Belmont Soil & Water Conservation District

06/19/2026

06/18/2026

Camp WILD 2026!!

Another great year with another great group of kids!

These campers danced likes honeybees, made beeswax candles, navigated through a scavenger hunt, made a splash while canoeing, smelled the smells while hiking, reeled in some fish, practiced first aid, studied the leaves and bark of nearby trees, took a step back in time to roam with dinosaurs, carefully excavated fossils, swam in the lake, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the campfire, tent camped in the rain and best of all...bonded with each other and nature.

Thank you to Division of Forestry, Division of Wildlife, Wheeling Smart Center, South Central Power and Barkcamp State Park for making these memories possible.

06/18/2026

TODAY’S TIDBIT – Poison Hemlock

Poison hemlock can be seen blooming everywhere right now. It is a tall plant, reaching heights of up to 10 feet tall and it is covered with white umbrella-like flowers and fern-like leaves. It looks similar to Queen Anne’s lace but the stalk of poison hemlock has reddish or purple streaks and spots on it.

What you may not know is how dangerous this plant is. Poison hemlock is considered highly poisonous to humans and animals and even a small amount can be fatal if ingested. All parts of the plant are poisonous and even the dead canes remain toxic for up to 3 years.

Contrary to popular belief, touching poison hemlock usually does not cause skin blistering or rashes but the potential exists for the toxins in the sap to enter the body if rubbed from the skin into the eyes or mouth.

06/17/2026

TODAY'S TIDBIT - Grass Flowers

Did you know that grass produces flowers? While you won't see traditional, bright petals, grasses produce tiny, specialized structures—often called "seed heads" or "spikelets"—for reproduction.

Because grasses are wind-pollinated, they don't need colorful petals to attract insects. Instead, they focus their energy on producing mass quantities of pollen, which blows away in the wind.

When you look closely at a flowering stalk, you will see small, dangling structures. The little yellow or orange sacs that release pollen are called anthers, and the fuzzy, feather-like parts that catch pollen are the stigmas.

06/16/2026

TODAY’S TIDBIT – Turkey Poults

Nesting season for Wild Turkeys starts in late March or early April, during which time the hens build their nests on the ground, usually in tall grasses in fields or the forest. The hens lay one egg a day until 10 – 12 eggs have been laid. The average incubation time is 28 days, and in late May or early June the eggs will hatch over a 24 to 36 hour period.

Within hours the poults learn to peck at food items by mimicking their mother’s behavior. In 1 day they learn to respond to the hen’s putt or alarm call before leaving the nest and will respond by freezing or running to hide beneath the hen if she sounds the alarm call. By 2 weeks old these babies are able to fly short distances, and in 3 weeks they can roost in low trees with the hen.

06/15/2026

Please join us in welcoming our new Water Quality Coordinator, Montana!
My name is Montana Fonner, and I'm excited to get started at Belmont SWCD as the Water Quality Coordinator!
I earned my bachelor's degree in Zoo Science and Applied Conservation from West Liberty University, and I am currently finishing my Master of Science in Biology. My background is in crayfish conservation and research.
In my free time, I enjoy spending time outdoors hiking, hunting, snorkeling, and kayaking with my dog, Bobber.
I also enjoy sewing and gardening.

06/15/2026

TODAY’S TIDBIT – False Potato Beetle

The False potato beetle received its name due to its resemblance to the Colorado potato beetle. The false potato beetle has alternating black and white strips on its back, while the Colorado potato beetle has black and brown stripes.

The False potato beetle is usually found feeding exclusively on horsenettle, nightshade and ground cherry. Although it can feed on potatoes, it cannot complete its life cycle on this host.

This beetle overwinters as an adult, hiding among the leaf litter. Adult beetles emerge from the soil in the late spring or early summer and begin breeding. A population may go through 1 to 3 generations in a summer.

06/12/2026

TODAY'S TIDBIT - Eastern Whip-poor-will Call

Like all nightjars, Eastern Whip-poor-wills are patterned with a complicated mottling of gray and brown, which camouflages them nearly perfectly with leaf litter or tree bark. Don't look to hard in the video, there is no camouflaged Whip-poor-will to be seen, just listen.

Eastern Whip-poor-wills are strictly nocturnal. At night they rest on the ground or perch horizontally on low trees and fly up to catch moths and other aerial insects.

Although Eastern Whip-poor-wills are not technically songbirds, their whip-poor-will call functions as a song, since males consistently repeat this call during the breeding season, sometimes for hours on end.

06/11/2026

TODAY'S TIDBIT - Mottled Tortoise Beetle

These flashy beetles can be found in fields, meadows, gardens, lawns and yards across eastern North America. Both the larvae and adults feed on plants in the morning glory family, creating irregular or semi-circular holes in leaves, inside the margins and between veins.

Their spiny, flat larvae look more like little dark centipedes and they eat these plants while they grow and develop into rounder, shiny adults. These larvae have a flair for the dramatic. They carry their shed skin and f***l material attached to spines on the butt end of their body, a structure called an “a**l fork.” The a**l fork is movable, and is used to hold the debris over the back of the body, forming a “shield” which deters predation.

06/10/2026

Thank you to all who attended our 2026 Birds and Breakfast event!

We were able to document 36 species of birds at Barkcamp State Park.

See you again next year!