June 24 - Metro Boston (Carly Rocklen) At Brookwood Farm, on the Milton / Canton town line, the small, star-like blooms of native dogwood shrubs shine brightly in the interface between field and wetland. And in the wetland, Joe-Pye weed is getting ready to bloom into tall, pink flowers. Common milkweed is flowering across the field, yielding a heady, heavy, sweet scent to the air...and providing shelter to Wild turkey families. Along local roads, St. John's wort is blooming. And in Roslindale Village, the delicate scent of Linden tree flowers is in the air.

Spring 2010 Nature Sightings

May 20 - Milton & Jamaica Plain (Carly Rocklen) If you walk around Hemenway Pond these days - along Rt. 138 in the Blue Hills Reservation, in Milton, you'll find at least 4 or 5 species of ferns growing around the pond (including Sensitive fern and Cinnamon fern) - some still as fiddleheads, while others have leafed out. The Sensitive fern are even growing in the pond, itself! The Cinnamon fern are striking, tall and robust. There is also a lot of lush Poison ivy, everywhere. Canada geese are nesting on the pond, and I often see a pair feeding in the grass when I drove past in the early evening. There are very vocal Kingbirds flitting over the pond (fighting?), and armies of mosquitoes and gnats. Over the floor of the woods are carpets of native plants - blooming Canada mayflower, ferns, Wild sarsparilla and Poison ivy. Unfortunately, there are also places where European Lily of the valley carpets the forest floor. The skull of a White-tailed deer is nestled amongst the Canada mayflower. Empty alcohol bottles litter the entire site.

     At Jamaica Pond, in Jamaica Plain, Mallard ducks have been caring for a few ducklings over the past couple of weeks, and at least two pairs of Canada geese have goslings. The goslings walk with their parents around the mown grass, chewing the grass stems. Meanwhile, the ducklings catch flying insects from their positions in the water and eat aquatic plants. 

     In an apple tree along the Jamaica Pond water-side walking path, young robins are rapidly outgrowing their nest. We could see the speckled breast of one of the babies who has almost been pushed out of the nest by the other two nestlings. 

     A Black-crowned night-heron flew in to perch on a fallen willow branch in the water, next to an immobile turtle. We watched the heron for a while; it's highly unusual to see this bird during our walks at the Pond - and the bird itself is unusual, with its striking coloration, big eyes and trailing white head-feather.

May 17 - Milton (Carly Rocklen) Walking along Wolcott and Carberry paths in the Blue Hills Reservation, a variety of thrushes called out, adding mystery and beauty to the early evening - Veeries, Ovenbirds and Wood thrushes. 

May 15 - West Roxbury (Carly Rocklen) Stony Brook Reservation in West Roxbury neighbors the Neponset River Watershed Association, and thus shares many of the same plants, animals and landscapes. This weekend, as we walked a paved path in this state park, first we heard the voice of a Scarlet tanager, and then we spotted the radiant red bird with black wings as it hopped among the new foliage of an oak tree overhead, catching insects on the twigs. The bird sounded like an American robin with a sore throat. As we wandered further through the Reservation we were very excited to see a good number of Pink lady's slippers growing on the forest floor, beneath pines. This is a striking native flower that partners with a fungus in order to survive. The lady's slippers were growing amongst blooming native Canada mayflower and Starflower. Wild blueberries growing along the path were beginning to fruit and several green, globular oak galls were scattered along the trail. By Turtle Pond, we spotted evidence that biocontrol beetles have been feeding and laying eggs on exotic, invasive Purple loosestrife. We also noticed that exotic, invasive buckthorn is flowering. And, we saw a "gi-normous" insect resting on a wild grape leaf.

May 14 - Canton (Carly Rocklen) Grackles and Red-winged blackbirds are nesting - hidden in the spring vegetation that grows ever taller in the mixture of bog and marsh at Ponkapoag Pond. Standing on the pond-side path, you can hear the very high-pitched cries of hidden young birds. 

     And, above my office window - from the gutter - come the high-pitched cries of young European starlings, in a nest. And down on the lawn, in other parts of the property, are two dead baby birds - with hardly any feathers yet, and with prominent yellow lines at the edges of their beaks.

May 6 - Stoughton (Dwight Mac Kerron) Catbirds were back three days ago, and I saw the first oriole yesterday. I know that there has been considerable discussion of the advanced Spring this year, but these arrival dates are not particularly advanced. Actually, someone might check the arrival dates for our spring-arriving birds over the last few years in our blog and report back. We probably don't have the consistency of one recorder, always reporting from the same location, but it's a start.

April 30 - Jamaica Plain (Carly Rocklen)  Returning from a dusk stroll around Jamaica Pond, we took side roads back to Centre St. On our way...we heard the soft whinnying of a Screech owl. We glanced toward the call and spotted the small owl silhouetted against the darkening sky, perched in a tall, deciduous tree in the backyard of someone's house.

April 28 - Stoughton (Dwight Mac Kerron)  Today's cold temperatures and occasional sleet kept the black flies away. Bright green shoots of Lady's slippers poking up through the leaves at the Bird St. Conservation Area in Stoughton. All sorts of other wildflowers greening up the wetlands. Small leaves of the Big-tooth aspen are all gray-white, with no trace of green yet. Wild dogwood blossoms opening. The northern half of Bird St is in Neponset watershed; the southern half is in Taunton watershed. Question: when was the last time anyone saw a kestrel?

Late April - Metro Boston (Carly Rocklen)  Spring has sprung! As you drive around or take a stroll along your local roads, you'll see that exotic, invasive Japanese knotweed is growing tall and robustly. The bright-yellow flowers of exotic, invasive Fig buttercup shine in the spring sun amongst the plant's ground-covering blanket of hardy green leaves. And, the tiny white flowers of exotic, invasive Garlic mustard can be seen. Snakes move around the landscape, getting warmed by the sun. Fiddleheads of a whole variety of ferns gain height and unfurl. Native lilies are beginning to bloom. The leaves of Wild sarsparilla are developing. The delicate blooms of Goldthread are poking up here and there on the forest floor. Highbush blueberry shrubs are blooming in moist soil. Barberry flower buds are visible. The green-yellow blossoms of spurge have emerged. Pussy willow catkins are in various stages: fuzzy/grey and spotted-yellow. Staghorn sumac, grape vines, native dogwood shrubs, and exotic, invasive Purple loosestrife are leafing out. Trembling aspen fruits and leaves have developed. The large blooms of trillium are lighting up landscapes covered in woodlands and dappled sunlight. Wood anemones blossom in the woodlands, too. The winged samaras of maple trees add color to local wetlands.

April 24 - Jamaica Plain (Carly Rocklen)  On a walk along a pond-side path, I spotted an Osprey floating in the air over Jamaica Pond. It alternately glided low and then climbed higher in the air. It was odd and exciting to see this black-and-white-feathered bird-of-prey; Ospreys are far more often by salt water than fresh. Ospreys are called Fish hawks because - they catch fish.

April 19 - Jamaica Plain (Carly Rocklen)  A Red-tailed hawk, perched in a tree in the Arnold Arboretum, tore at its snake meal and devoured what it could while being mobbed by squawking Blue jays. Pieces of Snake skin fell to the ground beneath the tree. Eventually the hawk took off from the tree and flapped away, carrying its snake where no Blue jays might further hassle it.

April 15 & 16 - Canton (Carly Rocklen)  In the mornings, Wild turkeys have been displaying in the field at Indian Line Farm, at the top of the hill on Rt. 138, by the Ponkapoag Golf Course in Canton.

April 14 - Milton (Carly Rocklen)  On a walk through the woods in the Blue Hills Reservation:  a variety of ferns are unfurling - large and small, light- and dark-green, different shapes. The leaves of Wild sarsparilla are taking shape, as are those of viburnum. Beech leaf buds are long, scaley and bronze in color. Blueberry flowers are blooming. Sessile bellwort is unfurling its leaves and blooming. Horsetail is shooting up in wet meadows. Trout lilies are blooming. And, the leaves of Canada mayflowers poke above the forest floor and catch the sun.

April 12 - Sharon (Paul Lauenstein)  Today was a beautiful spring day. I got some nice shots of Beaver Brook, one of Sharon's jewels. The suckers will be spawning soon. Beaver Brook ~ liquid gold ~ pictures 1 and 2.

April 11 - Milton (Carly Rocklen)  Even Blue jays are preparing to nest, these days; one flapped up into an evergreen, with old grasses or twigs in its beak, as I drove past along Rt. 138, this morning.

April 10 & 11 - Canton (Carly Rocklen)  While Beetle-Ranching Volunteers dug-up Purple loosestrife rootballs from a wet meadow at Pequitside Farm, a Red-tailed hawk perched in bordering trees (favorite perch = Tamarack by old red house) and glided low over the wet meadow. Sometimes the large bird would fly over Pleasant St. to glide over Reservoir Pond. Though I didn't see it catch any animals when gliding low, it appeared the hawk was trying to catch lunch. Occasionally, it would soar high above us all.

     Horsetails are coming up in wet areas (view another picture) and Skunk cabbage is unfurling emerald-green leaves. Exotic, invasive Purple loosestrife also is sprouting.

April 10 - Milton (Carly Rocklen)  As I drove along, a Pileated woodpecker flew over Rt. 138, this morning, headed for the Fuller Village complex.

April 9 - Stoughton (Dwight Mac Kerron)  Great reports from people this past winter! Cormorants are back, joining the Mallards, Canada geese (now paired off), swans, Buffleheads, and Great blue herons on Ames Pond in Stoughton. Turtles are having more of a challenge finding places to sun themselves in the high water. The cormorants have to use the few exposed turtle-sunning logs until the water recedes and their favorite rocks re-appear. On the day when it was 90+, the sound of the peepers near the pond took on a different, constant, higher-pitched note. Does their call change as it gets warmer? Maybe it wasn't peepers, but something else chiming in. Any ideas?

     The brilliant Red maple streamer/buds have given way to tiny green leaves, and the Skunk cabbage is also greening out. 

     A few shoots of asparagus have appeared in the garden, along with many self-sprouting Egyptian Onions; last year's, missed garlic bulbs have sprouted multiple shoots and need to be separated and re-rooted. Rhubarb is almost a foot high. Thank goodness for last year's thick kale stems which bore (or at least carried) all winter and are putting out new green in the spring. The last of the carrots and parsnips were dug out last week.

     A couple weeks ago, a pair of Carolina wrens chose our window box as a place to build a nest. It was a great view for us, but they may have since relocated. Robins and Sparrows are all aflutter with mating hijinks, and the yard is filled with the calls of Blue jays, Cardinals, Nuthatches, Hairy woodpeckers, Tufted titmice, and others which I would like to learn. We get the occasional hawk cry or turkey gobble overhead or nearby, and the Turkey vultures have been around for some time. Do some stay all winter?

April 6 - Canton (Andy Leahy)  Kingfisher spotted, near sunset. It was chattering and flying inches above the water, on the NE corner of Reservoir Pond in Canton.

April 6 - Metro Boston (Carly Rocklen)  In people's yards, hyacinths, tulips and myrtle (periwinkle) are blooming. Note that none of these is native to North America: Hyacinths are native to the eastern Mediterranean region, tulips occur naturally in southern Europe, north Africa and Asia; and periwinkle is native to Eurasia.

     Along streams and ponds, Pussy willow continues into its next phase of flowering, and flowers of a magnificent red are blooming on maple trees. 

     Exotic, invasive Japanese knotweed is beginning to poke above the soil. 

     At wet sites around the Neponset River Watershed, Skunk cabbage is at various different stages of growth. In some places, it looks like slender, young cabbage unfurling its leaves (for instance, along Spring Brook, by Memorial Pond in Walpole), and sometimes mostly the flowers are visible.

     Just this past weekend, big, fuzzy, black-and-yellow bumblebees started to buzz around.

      Birds are starting their courtship behaviors. For instance, this week a pair of Blue jays was trading bird seed from a neighbor's birdfeeder, back and forth, back and forth, between them while perched high up in a White pine. House sparrows and European starlings are gathering nesting materials from the ground. Learn more about the controversy behind House sparrows (read more).

April 1 - Walpole (Roger Mann)  River otter sighting: 8:00 a.m., Elm Street, Walpole, between Robbins Road and the Commuter Rail Bridge. Did not get phone out in time to take a picture before animal disappeared back into water.