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Author: Elise

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Despite a healthy population of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on Cape Cod, and seeing considerable signs of their presence out in the forest (e.g., scat, tracks, hairs that had fallen off where the deer bedded down, etc.) this was the first deer I’ve seen on my trail camera after having it out and about for almost 3 months. To be fair, however, I was targeting coyotes with this particular location, and for that I have been relatively successful in catching…

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Perforated Ruffle Lichen (Parmotrema perforatum)

Perforated Ruffle Lichen (Parmotrema perforatum)

Yesterday, March 20th, was the first day of spring. And with the warm temperatures and bountiful sunshine, it actually felt like spring this weekend (not always the case for the first few days of spring in New England). The black-capped chickadees have been loudly singing “spring’s here” all day. The plants in my yard seem to have gotten the memo too: the crocuses, snowdrops, and dandelions are blooming, and the hyacinths, daffodils, irises and day lilies are pushing out new…

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Lucky Chukar

Lucky Chukar

The chukar partridge, or more simply chukar, (Alectoris chukar) is native to Eurasia. It was brought to the United States as a game bird in the 1800s and has since established wild populations in the arid western areas of the country, where they can find their preferred habitat: sparse, arid terrain. Although a wild population of these birds does not exist in here Massachusetts, chukars have been introduced to nearly every one of our fifty states, including Massachusetts, where they…

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Backyard Wildlife Revealed

Backyard Wildlife Revealed

I spend a lot of time in my yard, or at least a lot of time looking out the window at my yard – probably more than most people. But even so, there is so much time when I’m not able to observe the comings and goings of animals on my property. This is particularly true at night – when I’m asleep and many of our local mammals are more active. I can only watch for so much of the…

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Blue Mussels: Hanging on by a Thread

Blue Mussels: Hanging on by a Thread

Most people are relatively familiar with blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), even if only from a menu at a seafood restaurant. This popular edible bivalve (a shellfish with a hinged pair of shells) is circumpolar in its range, and in the western Atlantic Ocean extends as far south as South Carolina. Unlike the ribbed mussel that is commonly found in salt marshes and brackish water areas, the blue mussel is more common along rocky saltwater shorelines.  These rocky areas in which…

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Six More Weeks of Winter?

Six More Weeks of Winter?

That’s what Punxsutawney Phil said anyway. I say 6 weeks and 4 days, since the official first day of spring (the vernal equinox) is March 20th. In early March after we’ve had a few pleasant days and folks start remarking that “spring is here” I’m always the first one to chime in and remind them that winter (i.e., cold, snow, nor’easters, etc.) is not over yet. In fact, sometimes it refuses to go away even after the official first day…

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“Fetterbush”: why common names are not enough

“Fetterbush”: why common names are not enough

For an embarrassingly long time, I was unable to identify this shrub despite its unique winter characteristics. So for years I simply referred to it as the “purple bud bush”. On a walk with the local botany club a few years ago, the leader provided me with a name: “fetterbush”. I was happy to have something more specific to call it, and until today, I’d left it at that.  In attempting to look up some interesting information about fetterbush to…

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Winter Oyster Mushrooms

Winter Oyster Mushrooms

The fall is typically mushrooms’ time to shine. It is a time of year when my lawn is typically bursting with a variety of mushroom species, and I see a whole palette of colors on my forest walks (my favorites: the lovely purple Viscid Violet Cort and the bright orange edible Chicken of the Woods). But last summer’s drought made for an underwhelming fall mushroom season.  I figured I’d be out of luck with finding interesting new mushrooms until next…

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Nature Study Goals 2020/2021

Nature Study Goals 2020/2021

For many people the New Year is a time for making resolutions. For me, it’s a great time for reflecting on what I’ve accomplished in the past year and setting intentions and goals for the new year to come in terms of nature study. Below is a run down of how I did on my 2020 goals, as well as what I hope to accomplish in 2021. My goals for 2020 included: 1. Post to Seashore to Forest Floor regularly. — I…

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Fisher Tracks

Fisher Tracks

I love the way everything looks immediately after it snows. The freshly blanketed world becomes a blank sheet of white paper and the animals and birds get to write the first lines of that day’s story with their tracks. Unfortunately, the snow on Cape Cod is long gone after a couple 50-degree rainy days last week, but I was able to do a little bit of exploring while it lasted. I encountered tracks of numerous species just within my own…

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