June
June 7: A BOBCAT patrols a sun-dappled hemlock grove in E. Acton [click link to see Rebecca Harvey’s video].
June 17: A frisky WHITE-TAILED DEER explores the gap in a stone wall in N. Acton while its shy sibling lingers closer to the doe, who watches nearby.
June 27: TRUMPET VINES show their first horns on Spruce Street.
June 28: MILKWEED blossoms reach maximum fragrant bloom…CANADA LILY flowers in an Acton Center back yard of an Ontario native just in time for Canada Day.
June 29: HOP CLOVER plants climb to two meters tall and attract thousands of bees with white, yellow, and pink blossoms in the bioswale ponds at the Boardwalk Campus. BLACK-EYED SUSANS also come into midsummer glory there. Along the sheltered boardwalk, MEADOW RUE and BUTTON BUSHES also come into bloom.
June 30: DAY LILIES blossom abundantly on Acton roadsides…an EMERALD GREEN SWEAT BEE lingers in a PORTULACA BLOSSOM, its thighs thick with pollen.
July
July 1: Seen in a MILKWEED patch in West Acton in June and July: ANTS, HONEY BEES, a SPINED STILT BUG, EARWIGS, FLIES (at least 5 varieties), a CLICK BEETLE, a YELLOW-HORNED FLOWER LONGHORN BEETLE, a PALE GREEN ASSASSIN BUG, a GRASS-VENEER MOTH, a RED-HEADED BUSH CRICKET, and a SMALL MILKWEED BUG…WATER LILIES peak in Grassy Pond, at Acton Arboretum, and in other Acton waterways.
July 2: Fort Pond Brook idyll: DAMSELFLIES hover just above the brook, clustering to mate; a MUSKRAT completely devours an ARROW ARUM leaf before swimming away with snake-like sweeps of its tail; PAINTED TURTLES rise and dive in the water, feeding among rooted pond weed stems.
July 3: A LONG-TAILED WEASEL fails to escape a vehicle on Arlington Street and expires near the median stripe; a passing pedestrian admires its delicate, dusty-brown fur while gently laying her to rest beneath roadside ivy.
July 5: COYOTES roam along Charter Road into Indian Village, keeping owners of small dogs and outdoor cats on edge.
July 7: A CANADA LILY blooms brilliant orange among green ferns and cattail leaves in the Boardwalk Campus marsh.
July 8: COMMON WHITE TAIL, BLUE DASHER, and other DRAGONFLIES chase each other around a West Acton backyard.
July 12: BUTTONBUSHES bloom beside Nashoba Brook.
July 13: A MONARCH butterfly passes through an Acton back yard. The black and orange beauties were also spotted briefly on the MILKWEED growing on the grounds of Temple Beth Elohim.
July 14: MILKWEED plants drop their blossoms and start to grow seed pods, ranging from cashew size to about 6 cm…A brief circumzenithal rainbow (smile-shaped) shines high in ice clouds over Acton Center.
July 15 The first SOURWOOD blooms open, drawing hundreds of honey bees, bumblebees, a HUMMINGBIRD and a TIGER SWALLOWTAIL butterfly…A BARRED OWL, perched on a fallen log, turns its head in every direction before flying away [click for link to Rebecca Harvey’s gorgeous video].
July 17: BARN SWALLOWS raise their second brood of young under the boardwalk roof near Gates and Douglas Schools.
July 18: BEAVERS start a new dam directly underneath the Boardwalk Campus steel bridge over Fort Pond Brook in West Acton. Their labor raises the brook 25 cm. above the downstream side of the dam.
July 21: A large SYCAMORE tree shucks jigsaw-puzzle-shaped bark chunks onto the grass beside Arlington Street, leaving corresponding light spots on the new bark on its trunk.
July 23: First WILD BERGAMOT (bee balm) blooms open their petals, much to the appreciation of W. Acton SWEAT BEES…WILD BLACKBERRY bush fruits abundantly on Pope Road, offering a sufficient bounty for both birds and humans.
July 24: A hefty BULLFROG pauses among DUCKWEED and blooming COMMON BLADDERWORT in Fort Pond Brook by the Boardwalk Campus, then turns around and approaches the shore with a brisk frog kick.
THANKS to Acton Nature Watchers Frann Addison, Brewster Conant Jr., Sue McCarville Hart, Rebecca Harvey, Kim Kastens, Matt Liebman, and Peter Norton. Please send us your observations and photos [actonnaturewatch@gmail.com]! Fishing enthusiasts please tell us what you are catching too! We have heard that the River Street dam removal last year has broadened the range of several fish varieties in the upstream range of Fort Pond Brook, but we need more evidence! We are always curious about any wild animals, plants, and fungi within our borders.
The Green Acton Biodiversity Committee is welcoming new members to help plan how to reduce the devastating effects of SGARs (Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides) on raptors and other predators. Email to find out how to join. Biodiversity Committee member Matt Liebman joined State Senator Jamie Eldridge and other legislators at the Massachusetts State House in July for a Mass Audubon-sponsored Legislative Briefing on “An Act Restricting the Use of Rodenticides in the Environment (H965/S644).” The Biodiversity Committee will be asking for citizen participation shortly.
WATCH for shorebirds migrating south in the upcoming Sturgeon Moon; also, more fireflies and young mammals out on their own. LISTEN for night insects and toads, building to a crescendo in late August.
Rob Gogan is a West Acton resident and compiles the Acton Nature Watch feature. He is one of the organizers of Green Acton’s new Biodiversity Committee.