Galls are formed when a plant is stimulated to develop irregular growths, caused by growth regulating chemicals produced by some insects or mites, or in some cases a fungus. Examples of galls include cedar apple rust and oak apple gall. These growths can occur on any part of the plant, including the leaves, bark, flowers, buds, acorns, or roots, however leaf and twig galls are often the most noticeable. In the case of an insect induced gall, the irregular growth…
Northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are a common backyard feeder bird. But while the male’s bright red feathers make this a hard species to overlook, this is the first northern cardinal nest I’ve ever seen. This is likely due to the fact that although they tend to build their nests low to the ground (1 to 15 feet high), northern cardinal nests are generally wedged into a fork of small branches in a thick shrub or tangle of vines, where it…
Saturday afternoon I came across a patch of flowering bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) in a sandy clearing that was absolutely abuzz with bumblebees. Its short, sprawling growth form seems vine-like, but bearberries are actually low growing, evergreen shrubs. The waxy leaves are 1/2 to 1 inch long and taper at the base. Bearberries are a member of the blueberry family (Ericaceae), and like blueberries have small, hanging bell-shaped flowers. The white flowers, which are often tipped with pink, are pollinated by bees…
Saturday morning I stopped at the Mashpee River fish ladder by the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Museum on Route 130 to see if the herring were running yet. To my delight, they were. The Mashpee River is approximately four miles long and flows from Mashpee-Wakeby Pond to Popponesset Bay, and then out into the Atlantic Ocean. Each spring, two species of river herring, alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis), make their way from the sea back to Mashpee Pond…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Although for many this past weekend stands out as “Super Bowl” weekend, for me it was a “Superb Owl” weekend. In addition to seeing three Snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus) on Duxbury Beach, I was also able to locate Long-eared owls in Lexington. Long-eared owls (Asio otus) are known to roost in areas of dense foliage, so it made sense when I was told about a group of them roosting in a thick stand of pines at the Dunback Meadow property…
Gulls are often the most abundant and visible coastal birds, regardless of the season. This is largely because they are remarkably successful at adapting to different environments and are opportunistic feeders. In the winter, ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) are one of the most common gulls in Massachusetts, perhaps even outnumbering Herring gulls and Black-backed gulls. They can be distinguished from these other two species as being the smallest of the three, and adult ring-billed gulls have a fairly short, slim…