Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman – June 2019

Have you seen any Monarch Butterflies this spring? I haven’t, and if last year is any precedent, we won’t see many this spring and summer either. Monarchs are declining precipitously. Experts estimate that these migratory butterflies have declined by 90% in the past twenty years. The Mexican Oyamel Fir Forest, monarchs’ wintering habitat, has shrunk … Read more

Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman – May 2019

Maybe you are, like me, a “tree hugger”. One of my earliest memories as a child is of a huge tulip tree in my yard. My friends and I played in our big side yard with the tulip tree as base for all games of Tag, Mother-May-I and Red Light, Green Light. My other favorite … Read more

Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman – April 2019

In Honor of Dorothy Mooney 1944-2019 Westford has lost its most dedicated and observant naturalist. Dot Mooney was an accomplished birder, knew the names of many plants, and was happy to share that knowledge. She was a lifelong learner who always wanted to know more about our natural world. I know that those of you … Read more

Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman- March 2019

It might not come as a big surprise when I say that Henry David Thoreau is my favorite author. This winter I have been re-reading much of his work. I have discovered some new essays I didn’t know about in a book titled Thoreau: Collected Essays and Poems, edited by Elizabeth Hall Witherell. One of … Read more

Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman – February 2019

Farmland is disappearing in Massachusetts. We are losing agricultural lands and farming opportunities at an alarming rate. To try to stem the tide of farmland loss, the Mass Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) established the Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program in 1979. It was a first-in-the-nation model for many other states. The MDAR website states, … Read more