Browsed by
Author: Elise

Spotted salamander eggs

Spotted salamander eggs

Rainy spring nights bring yellow spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) out of forested areas where they spend most of their adult lives and down to vernal pools to breed. Like many obligate vernal pool species, spotted salamanders cannot breed in most permanent ponds because fish would eat the salamander eggs and larvae. The fact that vernal pools dry out completely for at least part of the year means they cannot support fish populations and are therefore lack fish predators.  On these…

Read More Read More

Cedar-apple rust

Cedar-apple rust

With leaves still absent from many trees, it is not hard to see evidence of galls caused by insects, such as the oak apple gall, or by fungi, such as the knobby black protrusions on black cherry trees referred to as black knot. A gall is an abnormal outgrowth of plant tissue, which can be caused by all sorts of parasites, from fungi and bacteria to insects and mites. Another fairly common gall in this area is one called cedar-apple…

Read More Read More

Red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus)

Red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus)

Although red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) exhibit color polymorphism, the color variation that is most common in eastern Massachusetts is true to their name. Here you will likely find individuals with a red, or at least reddish, colored dorsal band running down their midline from the head to the tail (the alternative color variation is sometimes referred to as the “lead-backed” form and is darker in coloration, lacking most or all of the distinctive red pigmentation). The sides of their bodies…

Read More Read More

Pussy Willow (Salix discolor)

Pussy Willow (Salix discolor)

If today’s warm, sunny weather doesn’t convince you that spring is finally here, look no further than the emergence of silky pearly grey pussy willow buds – a sure sign of spring. Pussy willows (Salix discolor) are a dioecious species (male and female catkins appearing on separate trees). Although it’s these soft fuzzy grey incipient catkins that most people recognize, only the male trees produce these “cat paw”-like catkins that give the species its common name. Also, even these male…

Read More Read More

Common periwinkle (Littorina littorea)

Common periwinkle (Littorina littorea)

It’s hard to take a trip to a rocky coastline in New England without noticing hundreds of common periwinkles (Littorina littorea). Despite the name “common”, these gastropods are not actually native to New England. They were introduced in the mid-19th century, likely through ballast water in ships from Europe (its native range). Since then, the common periwinkle has become well established in eastern North America and is now the most common marine snail along our coastline. Although most abundant on…

Read More Read More

Animal tracks in winter (3)

Animal tracks in winter (3)

Despite the occurrence of the vernal equinox tomorrow, it’s looking very un-spring-like outside these days – three nor’easters in three weeks and another one forecasted for Wednesday! While I am immensely looking forward to returning ospreys, blooming flowers, and green leaves on the trees, I also appreciate the insight snow can give us into animal presence and behavior. Previous posts have highlighted mammal sign left in fresh snow, including eastern cottontail and mouse tracks, as well as other sign left…

Read More Read More

Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)

Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)

Like partridge berry (Mitchella repens), pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata), and spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata), wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) is a low-growing, glossy-leaved perennial common to our area. With numerous common names, wintergreen could easily be the poster child for why Latin names are so important. This small red-berried plant is also called teaberry, checkerberry, deerberry and boxberry, among other things. The plant is shade tolerant, but berries are more common on wintergreen plants growing in clearings. Also, although the plant is considered…

Read More Read More

Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) Immature Cones

Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) Immature Cones

This past weekend’s nor’easter brought heavy rain and hurricane force winds to Cape Cod, knocking down numerous trees. While downed trees can cause immense damage and disruption if they fall on houses, on power lines or into roads, they can also provide a rarely seen look into the tops of trees. During a walk through the forest on Saturday afternoon after the worst of the storm had passed, I encountered dozens of toppled trees, including this pitch pine (Pinus rigida)….

Read More Read More

Old man’s beard lichen (Usnea sp.)

Old man’s beard lichen (Usnea sp.)

If you look up into the branches of a stand of oak trees on Cape Cod, especially in the winter when the leaves are absent, you’ll likely notice that the tree is still essentially green. The branches are covered with something light green and fluffy. That “fluffy stuff” is a type of lichen called Usnea, or old man’s beard. Usnea is a genus of fruticose lichen that grows anchored to twigs and branches of trees and shrubs using a holdfast….

Read More Read More

Praying mantis egg mass

Praying mantis egg mass

If you look closely at bare twigs and stems in the winter, you may come across a hard papier-mâché-like blob approximately an inch across. This is a praying mantis ootheca, a type of egg mass laid by a variety of species, including mollusks and cockroaches, as well as mantises. The word “ootheca” is a combination of the Greek words “oon” meaning egg, and “theca” meaning cover or container. The ootheca material is produced from a pair of accessory reproductive glands…

Read More Read More