Winter is a great time to learn to read wildlife signs and explore the wonderful stories of those who live at and around the Lusitania meadow. For instance, have you ever noticed that small mound of sticks at Black’s Nook? This is likely to be the winter hut of a little mammal. That shelter had […]
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Category: Nature Education
Fresh Pond Almanac—March at the Meadow
In March, conditions will make the gradual and uneven transition from harsh winter to muddy spring at Fresh Pond. March brings the onset of new plant growth for the year and the final stretch of food scarcity for the reservation’s overwintering animals before the relative bounty of April and the summer months beyond. The shift […]
Birds in Winter, Deadwood & Collembolans
Field Highlights » Birds in Winter, Deadwood & Springtails Season: Winter | Location: New-England’s meadows, forests, parks, and gardens. EwA runs biodiversity walks monthly when we invite our guests to observe with us the passage of the seasons on the local flora and fauna. Each exploration is a chance to nature chronicles that we may […]
Forest Explorations — April in the Fells
Another month – another EwA Fells walk! Each forest exploration walk brings its load of wonders and this April’s walk wasn’t any different. April is an exciting month: vernal pools have thawed and are welcoming frogs and salamanders to breed, and the forest floor exhibits the colors of its first bloomers. Anticipation builds up, and […]
🏙️ Observing Nature in the City
If asked to name a favorite place in nature, many people including myself might choose to describe forests, meadows, or scenic ocean views. Some might include state parks or even smaller, more urban settings like the Middlesex Fells reservation where I live in Massachusetts. However, even the most open-minded nature lovers would be hard-pressed to […]
🏞️ Forest Immersion » Going Back Home
Summary ꙳ Objectives ▹ This circle is a mindful Forest Immersion. It is structured so as to make the mindfulness of the experience explicit and accessible. Ideally, Forest Immersion (or Forest Attuning) happens in a forest, but it needs not be. You can pick a meadow, a beach, or your own garden. It is important however that […]
Wasps Biosurveillance and Milkweed Haven
Season: Summer | Location: New-England’s meadows, parks, and gardens Look for wasps and the intense activity of insects on milkweeds in the warm summer months. What do they have in common? Both have a bad ‘rep’– yet they are ecologically critical, truly endearing, and certainly not to be feared nor despised. Here’s to these incredibly […]
🦋 Biobliss » Documenting Species Like a
American Toad | EwA iNat Research Grade Sighting Summary ꙳ Objectives ▹ Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to species, and ecosystems. It encompasses the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life – It is the fabric of Life on Earth. It is everywhere starting right where […]
🌺 4 Seasons Celebration » Summer
Summary ꙳ Objectives ▹ As the leaves of trees are reaching their mature size, and the canopy gets fuller, it is now harder to spot birds in those trees. Many of these trees have flowered already and are busy producing sugars and the next generation of buds. The squirrels have moved to their summer residence (leaf-and-twigs nests). The peepers […]
Forest Explorations — May in the Fells
The forest floor was dominated by swaths of Canada Mayflower during this month’s Forest Exploration – a sure sign of spring. This low-growing understory perennial has yet to flower at the Fells, but others including Bloodroot, Wood anemone, and (somewhat regrettably) the highly invasive Garlic mustard are now in bloom. As it is currently a […]