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 […]
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Tag: Forests
EwA Dog Poo Data Campaign
The Fells’ Dog Poo Data Campaign Call for Field Volunteers You must have noticed poop in bags (and not in bags) in the Middlesex Fells, right? This is not just a smelly issue or an esthetic problem. Dog waste is an environmental pollutant that contaminates water supplies and is hazardous to both wildlife and humans. […]
Keeping the Fells Whole
Documenting habitat fragmentation in a mixed-use urban forest Publication: January 29th, 2022 Note the scroll on the right-hand side below to get through the whole report. You can also read it in its original StoryMap format > here. Sharing is Caring Spread the Word! ✒️ What you think is important to us. Feel free to […]
Over-Collecting (Mushrooms)
Not too long ago, I led a mushroom walk in central Massachusetts for the North Country Land Trust. Just prior to my foray, there’d been a mycological club foray at the same site, and the vast number of mushrooms collected by those foragers lay in waste on the ground near a picnic table. As a […]
🏞️ 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 […]
Flora, Fauna, and … Funga? The Case for
Top: Giuliana Furci wrote a field guide for Chilean fungi and set up the Fungi Foundation when she realized the unique organisms were largely ignored in Chile. Photo: Mateo Barrenengoa Fungi are fundamental to rich and sustainable ecosystems. But they still lack explicit legal protections. August 9, 2021 by Jonathan Moens In 1999, Giuliana Furci […]
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 […]
Forest Explorations — March in the Fells
For many New Englanders, the beginning of springtime comes as a welcome relief. This past winter has been especially challenging and, to me at least, the beginning of spring this year feels even more needed than usual. During this March’s Forest Exploration, we enjoyed spring’s early risers; green and purple Round-Lobed Hepatica (Hepatica americana) leaves […]
Forest Explorations — February in the Fe
Heavy snowfall might at first seem like an inconvenience, or even threat, to wildlife. In actuality, snow accumulation is essential to the winter survival of many species. This February’s Forest Exploration shed light on the many benefits of the snowpack (layered snow buildup) from temperature regulation to protection from predators. In addition to exploring life […]
Forest Explorations — January in the Fel
In addition to the usual emphasis on ecology, this January’s Forest Exploration introduced an additional focus: geology. Alongside Claire O’Neill, EwA naturalist Tom Eid shared his knowledge of geology and natural history. As some of you may know, the word “fell” itself is a reference to the reservation’s geology; a fell is a high, rocky, […]