July
July 8: A BARRED OWL adult perched on a utility line intently watches pedestrians pass near three chicks on the grass in Indian Village.
July 10: A GREAT HORNED OWL rests up on a shaded oak limb on Concord Road near Woodland Cemetery.
July 15: BLUE VERVAIN blooms along Fort Pond Brook in W. Acton, rare among thousands of PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE blossoms… GRAY HAIRSTREAK butterfly visits blooming SOURWOOD tree in W. Acton.
July 17: A large SNAPPING TURTLE (nicknamed “Darth Vader” by resident) visits a small S. Acton pond and many animals hide for days afterwards, including a WATER SNAKE, frogs, and even insects. Darth moves on and fauna slowly return.
July 19: A DUN SKIPPER butterfly unfurls its proboscis for nectar among deep blossoms of WILD BERGAMOT flowers in W. Acton garden.
July 20: Burr-covered ENCHANTER’S NIGHTSHADE seeds rise up from shade under a W. Acton apple tree.
July 21: TAR SPOT FUNGI colonize NORWAY MAPLE leaves in W. Acton and Acton Center.
July 24: A RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD visits abundant blossoms of WILD BERGAMOT, CARDINAL FLOWER, WILD PHLOX and others in the Red House Pollinator Garden in Acton Center.
July 25: Five BARN SWALLOW chicks fill a nest in the rafters of W. Acton Boardwalk roof. They all fledge the next day and join at least 10 others hunting insects over Fort Pond Brook.
July 26: BEEBALM flowers draw a HUMMINGBIRD CLEARWING moth and a PURPLE CONEFLOWER attracts a PEARL CRESCENT butterfly in a W. Acton pollinator garden.
July 27: A MONARCH butterfly visits a young MILKWEED plant in a W. Acton garden.
July 28: GOLDENROD blossoms begin to open, drawing bees, wasps, and a BORDERED WEDGE-SHAPED beetle.
August
August 2: A VELVET ANT peruses a MILKWEED leaf in W. Acton.
August 3: A RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD samples nectar from HOSTAS and WILD BERGAMOT in a W. Acton garden.
August 5: SWEET PEPPER BUSH blossoms fill the air near Heath Hen Meadow Brook with an intensely sweet paperwhite narcissus fragrance.
August 6: GHOST PIPE flower clusters bloom on a Heath Hen Meadow pathway and a W. Acton back yard.
August 7: Fruiting BOLETE mushrooms emerge in W. Acton yard after summer rains. The largest one sports an impressive 7” concave cap.
August 9: WILD TURKEYS molt their feathers in Indian Village and N. Acton.
THANKS to Acton Nature Watchers Frann Addison, Patsy Bandes, Tracy Flannery, David Merberg, Peter Norton, Franny Osman, Diane Saffer, and Charles Parker Smith II.
In the coming month WATCH FOR “super generation” monarch caterpillars (which will fly all the way home to Mexico this year) on milkweeds! Listen on these hot nights for cicadas, tree crickets, and toads. Consider joining the Green Acton Biodiversity Committee to learn how to control rodent pests safely without resorting to rodenticides which kill precious wildlife.
Rob Gogan is a West Acton resident and compiles the Acton Nature Watch feature. He is one of the organizers of Green Acton’s Biodiversity Committee.
