Hello everyone!
Thanks for reading the August 12th edition of the EwA highlights.
📸 We’re still in the thick humidity of summer, but aster (tribe Astereae) season is fast approaching, as the increasing number of observations in our iNat projects suggests. Along with their close relatives (and frequent neighbors) the goldenrods (genus Solidago), asters are critical late-season food sources for many pollinators. Joe shot this picture of a white wood aster (Eurybia devaricata) on Sunday.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Joe MacIndewar · Melrose, MA · Aug. 6, 2023)
Erin spotted this dense patch of Eastern American jack-o-lantern (Omphalotus illudens) mushrooms in Stockbridge on Sunday. These mushrooms exhibit a faint bioluminescence, which is theorized to attract insects to the mushroom so that they can help spread its spores. They also exemplify the importance of learning to forage mushrooms from an expert - these mushrooms are often confused for the coveted chanterelle by novices, but they are actually quite poisonous!
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Erin E. · Stockbridge, MA · Aug. 6, 2023)
EwA’s most-observed species this week was again the common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens). It’s great to see a native species remaining at the top of our species list! Bumblebees aren’t likely to fade away too soon, either, as they are a common visitor to those aforementioned asters and goldenrods in the fall. Patches of those flowers are a place that interested citizen scientists are sure to stop and look, so we’ll be seeing lots of bumblebee observations well into October. Kate E. snapped this photo on Monday.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Kate Estrop · Cambridge, MA · Aug. 7, 2023)
📊 Thanks to everyone for your great biodiversity records these past weeks, totaling 991 observations of 512 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 155,580 observations of 9,913 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 Summer [ 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: It's a great time to join our monitoring programs. 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
