Celebrating 40 Years of Preserving and Protecting Westford's Open Space and Natural Resources.
Early Birds Its clear that spring has started early. Precipitation is seven inches above normal this year, and above average temperatures suggest that this will be a warm spring. As I write this at the end of April, many trees are in full bloom, and are already opening their leaves, blueberry bushes are blooming, starflower … Read more
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
This winter has been very mild in general, but we have had a few snowstorms. When there is snow on the ground, I love to go out looking for animal tracks. Around here, the most numerous are squirrel tracks and rabbit tracks. White-tailed deer are quite often seen, and its always a surprise to see … 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