February 28, 2024

Western Mass City Nature Challenge, April 26 - 29, 2024

It may only be the end of February, but Wood Frogs were sighted moving in Amherst and Groton, MA, last night, according to iNat observations. So it's spring already!

And that means it's just eight weeks to the City Nature Challenge, which is Friday, April 26th, though Sunday, April 29th, this year, plus the upload and ID period afterwards. I'm telling you this so you can clear your calendars for those four days, of course, but also because I'm lining up field trip leaders for the Western Mass CNC (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2024-western-mass). If anyone wants to lead a field trip somewhere in the four western counties of Massachusetts on any of those days, let me know. Thanks!

(I'm not ready for spring yet. I'm still not finished with everything I wanted to get done this winter!)

Posted on February 28, 2024 06:15 PM by lynnharper lynnharper | 0 comments | Leave a comment

August 28, 2023

Now, THAT was fun!!

We had a wonderful time up on Mt. Watatic yesterday, at least till the rain started. Thank you to everyone who came!

Some of the highlights, at least for me: The young Bald Eagle circling overhead before anyone else showed up. The Eastern Milk Snake, unfortunately dead. All the grasshoppers @stevetobin and @flamingninetales77 caught (three species, do I have that right?). The cool rock tripe @mohale showed us and the Peregrine zooming by that she pointed out. That goldenrod growing in the cracks of the ledges that @tsn identified as Squarrose Goldenrod. And meeting people I've only known from iNaturalist, like @radbackedsalamander and @bkatzenberg . I didn't know my cousin @danlharp was going to show up, but it was great to see you, Dan!

So, let's do this again some time, yes? I was thinking that it might be fun to go to Burrage Pond WMA in Hanson and Halifax, or to Muddy Brook WMA in Hardwick, or to the Trustees' Bart's Cobble in Sheffield, or hey, why not Mt. Greylock? I haven't been to the top of Greylock in decades. Where would you all like to go? How often would you like me to set up a get-together like this?

Posted on August 28, 2023 01:14 PM by lynnharper lynnharper | 4 comments | Leave a comment

August 25, 2023

Mt. Watatic: It's a Go!

The weather looks good for a meeting of any and all iNaturalists on top of Mt. Watatic in Ashby/Ashburnham, MA, this Sunday at noon - hooray! If you're just seeing this, see my previous journal post for details.

I hope to meet many of you there!

Posted on August 25, 2023 03:24 PM by lynnharper lynnharper | 1 comment | Leave a comment

August 4, 2023

Mt. Watatic: Let's Try Again Aug. 27th

Since we got rained out over the 4th of July weekend for an iNaturalist gathering, @radbackedsalamander, @pat_huckery_masswildlife, and I thought we'd try again for August 27th. Please join us - and let's hope it doesn't rain! Here's a repeat of much of what I said before the July date:

You all are invited to climb Mount Watatic in Ashby/Ashburnham, MA on Sunday, August 27th. The plan is to meet at the eastern summit (the big ledges with a view to the east) around noon, eat our lunches, meet each other, and make loads of observations. There might be dragonflies hill-topping, for example. Or interesting grasshoppers. Certainly there will be Sibbaldiopsis and Red Spruce and Turkey Vultures (maybe Black Vultures?) and grasses I'll never be able to identify. I'll figure out some way to make it obvious where exactly to meet - maybe an iNaturalist flag?

Whatever organisms we find there, it's a beautiful view from a mountain that's now mostly protected by a coalition of conservation groups; take a look at the map at the bottom of this article to see what's protected there: https://www.mass.gov/news/land-protected-at-mount-watatic

Logistics: This isn't an organized hike where we all start at the same place at the same time; you are free to start whenever and wherever you want to. Depending on which way you go up, it can be a steep hike, but a relatively short one. To my knowledge, there are no facilities like porta-potties at any of the trailheads. Dogs are permitted on leash. There are four parking spots I know of:

DCR Ashburnham State Forest, off Rt. 119, more or less opposite Old Pierce Road. This area has limited parking for about 15 cars, which often fills up quickly. Sometimes, people park on Old Pierce Road itself.

On Rt. 119 itself, a little east of the DCR lot. This is a paved pull-off with maybe 8 spots.

MassWildlife Ashby WMA, off Rt. 119 to the east of pull-off right on Rt. 119. This spot is shown as a P on the map I linked to above; there's a blue MassWildlife sign there. Parking for probably 8 cars.

MassWildlife Ashby WMA, at the end of Watatic Mountain Road in Ashby. This is at the end of the woods road at the end of the paved road, and there's only parking for 2 cars here.

While everyone is invited, here I'm going to mention people I think might be particularly interested: @adamkohl, @agave6_tomwalker, @bkatzenberg, @btk, @cbuelow45, @ceiseman, @cpellegrini, @davidhsmall, @deparia1950, @jackcadwell, @janice22s, @jcarm, @julie_richburg1, @karro_frost, @maygrz, @mohale, @mtjones, @naturalist2073, @stevemirick, @stevetobin, @threepogonias, @tmurray74.

Posted on August 4, 2023 02:06 PM by lynnharper lynnharper | 6 comments | Leave a comment

July 1, 2023

Mt. Watatic Trip Cancelled

It looks both Sunday the 2nd and Monday the 3rd will be mostly rainy and beset by thunderstorms, so I am cancelling the iNaturalist gathering on Mt. Watatic. Darn it! Stay tuned for another gathering later this summer, but I haven't decided when or where yet.

Posted on July 1, 2023 12:17 PM by lynnharper lynnharper | 4 comments | Leave a comment

June 16, 2023

A Gathering of iNaturalists on Mount Watatic

A few months ago, I was chatting with @radbackedsalamander - I don't even remember the context - and we thought it would be fun to organize a field trip for iNaturalists in our area. Somehow, that stuck in my head, so...

You all are invited to climb Mount Watatic in Ashby/Ashburnham, MA on Sunday, July 2nd, with a rain date of July 3rd. The plan is to meet at the eastern summit (the big ledges with a view to the east) around noon, eat our lunches, meet each other, and make loads of observations. There might be dragonflies hill-topping, for example. Or interesting grasshoppers. Certainly there will be Sibbaldiopsis and Red Spruce and Turkey Vultures (maybe Black Vultures?) and grasses I'll never be able to identify. I'll figure out some way to make it obvious where exactly to meet - maybe an iNaturalist flag?

Whatever organisms we find there, it's a beautiful view from a mountain that's now mostly protected by a coalition of conservation groups; take a look at the map at the bottom of this article to see what's protected there: https://www.mass.gov/news/land-protected-at-mount-watatic

Logistics: This isn't an organized hike where we all start at the same place at the same time; you are free to start whenever and wherever you want to. Depending on which way you go up, it can be a steep hike, but a relatively short one. To my knowledge, there are no facilities like porta-potties at any of the trailheads. Dogs are permitted on leash. There are four parking spots I know of:

DCR Ashburnham State Forest, off Rt. 119, more or less opposite Old Pierce Road. This area has limited parking for about 15 cars, which often fills up quickly. Sometimes, people park on Old Pierce Road itself.

On Rt. 119 itself, a little east of the DCR lot. This is a paved pull-off with maybe 8 spots.

MassWildlife Ashby WMA, off Rt. 119 to the east of pull-off right on Rt. 119. This spot is shown as a P on the map I linked to above; there's a blue MassWildlife sign there. Parking for probably 8 cars.

MassWildlife Ashby WMA, at the end of Watatic Mountain Road in Ashby. This is at the end of the woods road at the end of the paved road, and there's only parking for 2 cars here.

While everyone is invited, here I'm going to mention people I think might be particularly interested: @adamkohl, @agave6_tomwalker, @btk, @cbuelow45, @ceiseman, @cpellegrini, @davidhsmall, @deparia1950, @jackcadwell, @jcarm, @julie_richburg1, @karro_frost, @maygrz, @mohale, @mtjones, @naturalist2073, @pat_huckery_masswildlife, @stevemirick, @stevetobin, @threepogonias, @tmurray74.

If you can't make it on the 2nd (or 3rd) or don't want to hike up a mountain, I'm hoping to organize another get-together in a month or two. Suggestions for locations are welcome - maybe a pond or lake with a picnic pavilion somewhere?

Posted on June 16, 2023 02:00 PM by lynnharper lynnharper | 1 comment | Leave a comment

May 5, 2023

Zoom Talk on Oak Galls Wednesday, May 10, 7PM Eastern Time

I've had great fun learning about galls over the last couple of years vis iNaturalist, largely because of Adam Kranz, @megachile. Now he's going to give a Zoom talk to my local Athol Bird and Nature Club. Here I'll quote from the club's newsletter. You all are invited!

Oaks and Wasps: Shaping Novel Organs in the Seasonal Round
Adam Kranz, via Zoom

Join us in person at the Millers River Environmental Center in Athol, MA, to watch the Zoom presentation together. Oak gall wasps take advantage of the annual flow of resources throughout an oak tree to produce beautiful and distinctive novel plant organs to feed and protect them. With an estimated 1000 species in North America, each producing two different galls per year, this symbiosis is one of the most engrossing puzzles in nature. Adam Kranz would like to equip you to help him put it together.

Adam Kranz is one of the co-founders of www.Gallformers.org an online database for amateur and academic naturalists studying plant galls in North America. He lives in Austin, TX.

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.

When: May 10, 2023 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Topic: Oaks and Wasps: Shaping Novel Organs in the Seasonal Round

Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eHhPGrokR4mspgwFJ7-jcQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Posted on May 5, 2023 12:56 PM by lynnharper lynnharper | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 9, 2023

Zoom Talk on Myrmecophiles April 12 at 7PM Eastern Time

My local nature club is offering what should be a fascinating talk this Wednesday night, and luckily it's via Zoom, as well as in-person, so you all can attend. Here are the details from the Athol Bird and Nature Club's email newsletter:

Wednesday April 12, 2023, 7:00 PM “The Guests of Ants” Christina L. Kwapich, PhD

This talk will explore the hidden biodiversity inside ant nests, and the behavioral mechanisms diverse parasites employ to infiltrate ant societies. Some intruders tickle ant mouth parts to steal regurgitated meals, while others use specialized organs and glandular secretions to entice ants or calm their aggression. Once able to “speak the language,” these outsiders can masquerade as ants. Suddenly colony members can no longer distinguish friend from foe.

Christina L. Kwapich, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Ecology at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and the co-author of the book The Guests of Ants: How Myrmecophiles Interact with Their Hosts (2022, Harvard University Press). Her laboratory examines the organization of labor in seed harvesting ant societies, subterranean ant nest architecture, and ant guests. In person at the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street, Athol, MA 01331, or by Zoom.

Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z-Y4dR2sTkS3Ta-8BeGBng After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
.......

I hope to see some of you there! By the way, next month's talk for the Athol Bird and Nature Club is about oak gall wasps, given by Adam Kranz, who is megachile here on iNaturalist. It will also be available on Zoom. I'll post more about that talk in a few weeks.

Posted on April 9, 2023 05:41 PM by lynnharper lynnharper | 0 comments | Leave a comment

March 31, 2023

The City Nature Challenge

Guess what starts four weeks from today? The world-wide City Nature Challenge, of course! Clear your calendar for Friday, April 28th, through Monday, May 1st, because we are going to have fun!

This year, I'm helping to organize the Western Massachusetts City Nature Challenge, so I'm inviting all of you to join that project and help out. We're nailing down the final details on 15 workshops and field trips for you; in two weeks, we'll publish that list as a journal post in the project.

If you've never participated in the annual City Nature Challenge before, you should know that everyone is welcome to help out in this global bioblitz, whether you're an expert in some obscure taxon or you're completely new to learning about the natural world. The real aim of the CNC is to connect people with the natural world around them, whether in cities or the smallest rural towns. Sure, we'll keep track of how many species we find, but even more importantly, we hope to encourage the most people possible to post the highest number of observations possible during those four days. And you don't even have to figure out how to add your observations to the Western Mass CNC project; iNaturalist will automatically add any observation you make on those four days, within the four western counties of Massachusetts, to the project.

So start thinking about your favorite places to visit in spring, and join us for the Western Mass CNC!

Posted on March 31, 2023 12:56 PM by lynnharper lynnharper | 0 comments | Leave a comment

February 1, 2023

The 2023 New England Plant ID-a-thon, Feb. 24-26

You all are invited to join the second annual New England plant ID-a-thon! Link here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/2023-new-england-plants-id-a-thon-feb-24-26

Like last year, we'll spend 48 hours, from 7 PM Friday night to 7 PM Sunday night, identifying Needs ID plants in New England and helping to clear out the backlog of observations before the next field season . Not to mention spending a cold winter weekend immersed in the greenery we all miss at this time of year! (Surely it's not just me who is sick of winter already?)

Head on over to the project link, join up, and I promise we'll have a good time!

Posted on February 1, 2023 03:14 PM by lynnharper lynnharper | 0 comments | Leave a comment

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