Natural Lands - The Magazine of Natural Lands Fall/Winter 2019, Issue 155 | Page 5

NAT U R AL LAND S
. FALL/W INT E R 20 1 9
3
green wins
awards.
indiscriminate predator.
Gardeners have long appreciated the pest-control benefits of
the Carolina praying mantis, which sits patiently on plants wait-
ing for its next meal. However, the native species Stagmomantis
carolina is in decline due to competition and predation by their
non-native cousins, the Chinese and European mantids.
As its name implies, the Chinese mantis is native to Asia and
was accidentally introduced to North America at a nursery in
Mt. Airy, PA. The insect is twice the size of the native Carolina
mantis and is an indiscriminate predator. It feeds on everything
from pests to beneficial bugs like Monarch butterflies, bees,
small reptiles and amphibians, native praying mantids, and
even hummingbirds!
Though smaller than the Asian species, European mantids
are just as damaging to the ecology. They were introduced to
the U.S. decades ago as a means of controlling another invasive
bug, the gypsy moth caterpillar.
All three species can vary in color from brown to green, mak-
ing it difficult to distinguish them from one another. Learn more
and see photos at natlands.org/mantids. W
Congratulations to Warrington
Township, Bucks County, which
received the 2019 Green Park
Award from the PA Department of
Conservation and Natural Resourc-
es and the PA Recreation and Parks
Society.
The park system offers residents
unique opportunities to engage
with nature, including bird blinds to
view the more than 250 species of
migrating birds that pass through
the area, a pollinator area with
educational signage, and equestri-
an riding facilities for children with
special needs. One of the township
parks was once a former missile
base and has been transformed
into a natural oasis.
Natural Lands has helped War-
rington Township with its land pres-
ervation efforts through land use
and parks and recreation planning,
ordinance support,
trails, and acquiring
grant funds for open
space acquisition.
The Township is
one of more than
150 municipal-
ities that have
utilized Natural
Lands’ profes-
sional planning
services, which
promote the
goals of saving
land, caring for
nature, and con-
necting people to
the outdoors. W