Wildlife Watch

Spring has come early this year, at least if you watch and listen for emerging amphibians. Many amphibians usually emerge from their winter hibernation in late March or early April. They wait for very specific conditions: a rainy night after the ground has thawed and the temperature is at least 40 degrees. Amphibians migrate from … Read more

In May of 2020, northern Westford experienced a furious microburst of wind. It came on very suddenly and knocked down huge swathes of big old pine trees in its path. Our condo and some others were damaged by trees falling. The forest to the north of us which borders on Snake Meadow Brook and Keyes … Read more

Happy New Year! Before going forward into the new year, I like to look back on the most notable wildlife sightings of the past year, so here goes: The year was notable for climate change: generally warmer and wetter, which is what has been predicted for the northeast. In fact, 2023 was the warmest year … Read more

In late fall and early winter, a walk in the woods still reveals some lovely green plants. One of New England’s prettiest evergreens is most noticeable at this time on the forest floor;  the tiny tree-like plants called clubmosses. In our area, there are five species of clubmosses: ground pine (also called princess pine), shining … Read more