old fields across eastern North America. Typically, wildlife enthusiasts and birders equate seeing Woodcock in...
by Merrill Creek Reservoir | Jul 21, 2026 | Habitat, Merrill Creek Reservoir, Plants
While performing vegetation regeneration survey work at one of MCR’s ecological forestry cuts recently, surveyors from New Jersey Audubon found a very rare plant for NJ. The plant, the Wood Lily (Lilium philadelphicum) is an endangered native wildflower in New...
by Merrill Creek Reservoir | Jun 19, 2026 | Fish, Habitat, Merrill Creek Reservoir
Starting June of 2026 MCR, in conjunction with NJDFW, is starting a study of MCR’s Salmonidae species in the reservoir. Specifically, MCR is conducting creel surveys for ONLY Atlantic Land-locked Salmon, Lake Trout and Rainbow Trout. Should an angler catch any of...
by Merrill Creek Reservoir | Jun 15, 2026 | Habitat, Insects, Plants
Between 2021 through 2022 Merrill Creek Reservoir had a Botanical Inventory performed at the property. The results of that inventory found “375 plant species, including 293 native species (78.1%) and 82 non-native species (21.9%). Additionally, the property hosts...
