Habitat Restoration

Removal of aggressive, invasive plant species such as black locust and aspen and improving habitat for the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly are also stewardship priorities. Efforts for maintaining, restoring and even creating new habitat for the Karner blue butterfly focus on controlling these invasive plants and planting lupine and other plants essential to suitable Karner blue habitat. Seeds and seedlings of local native Pine Bush plants are made available for restoration and to Preserve neighbors for landscaping as a direct result of the Native Plant Restoration Project, supported by the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. Grown at local and regional nurseries, native plants, whether used for restoration or landscaping, flourish in the dry, nutrient-poor, sandy soil of the Pine Bush while they help provide critical wildlife habitat, slow the invasion of alien plants and soften the impacts of development on the Preserve.

Please download the flyer for more information on Karner Blue butterfly habitat restoration in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve.