The Dark Eyed Juncos are back. Several weeks earlier than last fall. #birds #migration

The exodus is underway. A lot of birds headed back south tonight

This morning’s sunrise in the Berkshires

Merlin ID won’t pick up this sound. Goshen, MA, hemlock/northern hardwood forest. Can any #birders help me out here? What #birds am I hearing?

The sun rises through the Hemlock trees at DAR State Forest in Goshen, MA. Work has been stressful lately so I took a much needed week off to camp before our state campgrounds close for the season.

A nice start to the day. Cool and clear. The morning sun lights up my neighbor’s Sugar Maple which is beginning to glow orange. Swamp Sunflower and several species of Aster in bloom in the foreground.

80° in October> 80° in July. Lower sun angle, lower humidity

Passing out Butterfly Weed to the neighborhood. I was given a bunch of seed pods and don’t know what to do with them all. #asclepias #nativeplants

The Black Walnut is having a mast year. I’ll have hundreds of walnuts to pick up today.

Spreading Solidago (Goldenrod) as I drive the work vehicle #nativeplants

A frosty start to the day in Wayland, MA @wx1box.bsky.social

I love #vermont because someone mowing their lawn will see you from a half mile up the road, position themselves where you can see them and wave as you drive by Vermont, never stop being you.

I made a friend today #monarch #danausplexippus

Greetings from Vermont🌲

Aster, Goldenrod, and Virginia Creeper in my front yard #nativeplants #ecoregion59

1.55” rain since Tuesday evening. Waltham, MA @wx1box.bsky.social #MAwx

First “rain day” in a while. No better place to spent it than the screened in front porch. #MAwx

(1/2) Welcome to #waltham, where the city government is stuck in the 1970’s. Plans for curb extensions (bump outs) approved by traffic commission in June were “revised” by the (6 term) mayor to cut costs and be less intrusive to drivers. And council folded.

I thought the hummingbirds had migrated, but I was mistaken. They found the last plume of Cardinal Flower I have blooming in the yard. #birds

I’m going to miss the Cardinal Flowers. See you again in July 2026. #nativeplants #ecoregion59

Would be real nice if you could edit a post to add alt text to an image..

New England Aster and Wrinkle Leaved Goldenrod. Autumn is here. #nativeplants #ecoregion59

Tonight’s sunset was beautiful

Unfortunately I’m out of space for more trees (30 trees on a 7800sq ft lot), but I love seeing my local garden centers carrying native conifers while big box stores still push for green giant arborvitae and Norway spruce #planttrees #nativeplants

Aster & Goldenrod❤️ #nativeplants #ecoregion59

The growing season nears its end but #nativeplants still have quite a show to put on for months to come. Asters and Goldenrod, fall foliage, witch hazel flowers in November, and many others! #ecoregion59

When I asked my boss why we are planting invasive viburnum, her response was “but it’s pretty and serves a function”. Oof. I find these all over the woodlands of eastern MA.

NEWSCENTER 5 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Philanthropist Josh Kraft, son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, is ending his campaign for mayor after a blistering defeat in Boston's preliminary election. http://www.wcvb.com/article/josh-kraft-boston-mayor-campaign-end/66056688 #Boston #Politics

LFG #boston #wutrain

I noticed some movement in the Red Osier Dogwood, where I found a Common Yellowthroat looking for insects. They have begun migration south. #birds

My front yard transformation, still in progress, 2022-2025 (see alt text for details). #nativeplants

Busy butts Blue lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica #nativeplants #ecoregion59

My boss came up to me during lunch (while I clearly had food in my mouth) to ask me if the chirping insects in the trees were crickets I really don’t know how she’s still in business

2.72” final rain total, 1.43” of that falling yesterday during the thunderstorm. Waltham, MA @wx1box.bsky.social #MAwx

TIL I can apply for dual citizenship in Canada. My grandparents were born there and my father was granted dual citizenship at birth. 2nd generation immigrants born before 2009 can apply. Best news I’ve heard in a long time.

Stay classy Waltham.. where a city councilor’s family business parks their vehicle on the sidewalk, in a no parking area, where the high school kids wait for the school bus

Black walnuts (Juglans nigra) will be ripening in a few weeks. I need a hard hat to sit back here! They are huge (lighter for scale). There are often too many for the squirrels to handle so I’ll process a few for eating.

Enchanter’s nightshade (Circaea lutetiana) is abundant in eastern MA. I never planted nor had it here, but will now, thanks to the “hitchhiker” seeds with hooks that attach to fur and clothing A great species for woodlands, as it grows dense and can shade out invasives like Garlic Mustard

Touch grass By ripping it up to make room for #nativeplants

Oops

Oclemena acuminata, Whorled Wood Aster, in the Berkshires #nativeplants

Peeping Tom 📍D.A.R. State Forest, Goshen, MA #asclepias #nativeplants

A cold start to the day in the Berkshires. The Barred Owls woke me up around 5:30. Best alarm clock ever.

Have you seen the new mural by David O'Gara along the Waltham Wayside trail (Mass central rail trail between Bacon & Lexington Streets)? Read about it in @walthamtimes.bsky.social and go check it out. ⏰ 🚲 walthamtimes.org/2025/06/26/n... www.davidogara.com

As the flowers of mid summer fade, the Asteraceae (Aster) family comes to life. My first blooms are the Parasol Whitetop (Doellingeria umbellata) and White Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata) #nativeplants #ecoregion59

0.95” of rain in ~30 minutes with frequent lightning and wind gusts. No flooding or wind damage in the neighborhood. Waltham, MA @wx1box.bsky.social #MAwx

Almost an inch of rain in 30 minutes. My rain garden, packed with #nativeplants from #ecoregion59 helps absorb and filter stormwater runoff that would otherwise end up in the Charles River, or my basement.

Peak Lobelia season #nativeplants #ecoregion59

Virginia Creeper berries are ripening. Soon, red foliage will follow. It moved off the fence this year, clinging onto my neighbors Black Walnut, where it has put on 15’ of growth since July. #nativeplants #ecoregion59

Birch (Betula), specifically white barked birches, and Aspen (Populus) give off a chalky substance that can be used as “sunscreen”, offering minimal protection (spf 10-15) This is a River Birch (Betula nigra) we pruned at work today. The chalk is abundant. #nativeplants #ecoregion59