📜 EwA Week Highlights: An Explosion of Insects, Migratory Birds, & more
Mike McGlathery
Hello everyone—
It’s starting to feel pretty summery out there, and there was plenty of biodiversity to observe in the Greater Boston area this week. Let’s take a look at the highlights!
📸 At this time of year, insect populations are increasing rapidly, and that means lots of insects mating! Claire spotted these two beetles, species Sumitrosis inaequalis, this week.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Claire O’Neill · Massachusetts · May 2022)
Even though it’s gotten so warm and humid already, it’s definitely still spring ephemeral season! Laura spotted this painted trillium (Trillium undulatum) last Sunday.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Laura Costello · Hillsborough, NH · May 8, 2022)
It’s still the peak of migratory bird season. While we see a lot of fascinating passers-through on their way to more northern breeding territories, some of the birds you can observe might actually be staying in the area to nest and raise their young. This male rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) that Bill spotted could be one of them, as Massachusetts is well within their breeding range.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Bill Macindewar · Medford, MA · May 14, 2022)
This week is the last week of our spring internship, and we’ll be sad to see our spring intern Kayla leave. She observed this Virginia saxifrage (Micranthes virginiensis) at Horn Pond on Wednesday. Thanks so much, Kayla, and we hope to see you again soon!
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Kayla Padegimas · Middlesex, MA · May 11, 2022)
📊 Thanks to everyone for your great biodiversity records this past week, totaling 713 observations of 358 distinct species. If you’re curious about the records from this week that have been validated by the iNat community so far, you can find them » here.
🏆 Running tally: To date, we have recorded 104,288 observations of 7,800 distinct species! Check out our EwA umbrella project, see the details per site/observer, and more » here.
📅 EwA Upcoming Public Events
Ewa Field Events » Check the EwA Spring Program [ Event details and registration » ] Don’t miss some great opportunities to follow the rhythm of the season in our local habitats and in the local wildlife! Space is limited for all our field events. Wildlife ethics is important to us and we seek to avoid putting the pressure on natural habitats which large gatherings unavoidably do. We are asking our audience to register-and-commit (or cancel when you know you can’t come) to avoid no-shows.
EwA Fieldwork (and Resources)
Peak schedule: Our monitoring programs are in full swing, and are occurring every week this time of year. Check EwA’s Volunteer Program Calendar 📅 to know when things happen. And if a session is of interest to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to get the rendezvous location.
📅 EwA Sites Map | 🌱 Site Protocols and Guides · Field Rosters · Field Notes » All here! | ℹ️ More about EwA’s Citizen Science Program » Here
❓ Do you have any questions? Don’t be shy. Just email me or reply to this thread.
That’s it for this week—until next time!
-Mike
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