📜 EwA Week Highlights: Fat Groundhog Week, Ambush in the Goldenrod, and a Killer Fungus
Mike McGlathery
Hello everyone!
Here’s the October 1st edition of EwA’s weekly highlights. EwA passed the milestone of 5,000 distinct species observed in Massachusetts this week; thanks to everyone who helped us get there!
📸 You may have heard of Fat Bear Week, a tournament celebrating the efforts of Katmai National Park’s brown bears (Ursus arctos) to put on weight for the winter. Down here in New England, we have plenty of mammals fattening up for the winter as well, such as this groundhog (Marmota monax) observed by Dan.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Daniel Onea · Rye, NH · Sep. 29, 2022)
As always, the goldenrods (genus Solidago) remain hotbeds of insect activity as summer winds down into fall. Pollinators bring pollinator predators, and Claire took this beautiful shot of an ambush bug (Phymata fasciata) lying in wait for some unfortunate fly or bee.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Claire O’Neill. · Norfolk, MA · Sep. 29, 2022)
And lastly, we have an observation from a few weeks back from Deana that I’d like to highlight. She observed this cordyceps fungus back in September, which has fruited from some type of insect pupa. For those unfamiliar with cordyceps, these fungi are famous for parasitizing insects and often even controlling their actions in ways that help the fungus to spread its spores.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Deana Thomas · Killingly, CT · Sep. 14, 2022)
📊 Thanks to everyone for your great biodiversity records this past week, totaling 664 observations of 339 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 125,150 observations of 8,697 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 Fall [ 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 all for this week—hope you have a good one!
-Mike
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