Meng Preserve

Call Directions Website

Meng Preserve Meng Preserve is a steeply sloped, forested property with impressive outcrops of diabase rock and vernal pools.

See our website for more information including our history, a trail map, and hours of operation.

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” — L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables 📸: Jill Sabre
10/22/2026

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” — L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

📸: Jill Sabre

It's that oh-so special time of year again...time to leave the leaves! Really, the entire food chain benefits from leaf ...
10/15/2026

It's that oh-so special time of year again...time to leave the leaves! Really, the entire food chain benefits from leaf litter come winter. Fallen leaves provide vital habitat to overwintering insects, small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. Leaf litter also makes for wonderful nesting material and insulation for our den-dwellers like groundhogs. Then, of course, our larger mammals such as foxes and coyotes still need to hunt, and where are many of their go-to meals hiding out? You guessed it, the leaves!

Help a firefly make it to summer. Feed a fox. Do it for the salamanders.

Even if you live in a small space, leaf litter can be fastened to containers, window boxes, and raised garden beds with chicken wire. It's just one of those things where every little bit helps.

Happy fall, all!

P.S. Don't feel too guilty if you still need to mow some...leaves become excellent dirt!

📸: Image designed by hand and in-house by Brittni Hribar, Senior Graphic Designer

American persimmons are absolutely beloved by our native wildlife! Skunks, foxes, black bears, turkeys, woodpeckers...al...
09/25/2026

American persimmons are absolutely beloved by our native wildlife! Skunks, foxes, black bears, turkeys, woodpeckers...all these critters (and many more) enjoy this fall fruit.

That’s why we kindly ask all our visitors not to forage. The wild fruits (and other foods) of our preserves belong to the wildlife who call our properties home.

State parks, however, do allow foraging for those who are interested.

📸: Rachel Rhodes

This salamander is still just a baby, and will rely on the shelter, protection, and moisture of leaf litter to survive t...
09/18/2026

This salamander is still just a baby, and will rely on the shelter, protection, and moisture of leaf litter to survive to see spring. Please keep this in mind as the leaves begin to fall, and make a plan to leave the leaves wherever and however you can this year.

Remember, one person can’t do everything...but everyone can do something 😊 Even just one extra square-foot of leaves in the yard is better than none.

📸: Preston Wilson

Did you know spiders can make multiple types of silk? Unlike silk-making insects, spiders have specialized silks for dif...
09/11/2026

Did you know spiders can make multiple types of silk? Unlike silk-making insects, spiders have specialized silks for different functions. One spider can usually make at least three different varieties of silk, while some orb weavers can make up to seven.

📸: Mae Axelrod

Catch bugs! Climb trees! Flip rocks! No, these are not new family-friendly curses. They're simple things anyone and ever...
09/04/2026

Catch bugs! Climb trees! Flip rocks! No, these are not new family-friendly curses. They're simple things anyone and everyone can do with their kids to keep them engaged in the outdoors amidst the chaos of the back-to-school season. And let's be honest...you could probably benefit from a little extra time outdoors, too.

Other fun nature-play ideas include:

🗺️ Treasure hunting. Hide a natural treasure, then make a map showing where to find it.

🧚‍♀️ Crafting a magical residence. Fairy house, gnome home, or toad abode, make a tiny house for the other residents of your yard...real or fiction!

⛵️ Building a natural boat. Is it a pirate ship? Vikings? Make two (or more) and race them down a stream.

🪵 Constructing something together. A swing, a shelter, or a simple hammock, it doesn’t need to be grand.

🛶 Kayaking. A classic!

Bonus tip: Just be present. Whether it's the playground after school or the sidelines of a soccer field, nature can be found almost anywhere by those who go looking for it.

📸: Serena Hertzog

Gray Catbird enjoying berries from sumac📸: David Korbonits
08/27/2026

Gray Catbird enjoying berries from sumac

📸: David Korbonits

Berkeley's polypore is a parasitic fungus that causes butt rot in oaks and other hardwood trees. Should we intervene? No...
08/20/2026

Berkeley's polypore is a parasitic fungus that causes butt rot in oaks and other hardwood trees. Should we intervene? Nope... removing the fruiting body we can see won't stop the rate of mycelium growth within the tree.

📸: Kate Rash, Taproot Photography

Did you know some native songbirds use the dark, wiry stems of maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) to build their nests?📸...
08/13/2026

Did you know some native songbirds use the dark, wiry stems of maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) to build their nests?

📸: Kate Rash, Taproot Photography

Invasive species spotlight: The mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin)--native to Asia--was introduced to our region by famed...
08/06/2026

Invasive species spotlight: The mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin)--native to Asia--was introduced to our region by famed botanist William Bartram. In fact, Thomas Jefferson obtained some seeds from Bartram and planted them at Monticello. The species outcompetes native vegetation, particularly in disturbed habitat like roadsides and stream banks. A single tree produces thousands of seeds that can remain viable in the soil for many years.

📸: Kate Rash, Taproot Photography

Address

226 Mine Hill Rd
Schwenksville, PA
19473

Telephone

+16103535587

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Meng Preserve posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share