Environment & Science

Leaf-peeping season is right around the corner in the Valley, moving from north to south as temperatures drop into fall across the commonwealth. Here's why the region could see an earlier, shorter season.

The box tree moth, a highly destructive, invasive insect, was discovered for the first time in Pennsylvania, in two cemeteries in Erie County. A quarantine has been issued.

The “Stanley Jr. Kids Wheelbarrow and 7-piece Garden Set" has been recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission after the paint on the hoe and rake were found to contain lead levels exceeding the federal content ban.

Brad Klein reviews the week’s astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s ‘Backyard Astronomy Guy,’ Marty McGuire. This week, they look ahead to the Autumnal Equinox.

SpaceX’s capsule Polaris Dawn splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico in the predawn darkness early Sunday. Returning to Earth were two SpaceX engineers, a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman of the Lehigh Valley. Isaacman became only the 264th person to perform a spacewalk.

A Lehigh University graduate last year recorded a new species of mushroom at Wildlands Conservancy's South Mountain Preserve.

Monarch butterflies are starting to migrate through the Lehigh Valley. An annual tagging program, held at Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, helps conservation efforts.

Testimony that will help a Northampton County judge decide if a lawsuit against the Bethlehem Landfill and Lower Saucon Twp. can move forward continued Friday, and will stretch into a third day.

Called the Recovery in Nature initiative, two state departments have joined forces to create regional-specific partnerships to bolster substance use recovery efforts while strengthening all residents’ connection to nature.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released its report of the most challenging places to live with asthma. The release coincides with peak asthma season in September.

A little more than a month into Pennsylvania’s fall foliage season, both Lehigh and Northampton counties are predicted to be at peak color.

This week, a rare interstellar comet is passing through our solar system. It was detected by an array of telescopes designed to warn astronomers should a comet be on a collision course with Earth.

Lehigh University hosted a symposium examining ways to bolster electric and water systems to cope with the demands of data centers. Getting it right could mean hundreds of new jobs — and a place leading the next generation of technology infrastructure.

Easton celebrated renovations to Centennial Park on Friday afternoon, highlighting new equipment, a walking track, and a revamped basketball court.

Easton's sustainability coordinator and chair of the Environmental Advisory Council gave a presentation on the benefits of a Dark Skies initiative at city council's Wednesday meeting.

Lehigh Valley Planning Commission's comprehensive planning commission approved plans to expand the Plainfield Township landfill site Tuesday.

Ten months after a paranormal investigation at Miller Symphony Hall for TV show “Eric Mintel Investigates” was completed, the episode is premiering. The event also includes a costume contest, jazz duet, book signing and spirit readings.

Forecasters at the Climate Prediction Center say the region faces “equal chances” for above, near, or below-normal precipitation from December through February — meaning the odds of any outcome are roughly even.

This week, a look at the Orionid meteor shower. It peaks this week on Monday night-Tuesday morning.

Applications are open for the second Good Farmer Award U.S. Officials are looking for farmers with less than 10 years of experience who exemplify sustainable farming practices while contributing to community and environmental health.

Easton residents were surprised to see streetlights swapped to LED fixtures last week, and city officials have halted the Met-Ed conversion project to review details before continuing the project.

A crop farm in Lehigh County was included in the latest round of Pennsylvania's Farmland Preservation Program. Twenty-three other farms across the state were also preserved.