Black Bear Sighting
Week of October 15th, a Black bear having a snack at a birdfeeder near Westford Center!
Nature Sighting
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Pale Green Critters
Pale Green Assassin Bug Photo taken May 15, 2021 on local flora. Description: Pale green or yellowish insect with a thin body. Adults have dark wings, males have a dark head as well. Nymphs lack wings and thorax spines. Adults can fly but rarely do so. Reproduction: In July adults lay eggs. The eggs are laid in…
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Vernal Pool Critters
Photo of probable hybrid/jefferson blue spotted salamander was taken on March 18, 2021 near a vernal pool in Westford by Diane Duane. To learn more about salamanders, wood frogs, peepers and other critters in vernal pools, check out this info from Littleton Conservation Dept. If you want more info on vernal pools in general, there…
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Coyote
This picture was taken in the morning on October 31st by Jeff Morse at a small nearby pond at the corner of Vose road and Old Lowell Rd in Westford To learn more about Coyotes in MA, check out Mass Audubon at https://www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/mammals/coyotes
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Late Summer Visitors
Here are a few recent sightings of Monarch Butterflies along with a Tiger Swallowtail, Fritillary and Hummingbird Moth. All enjoying some nectar from Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii) which can aggressively reseed so best to keep an eye on where you plant this butterfly attracting shrub. These were all seen in late summer – August and…
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Marsh Marigold
Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) seen next to Vine Brook April 21, 2020, South Westford – photo courtesy of Ron Gemma NATURE NOTES* By ANNIE REID Westborough Community Land Trust Marsh-marigolds in our streams and swamps The branches are still bare and the day is chilly, but you know it’s spring when you see a bouquet…
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Skunk Cabbage – Tom Paul Trail (lower section)
One of the newly emerged skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) seen next to the extensive bog bridges on the lower section of the Tom Paul Trail – photo by Bill Duane, March 27, 2020 From New England Wildlife Center, Weymouth, MA – Native to eastern North America, skunk cabbage prefers to grow in wetlands. This plant…
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Frances Hill Winter Art
Frances Hill Wildlife Sanctuary – Blue Trail – January 1, 2020 by Roy Perry
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Pilieated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker at Frances Hill Conservation Land – September 2019 Photo courtesy of Roy Perry
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Azure Bluet damselfly
Azure Bluet damselfly on fern Photo by Ron Gemma
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Flying Squirrels
These two characters managed to bypass the defenses I have successfully setup to discourage the most creative squirrels. Here are a couple of the smallest squirrels, the nocturnal flying squirrels. Per Mass Audubon, northern and southern flying squirrels inhabit Massachusetts, but they only emerge at night. They average about 10 to 15 inches long and…
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Bald Eagle near Littleton / Westford border
This eagle is believed to be half of a pair living at Nagog Pond on the Littleton / Acton border. It ranges from there to Littleton’s Cloverdale Conservation area and in the area of Nashoba Valley Ski Area at the Littleton / Westford border. Photo by Scott Lewis.
