One of the things I’ve been noticing on my outdoor walks lately is how many different kinds of butterflies and moths there seem to be all of a sudden. Many of the moths are small, brown and easy to overlook. And many of the butterflies are much too quick for me to get a good look at, as they flutter off in search of the next flower patch. But I’ve run into a couple large, lovely, and most importantly –…
Ants can be found in any season but they are most conspicuous in the spring when they are enlarging or excavating their nests or engaging in mating and dispersal flights. This weekend, as I was doing yard work, I noticed multiple colonies of particularly large reddish ants making their way in and out of holes at the base of oak trees and around old oak stumps. With a little research, I was able to identify them as ferruginous carpenter ants…
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day. It’s worth acknowledging all the positive changes that have been enacted over the last 50 years – the enacting the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act, endangered species like the bald eagle have rebounded from the brink of extinction, rivers are no longer on fire and don’t run the color of whatever the upstream dye factory happens to be producing on a given day, and renewable energy options…
The genus Colletes is a large group of ground-nesting bees with more than 450 species worldwide. Although they tend to be solitary nesters, they will often nest in close aggregations. Female cellophane bees create nest cells in underground burrows in sandy soil, which they line with a cellophane-like, waterproof secretion from their abdominal glands, giving rise to the various common names of this group; they are referred to as cellophane, polyester or plasterer bees. This past Saturday afternoon, I came…
In all of the disruption related to COVID-19, I hope you’ve all found some time to get out, enjoy nature, and soak up some of the early signs of spring. Although yesterday (March 19th) was the official first day of spring, given the extremely warm winter we had, many of the natural bench-marks that I personally watch for as hopeful “signs of spring” have been occurring earlier than normal this year. Trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens) is blooming almost a month…
When you take a walk along the Cape Cod Canal in February, there are certain things you expect to see: ring-billed gulls, hundreds (if not thousands) of common eiders, and common marine intertidal organisms, such as knotted wrack, common periwinkles, and barncles. But there’s another Canal resident that you may not be aware of: the American mink. Mink never live far from water, and although they are typically found along freshwater rivers, streams, and lakes, American mink (Neovison vison) will…
I hope you had an opportunity to get out and enjoy the mild temperatures we had this weekend. During my typical winter walks, I tend to walk rather quickly in an effort to build up some heat and keep warm. But this weekend’s weather afforded me the opportunity to slow down (without fear of freezing) and explore the tiny winter world of lichens, mosses and galls. One abandoned fence post I came across seemed to have an entire miniature world…
For many, New Years 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 2019 goals and what I hope to accomplish in 2020. My goals for 2019 included: 1. Post to Seashore to Forest Floor regularly. — I managed to post…
This week marked our 3rd snowfall of the season, and winter technically doesn’t even start for another week (December 21st). The cold weather, snowy trails, and depressingly early sunsets have most people going from home to work (or school) and back again with little to no time spent outside in nature. But with a little planning and a slightly different approach spending time outside, even on cold winter days, it can still be enjoyable. Below I’ve compiled a list of…
When conditions are right, spotting animal tracks becomes much easier. Wet sand or mud and fresh fallen snow are two of the best surfaces for capturing imprints. While some parts of New England received a foot or more of snow over the last day or two, here in Bourne we only received about 2 or 3 inches. With snow, less is often more when it comes to studying animal tracks. This morning, when I left the house for work, the…