📜 EwA Week Highlights: October Flowers & Berries

[Mike McGlathery]

EwA Highlights October 28, 2025 Hello everyone,  Thanks for reading the October 28th EwA highlights. 📸 Some of the more common and conspicuous fruits you’ll come across this time of year are those of the American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana). The berries of this native plant are a significant food source for some songbirds, and it has another important ecological role to play: it’s an eager colonizer of disturbed areas, sites often dominated by invasive species.  EwA iNaturalist Record (© gsarajg · Cambridge, MA · Oct. 22, 2025)  While many of our late season flowers are starting to wither and go to seed, one local flower is just beginning to bloom: that of the American witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana). This shrub blooms from mid-October through December. It’s an odd time of year for a plant that’s pollinated by insects to bloom, but the witch hazel has found its niche: it’s pollinated by the moths that are still around in late fall and early winter. Sophie documented this blooming witch hazel on EwA Pheno Lite earlier in the month. EwA Pheno Lite Record (© @sophiepinstein · Stoneham, MA · Oct. 11, 2025)  Some of our local wildflowers are still holding on, such as the panicled aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum), which was one of EwA’s most observed species this week. Kristian spotted this one last weekend. EwA iNaturalist Record (© kdemary · Arlington, MA · Oct. 19, 2025)  📊 Thanks to everyone for your great biodiversity records this past week, totaling 863 observations of 450 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 268,312 observations of 13,321 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) 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