Vernal Pool Critters

Noted this critter near main post Office in Westford. from INaturalist: Prionoxystus robiniae, the carpenterworm moth or locust borer, is a moth of the family Cossidae.[1] It was first described by Peck in 1818 and it is found in southern Canada and most of the United States. Female (left) and male (right) Caterpillar The wingspan…

Virgin’s-bower (Clematis virginiana) growing at Grey Fox Conservation land, photo taken on 9/24/22, near the banks of Stony Brook in Westford. According to Native Plant Trust’s Go Botany, this beautiful native is the most common clematis in New England. The Cherokee made an infusion of virgin’s-bower with milkweed (Asclepias) to treat backache, as well as…

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…

A pair of Bald Eagles seen near the corner of Forge Village Road and Town Farm Road in Westford on Jan 9, 2025. Photo by Pete and Ethan Ewing.

Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) The Eastern Milk Snake has a mottled grey, brown, and reddish body. This non-venomous snake is often confused for a rattlesnake, but it lacks the rattle, keeled scales, and cat-like pupils. It is found in fields, woodlands, rocky hillsides, and wetland edges and primarily eats small mammals (from Mass Audubon…

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…