Field guide
150 things worth noticing outside around Sudbury, month by month. Each one says when to look, how to notice it, and where the facts come from.
September
- Chimney swifts swirling into old chimneys at dusk before migration
- Common nighthawk migration over eastern Massachusetts at sunset
- When ruby-throated hummingbirds leave Massachusetts
- Why goldfinches turn patchy gray-brown in late August and September
- Canada goose families merging into big flocks after the summer molt
- Young eastern screech-owls calling after dark in late summer
- Monarch migration through Sudbury: the generation that flies to Mexico
- Green darner dragonfly migration through the Northeast
- The late-summer night chorus of crickets and katydids
- Cicada shells on tree trunks: what the empty brown husks are
- Jewelweed seed pods that burst open at a touch
- How orb weaver spiders spin a new web after dark
- How water striders stand on a pond's surface without sinking
- Cricket chirps and temperature: why the chorus slows as nights cool
- Moths at the porch light on warm summer nights around Sudbury
- Goldenrod and asters: late flowers that feed bumble bees and monarchs
- Big brown bats hunting over yards at dusk in eastern Massachusetts
- Why gray squirrels bury nuts one by one each fall
- Beaver signs: chewed stumps and pale wood chips along pond edges
- Acorn crops, and why a heavy year draws wildlife under the oaks
- Oak galls: the bumps and balls on oak leaves, and what makes them
- Goldenrod in late summer: a crowded table for bees and butterflies
- Ghost pipe: the white forest plant with no green, June to September
- Why mushrooms pop up after rain in Massachusetts
- Next spring's tree buds, already formed at the twig tips by fall
- Milkweed pods splitting open to release silky seeds
- Why leaves change color in fall: the yellows were there all along
- Why lichen turns bright green after rain
- Why you can see the moon in the daytime sky
- Sundogs and sun halos: how ice crystals bend sunlight
- Crepuscular rays: sunbeams fanning out near sunrise and sunset
- First frost in eastern Massachusetts, and what it shows
- Morning dew and the dew point: why grass is soaked without rain
- Dew on spider webs: the morning every web in the yard shows
- Red efts: the orange young newts that walk the woods after rain
- Why vernal pools dry up in summer, and why that matters
- How fallen leaves turn back into soil over the winter
- Stone walls in the Sudbury woods and the farms they once edged
- Kettle holes: ponds and hollows left by melting glacial ice
- Woolly bear caterpillars crossing roads in fall
- Large milkweed bugs crowding milkweed seed pods in late summer
- Fall webworm tents on branch tips: the silk nests explained
- Praying mantis season: full-grown mantises and their egg cases
- Why a cricket starts chirping inside the house in September
- Ballooning spiders: young spiders flying away on silk threads
- Snapping turtle hatchlings crossing lawns and roads toward water
- Chipmunks stuffing their cheeks to stock a winter larder
- Woodchucks fattening up for hibernation in late summer and fall
- Goldenrod or ragweed: which one causes fall allergies
- Virginia creeper and poison ivy: the first vines to turn red in fall
- Red maples in New England swamps: the first trees to turn in fall
- Valley fog: why low fields fill with fog on calm fall mornings
- Giant puffballs in lawns and fields from August to October
- Wild fox grapes ripening along New England wood edges in September
- Broad-winged hawk migration: kettles over New England in September
- Fall warbler migration through Massachusetts yards and trees
- White-throated sparrows returning to Massachusetts yards in fall
- Blue jays carrying and hiding acorns in fall
- Wild turkey flocks in fall: hens and broods joining forces
- Starling flocks twisting in unison: why they fly as one shape
- Buck rubs on young trees: what they are and when they appear
- Tomato hornworms covered in white wasp cocoons
- Hickory tussock caterpillars: look, but do not touch
- Flying ant day: winged ants swarming after rain in late August
- Milkweed tussock caterpillars eating milkweed leaves in gangs
- Daddy longlegs, or harvestmen: not spiders, and not venomous
- Queen Anne's lace curling into bird's nests as it goes to seed
- Slime mold on the mulch after rain: the yellow blob explained
- Barn swallows gathering on wires before fall migration
- Bald-faced hornet nests: paper globes in the trees, seen from afar
- Pokeweed berries and purple stems: a look-only plant
- Why goldfinches nest in late summer, months after other songbirds
- Bald cardinals and blue jays at the feeder: molting, not sick
- Why poison ivy turns red so early in fall, and what the red is for
- How the sunset point moves along the horizon through the year
- Why spring peepers call again in autumn from dry woods
- Why sound carries so far on cold, clear, calm nights
- Why your noon shadow more than doubles from September to December
- Hen of the woods at the base of the same oak year after year
- Hearing migrating songbirds call overhead at night
- Where the yard's bats go in September and October
- The Big Dipper never sets from eastern Massachusetts
- Black knot on cherry trees: the black lumps are a fungus
- Crow or raven: how to tell them apart by the tail
- Asian lady beetles gathering on sunny house walls in fall
- Honey mushrooms: golden clusters at the base of trees in fall
- Staghorn sumac: scarlet fall leaves and red fruit into winter
- Woolly alder aphids: the white fluff drifting through the air in fall
October
- Canada goose families merging into big flocks after the summer molt
- Green darner dragonfly migration through the Northeast
- Jewelweed seed pods that burst open at a touch
- How orb weaver spiders spin a new web after dark
- Cricket chirps and temperature: why the chorus slows as nights cool
- Goldenrod and asters: late flowers that feed bumble bees and monarchs
- Why gray squirrels bury nuts one by one each fall
- Beaver signs: chewed stumps and pale wood chips along pond edges
- Acorn crops, and why a heavy year draws wildlife under the oaks
- Oak galls: the bumps and balls on oak leaves, and what makes them
- Goldenrod in late summer: a crowded table for bees and butterflies
- Why mushrooms pop up after rain in Massachusetts
- Next spring's tree buds, already formed at the twig tips by fall
- Milkweed pods splitting open to release silky seeds
- Why leaves change color in fall: the yellows were there all along
- Why lichen turns bright green after rain
- Why you can see the moon in the daytime sky
- Sundogs and sun halos: how ice crystals bend sunlight
- Crepuscular rays: sunbeams fanning out near sunrise and sunset
- First frost in eastern Massachusetts, and what it shows
- Morning dew and the dew point: why grass is soaked without rain
- Dew on spider webs: the morning every web in the yard shows
- Why vernal pools dry up in summer, and why that matters
- How fallen leaves turn back into soil over the winter
- Stone walls in the Sudbury woods and the farms they once edged
- Kettle holes: ponds and hollows left by melting glacial ice
- Woolly bear caterpillars crossing roads in fall
- Fall webworm tents on branch tips: the silk nests explained
- Praying mantis season: full-grown mantises and their egg cases
- Why a cricket starts chirping inside the house in September
- Ballooning spiders: young spiders flying away on silk threads
- Snapping turtle hatchlings crossing lawns and roads toward water
- Chipmunks stuffing their cheeks to stock a winter larder
- Woodchucks fattening up for hibernation in late summer and fall
- Goldenrod or ragweed: which one causes fall allergies
- Virginia creeper and poison ivy: the first vines to turn red in fall
- Red maples in New England swamps: the first trees to turn in fall
- Valley fog: why low fields fill with fog on calm fall mornings
- Giant puffballs in lawns and fields from August to October
- Fall warbler migration through Massachusetts yards and trees
- White-throated sparrows returning to Massachusetts yards in fall
- Blue jays carrying and hiding acorns in fall
- Why robins travel in fruit-eating flocks in fall and winter
- Wild turkey flocks in fall: hens and broods joining forces
- Starling flocks twisting in unison: why they fly as one shape
- Buck rubs on young trees: what they are and when they appear
- Daddy longlegs, or harvestmen: not spiders, and not venomous
- Bald-faced hornet nests: paper globes in the trees, seen from afar
- Pokeweed berries and purple stems: a look-only plant
- Why poison ivy turns red so early in fall, and what the red is for
- Witch hazel: the shrub that blooms from October into December
- Deer rut peak: why deer move by day in the first half of November
- Ducks arriving at Great Meadows in Concord through late autumn
- Fall pond turnover: why ponds mix from top to bottom in autumn
- Painted turtles basking on logs on bright autumn afternoons
- What the woods reveal after the leaves come down
- Larch, or tamarack: the conifer that turns gold and drops its needles
- How the sunset point moves along the horizon through the year
- Crows flying to a shared winter roost before sunset
- Why spring peepers call again in autumn from dry woods
- Jelly fungi like witch's butter that swell with rain and shrivel dry
- White-footed deermice moving indoors in autumn with their seed caches
- Orionid meteor shower 2026: peak night of October 21 and the moon
- Why sound carries so far on cold, clear, calm nights
- Why the first ice forms in puddles and buckets before ponds
- Red-backed salamanders under logs: salamanders that never go to water
- Why your noon shadow more than doubles from September to December
- Hen of the woods at the base of the same oak year after year
- Why brooks recover in autumn once the trees stop drinking
- Hearing migrating songbirds call overhead at night
- Where the yard's bats go in September and October
- Dark-eyed juncos: the gray winter bird under the feeder
- Squirrel dreys: the leaf nests that show up in bare trees
- The Big Dipper never sets from eastern Massachusetts
- Steam fog: why ponds seem to smoke on cold autumn mornings
- Beaver food caches: the winter pantry of sticks beside the lodge
- Why there is frost when the air never dropped below freezing
- Black knot on cherry trees: the black lumps are a fungus
- Crow or raven: how to tell them apart by the tail
- Asian lady beetles gathering on sunny house walls in fall
- Eastern garter snakes basking on rocks before winter
- Oriental bittersweet: the invasive vine with orange and red berries
- Yellow-rumped warblers eating berries in late fall
- Golden-crowned kinglets in the pines from fall into winter
- Honey mushrooms: golden clusters at the base of trees in fall
- Second summer: the warm spell that follows the first autumn frost
- Staghorn sumac: scarlet fall leaves and red fruit into winter
- Woolly alder aphids: the white fluff drifting through the air in fall
November
- Canada goose families merging into big flocks after the summer molt
- Why gray squirrels bury nuts one by one each fall
- Beaver signs: chewed stumps and pale wood chips along pond edges
- Acorn crops, and why a heavy year draws wildlife under the oaks
- Next spring's tree buds, already formed at the twig tips by fall
- Why lichen turns bright green after rain
- Why you can see the moon in the daytime sky
- Sundogs and sun halos: how ice crystals bend sunlight
- Crepuscular rays: sunbeams fanning out near sunrise and sunset
- First frost in eastern Massachusetts, and what it shows
- How fallen leaves turn back into soil over the winter
- Stone walls in the Sudbury woods and the farms they once edged
- Kettle holes: ponds and hollows left by melting glacial ice
- Valley fog: why low fields fill with fog on calm fall mornings
- White-throated sparrows returning to Massachusetts yards in fall
- Why robins travel in fruit-eating flocks in fall and winter
- Wild turkey flocks in fall: hens and broods joining forces
- Starling flocks twisting in unison: why they fly as one shape
- Buck rubs on young trees: what they are and when they appear
- Goldenrod ball galls in winter, and the fly larva living inside
- Witch hazel: the shrub that blooms from October into December
- Winterberry holly: red berries on bare branches in wet ground
- Turkey tail fungus on fallen logs through the winter
- Hoarfrost: ice crystals growing on twigs, wires and weed stems
- Deer rut peak: why deer move by day in the first half of November
- Ice needles: frost columns that grow up out of bare wet ground
- Mantis egg cases on winter twigs
- Identifying trees by their bark in winter
- Ducks arriving at Great Meadows in Concord through late autumn
- Fall pond turnover: why ponds mix from top to bottom in autumn
- Painted turtles basking on logs on bright autumn afternoons
- What the woods reveal after the leaves come down
- Larch, or tamarack: the conifer that turns gold and drops its needles
- How the sunset point moves along the horizon through the year
- Why some beech and oak trees keep their dead leaves all winter
- Crows flying to a shared winter roost before sunset
- Why spring peepers call again in autumn from dry woods
- Jelly fungi like witch's butter that swell with rain and shrivel dry
- White-footed deermice moving indoors in autumn with their seed caches
- The Pleiades, Taurus and Orion return to the early evening sky
- Why sound carries so far on cold, clear, calm nights
- Why the first ice forms in puddles and buckets before ponds
- Red-backed salamanders under logs: salamanders that never go to water
- Why your noon shadow more than doubles from September to December
- Why brooks recover in autumn once the trees stop drinking
- Dark-eyed juncos: the gray winter bird under the feeder
- Squirrel dreys: the leaf nests that show up in bare trees
- The Big Dipper never sets from eastern Massachusetts
- Steam fog: why ponds seem to smoke on cold autumn mornings
- Beaver food caches: the winter pantry of sticks beside the lodge
- Why there is frost when the air never dropped below freezing
- Groundwater seeps: the patches of woods that never freeze
- Black knot on cherry trees: the black lumps are a fungus
- Small tan moths at outdoor lights on mild November to January nights
- Artist's conk: the shelf fungus you can draw on
- Crow or raven: how to tell them apart by the tail
- Bullfrog tadpoles that spend the winter under the ice
- How honey bees survive winter by huddling and shivering
- Hemlock groves in winter: less snow, less light, and deer shelter
- Bark beetle galleries: the patterns carved under loose bark
- Clubmoss: tiny evergreen forests on the winter woodland floor
- Meadow vole runways hidden under matted grass
- Oriental bittersweet: the invasive vine with orange and red berries
- Yellow-rumped warblers eating berries in late fall
- Golden-crowned kinglets in the pines from fall into winter
- Second summer: the warm spell that follows the first autumn frost
December
- Beaver signs: chewed stumps and pale wood chips along pond edges
- Next spring's tree buds, already formed at the twig tips by fall
- Why lichen turns bright green after rain
- Why you can see the moon in the daytime sky
- Sundogs and sun halos: how ice crystals bend sunlight
- Crepuscular rays: sunbeams fanning out near sunrise and sunset
- How fallen leaves turn back into soil over the winter
- Stone walls in the Sudbury woods and the farms they once edged
- Kettle holes: ponds and hollows left by melting glacial ice
- Why robins travel in fruit-eating flocks in fall and winter
- Wild turkey flocks in fall: hens and broods joining forces
- Starling flocks twisting in unison: why they fly as one shape
- Goldenrod ball galls in winter, and the fly larva living inside
- Witch hazel: the shrub that blooms from October into December
- Winterberry holly: red berries on bare branches in wet ground
- Turkey tail fungus on fallen logs through the winter
- Geminid meteor shower: the one you can watch before bedtime
- Hoarfrost: ice crystals growing on twigs, wires and weed stems
- Reading animal tracks in snow by the pattern of the whole trail
- Why fresh snow makes everything so quiet
- Ice needles: frost columns that grow up out of bare wet ground
- How wood frogs freeze solid in winter and come back in spring
- Mantis egg cases on winter twigs
- Identifying trees by their bark in winter
- Ducks arriving at Great Meadows in Concord through late autumn
- How the sunset point moves along the horizon through the year
- Why some beech and oak trees keep their dead leaves all winter
- Crows flying to a shared winter roost before sunset
- Jelly fungi like witch's butter that swell with rain and shrivel dry
- The Pleiades, Taurus and Orion return to the early evening sky
- Why sound carries so far on cold, clear, calm nights
- Why your noon shadow more than doubles from September to December
- Dark-eyed juncos: the gray winter bird under the feeder
- Squirrel dreys: the leaf nests that show up in bare trees
- The Big Dipper never sets from eastern Massachusetts
- Why there is frost when the air never dropped below freezing
- Groundwater seeps: the patches of woods that never freeze
- Black knot on cherry trees: the black lumps are a fungus
- Small tan moths at outdoor lights on mild November to January nights
- Artist's conk: the shelf fungus you can draw on
- Crow or raven: how to tell them apart by the tail
- Bullfrog tadpoles that spend the winter under the ice
- How honey bees survive winter by huddling and shivering
- Hemlock groves in winter: less snow, less light, and deer shelter
- Bark beetle galleries: the patterns carved under loose bark
- Clubmoss: tiny evergreen forests on the winter woodland floor
- Meadow vole runways hidden under matted grass
- Oriental bittersweet: the invasive vine with orange and red berries
- Golden-crowned kinglets in the pines from fall into winter
January
- Beaver signs: chewed stumps and pale wood chips along pond edges
- Why lichen turns bright green after rain
- Why you can see the moon in the daytime sky
- Sundogs and sun halos: how ice crystals bend sunlight
- Crepuscular rays: sunbeams fanning out near sunrise and sunset
- How fallen leaves turn back into soil over the winter
- Stone walls in the Sudbury woods and the farms they once edged
- Kettle holes: ponds and hollows left by melting glacial ice
- Why robins travel in fruit-eating flocks in fall and winter
- Wild turkey flocks in fall: hens and broods joining forces
- Starling flocks twisting in unison: why they fly as one shape
- Goldenrod ball galls in winter, and the fly larva living inside
- Great horned owl duets: pairs hooting back and forth in late winter
- Winterberry holly: red berries on bare branches in wet ground
- Turkey tail fungus on fallen logs through the winter
- Hoarfrost: ice crystals growing on twigs, wires and weed stems
- Reading animal tracks in snow by the pattern of the whole trail
- Why fresh snow makes everything so quiet
- Snow fleas: the hopping specks on melting snow are springtails
- Ice needles: frost columns that grow up out of bare wet ground
- How wood frogs freeze solid in winter and come back in spring
- Mantis egg cases on winter twigs
- Identifying trees by their bark in winter
- The chickadee's two-note whistle in late winter
- How the sunset point moves along the horizon through the year
- Why some beech and oak trees keep their dead leaves all winter
- Crows flying to a shared winter roost before sunset
- Jelly fungi like witch's butter that swell with rain and shrivel dry
- The Pleiades, Taurus and Orion return to the early evening sky
- Why sound carries so far on cold, clear, calm nights
- Dark-eyed juncos: the gray winter bird under the feeder
- Squirrel dreys: the leaf nests that show up in bare trees
- The Big Dipper never sets from eastern Massachusetts
- Why there is frost when the air never dropped below freezing
- Groundwater seeps: the patches of woods that never freeze
- Black knot on cherry trees: the black lumps are a fungus
- Small tan moths at outdoor lights on mild November to January nights
- Artist's conk: the shelf fungus you can draw on
- Crow or raven: how to tell them apart by the tail
- Bullfrog tadpoles that spend the winter under the ice
- How honey bees survive winter by huddling and shivering
- Why coyotes howl more in late winter
- Hemlock groves in winter: less snow, less light, and deer shelter
- Bark beetle galleries: the patterns carved under loose bark
- Clubmoss: tiny evergreen forests on the winter woodland floor
- Meadow vole runways hidden under matted grass
- Golden-crowned kinglets in the pines from fall into winter
February
- Beaver signs: chewed stumps and pale wood chips along pond edges
- Why lichen turns bright green after rain
- Skunk cabbage: the early spring flower that warms itself
- Why you can see the moon in the daytime sky
- Sundogs and sun halos: how ice crystals bend sunlight
- Crepuscular rays: sunbeams fanning out near sunrise and sunset
- Big night: spotted salamanders crossing roads in the spring rain
- How fallen leaves turn back into soil over the winter
- Stone walls in the Sudbury woods and the farms they once edged
- Kettle holes: ponds and hollows left by melting glacial ice
- Why robins travel in fruit-eating flocks in fall and winter
- Wild turkey flocks in fall: hens and broods joining forces
- Goldenrod ball galls in winter, and the fly larva living inside
- Great horned owl duets: pairs hooting back and forth in late winter
- Turkey tail fungus on fallen logs through the winter
- Hoarfrost: ice crystals growing on twigs, wires and weed stems
- Reading animal tracks in snow by the pattern of the whole trail
- Why fresh snow makes everything so quiet
- Snow fleas: the hopping specks on melting snow are springtails
- Ice needles: frost columns that grow up out of bare wet ground
- How wood frogs freeze solid in winter and come back in spring
- Mantis egg cases on winter twigs
- Identifying trees by their bark in winter
- The chickadee's two-note whistle in late winter
- Why skunks are out on the first mild nights of late winter
- How the sunset point moves along the horizon through the year
- Why some beech and oak trees keep their dead leaves all winter
- Crows flying to a shared winter roost before sunset
- Jelly fungi like witch's butter that swell with rain and shrivel dry
- Why sound carries so far on cold, clear, calm nights
- Dark-eyed juncos: the gray winter bird under the feeder
- Squirrel dreys: the leaf nests that show up in bare trees
- The Big Dipper never sets from eastern Massachusetts
- Why there is frost when the air never dropped below freezing
- Groundwater seeps: the patches of woods that never freeze
- Black knot on cherry trees: the black lumps are a fungus
- Artist's conk: the shelf fungus you can draw on
- Crow or raven: how to tell them apart by the tail
- Bullfrog tadpoles that spend the winter under the ice
- How honey bees survive winter by huddling and shivering
- Why coyotes howl more in late winter
- Hemlock groves in winter: less snow, less light, and deer shelter
- Bark beetle galleries: the patterns carved under loose bark
- Clubmoss: tiny evergreen forests on the winter woodland floor
- Meadow vole runways hidden under matted grass
- Golden-crowned kinglets in the pines from fall into winter
March
- Beaver signs: chewed stumps and pale wood chips along pond edges
- Why lichen turns bright green after rain
- Skunk cabbage: the early spring flower that warms itself
- Why you can see the moon in the daytime sky
- Sundogs and sun halos: how ice crystals bend sunlight
- Crepuscular rays: sunbeams fanning out near sunrise and sunset
- Big night: spotted salamanders crossing roads in the spring rain
- Spring peepers: the tiny frogs behind the spring wetland chorus
- How fallen leaves turn back into soil over the winter
- Stone walls in the Sudbury woods and the farms they once edged
- Kettle holes: ponds and hollows left by melting glacial ice
- Goldenrod ball galls in winter, and the fly larva living inside
- Great horned owl duets: pairs hooting back and forth in late winter
- Turkey tail fungus on fallen logs through the winter
- Reading animal tracks in snow by the pattern of the whole trail
- Why fresh snow makes everything so quiet
- Snow fleas: the hopping specks on melting snow are springtails
- Ice needles: frost columns that grow up out of bare wet ground
- Mantis egg cases on winter twigs
- Identifying trees by their bark in winter
- The chickadee's two-note whistle in late winter
- Mud season in Massachusetts: why spring ground turns to mud
- Why skunks are out on the first mild nights of late winter
- Fairy shrimp swimming upside down in spring woodland pools
- How the sunset point moves along the horizon through the year
- Why some beech and oak trees keep their dead leaves all winter
- Jelly fungi like witch's butter that swell with rain and shrivel dry
- Why sound carries so far on cold, clear, calm nights
- Dark-eyed juncos: the gray winter bird under the feeder
- Squirrel dreys: the leaf nests that show up in bare trees
- The Big Dipper never sets from eastern Massachusetts
- Why there is frost when the air never dropped below freezing
- Groundwater seeps: the patches of woods that never freeze
- Black knot on cherry trees: the black lumps are a fungus
- Artist's conk: the shelf fungus you can draw on
- Crow or raven: how to tell them apart by the tail
- Bullfrog tadpoles that spend the winter under the ice
- How honey bees survive winter by huddling and shivering
- Why coyotes howl more in late winter
- Hemlock groves in winter: less snow, less light, and deer shelter
- Bark beetle galleries: the patterns carved under loose bark
- Clubmoss: tiny evergreen forests on the winter woodland floor
- Meadow vole runways hidden under matted grass
- Golden-crowned kinglets in the pines from fall into winter
April
- Beaver signs: chewed stumps and pale wood chips along pond edges
- Why lichen turns bright green after rain
- Skunk cabbage: the early spring flower that warms itself
- Why you can see the moon in the daytime sky
- Sundogs and sun halos: how ice crystals bend sunlight
- Crepuscular rays: sunbeams fanning out near sunrise and sunset
- Morning dew and the dew point: why grass is soaked without rain
- Big night: spotted salamanders crossing roads in the spring rain
- Spring peepers: the tiny frogs behind the spring wetland chorus
- How fallen leaves turn back into soil over the winter
- Stone walls in the Sudbury woods and the farms they once edged
- Kettle holes: ponds and hollows left by melting glacial ice
- Mud season in Massachusetts: why spring ground turns to mud
- Fairy shrimp swimming upside down in spring woodland pools
- How the sunset point moves along the horizon through the year
- Why some beech and oak trees keep their dead leaves all winter
- Dark-eyed juncos: the gray winter bird under the feeder
- The Big Dipper never sets from eastern Massachusetts
- Why there is frost when the air never dropped below freezing
- Black knot on cherry trees: the black lumps are a fungus
- Crow or raven: how to tell them apart by the tail
May
- How water striders stand on a pond's surface without sinking
- Moths at the porch light on warm summer nights around Sudbury
- Luna moths at the porch light, most likely in June
- Big brown bats hunting over yards at dusk in eastern Massachusetts
- Beaver signs: chewed stumps and pale wood chips along pond edges
- Why lichen turns bright green after rain
- Why you can see the moon in the daytime sky
- Sundogs and sun halos: how ice crystals bend sunlight
- Crepuscular rays: sunbeams fanning out near sunrise and sunset
- Morning dew and the dew point: why grass is soaked without rain
- Spring peepers: the tiny frogs behind the spring wetland chorus
- Stone walls in the Sudbury woods and the farms they once edged
- Kettle holes: ponds and hollows left by melting glacial ice
- Fairy shrimp swimming upside down in spring woodland pools
- How the sunset point moves along the horizon through the year
- The Big Dipper never sets from eastern Massachusetts
- Black knot on cherry trees: the black lumps are a fungus
- Crow or raven: how to tell them apart by the tail
June
- How water striders stand on a pond's surface without sinking
- Moths at the porch light on warm summer nights around Sudbury
- Luna moths at the porch light, most likely in June
- Big brown bats hunting over yards at dusk in eastern Massachusetts
- Beaver signs: chewed stumps and pale wood chips along pond edges
- Oak galls: the bumps and balls on oak leaves, and what makes them
- Ghost pipe: the white forest plant with no green, June to September
- Why mushrooms pop up after rain in Massachusetts
- Why lichen turns bright green after rain
- Why you can see the moon in the daytime sky
- Sundogs and sun halos: how ice crystals bend sunlight
- Crepuscular rays: sunbeams fanning out near sunrise and sunset
- Morning dew and the dew point: why grass is soaked without rain
- Red efts: the orange young newts that walk the woods after rain
- Why vernal pools dry up in summer, and why that matters
- Stone walls in the Sudbury woods and the farms they once edged
- Kettle holes: ponds and hollows left by melting glacial ice
- Hummingbird moths: clearwing sphinx moths hovering at bee balm
- Slime mold on the mulch after rain: the yellow blob explained
- How the sunset point moves along the horizon through the year
- The Big Dipper never sets from eastern Massachusetts
- Black knot on cherry trees: the black lumps are a fungus
- Crow or raven: how to tell them apart by the tail
July
- Canada goose families merging into big flocks after the summer molt
- Cicada shells on tree trunks: what the empty brown husks are
- How orb weaver spiders spin a new web after dark
- How water striders stand on a pond's surface without sinking
- Cricket chirps and temperature: why the chorus slows as nights cool
- Moths at the porch light on warm summer nights around Sudbury
- Luna moths at the porch light, most likely in June
- Fawns out exploring with their mothers in July and August
- Big brown bats hunting over yards at dusk in eastern Massachusetts
- Beaver signs: chewed stumps and pale wood chips along pond edges
- Oak galls: the bumps and balls on oak leaves, and what makes them
- Ghost pipe: the white forest plant with no green, June to September
- Why mushrooms pop up after rain in Massachusetts
- Why lichen turns bright green after rain
- Why you can see the moon in the daytime sky
- Sundogs and sun halos: how ice crystals bend sunlight
- Crepuscular rays: sunbeams fanning out near sunrise and sunset
- Morning dew and the dew point: why grass is soaked without rain
- Red efts: the orange young newts that walk the woods after rain
- Why vernal pools dry up in summer, and why that matters
- Stone walls in the Sudbury woods and the farms they once edged
- Kettle holes: ponds and hollows left by melting glacial ice
- Fall webworm tents on branch tips: the silk nests explained
- Tomato hornworms covered in white wasp cocoons
- Hickory tussock caterpillars: look, but do not touch
- Flying ant day: winged ants swarming after rain in late August
- Milkweed tussock caterpillars eating milkweed leaves in gangs
- Queen Anne's lace curling into bird's nests as it goes to seed
- Hummingbird moths: clearwing sphinx moths hovering at bee balm
- Slime mold on the mulch after rain: the yellow blob explained
- Barn swallows gathering on wires before fall migration
- Bald-faced hornet nests: paper globes in the trees, seen from afar
- Why goldfinches nest in late summer, months after other songbirds
- How the sunset point moves along the horizon through the year
- The Big Dipper never sets from eastern Massachusetts
- Black knot on cherry trees: the black lumps are a fungus
- Crow or raven: how to tell them apart by the tail
August
- Chimney swifts swirling into old chimneys at dusk before migration
- Common nighthawk migration over eastern Massachusetts at sunset
- When ruby-throated hummingbirds leave Massachusetts
- Why goldfinches turn patchy gray-brown in late August and September
- Canada goose families merging into big flocks after the summer molt
- Young eastern screech-owls calling after dark in late summer
- Monarch migration through Sudbury: the generation that flies to Mexico
- Green darner dragonfly migration through the Northeast
- The late-summer night chorus of crickets and katydids
- Cicada shells on tree trunks: what the empty brown husks are
- Jewelweed seed pods that burst open at a touch
- How orb weaver spiders spin a new web after dark
- How water striders stand on a pond's surface without sinking
- Cricket chirps and temperature: why the chorus slows as nights cool
- Moths at the porch light on warm summer nights around Sudbury
- Luna moths at the porch light, most likely in June
- Fawns out exploring with their mothers in July and August
- Big brown bats hunting over yards at dusk in eastern Massachusetts
- Beaver signs: chewed stumps and pale wood chips along pond edges
- Acorn crops, and why a heavy year draws wildlife under the oaks
- Oak galls: the bumps and balls on oak leaves, and what makes them
- Goldenrod in late summer: a crowded table for bees and butterflies
- Ghost pipe: the white forest plant with no green, June to September
- Why mushrooms pop up after rain in Massachusetts
- Next spring's tree buds, already formed at the twig tips by fall
- Milkweed pods splitting open to release silky seeds
- Why lichen turns bright green after rain
- Perseid meteor shower 2026: a dark peak night, August 12 to 13
- Partial solar eclipse from the Boston area on August 12, 2026
- Why you can see the moon in the daytime sky
- Sundogs and sun halos: how ice crystals bend sunlight
- Crepuscular rays: sunbeams fanning out near sunrise and sunset
- Morning dew and the dew point: why grass is soaked without rain
- Dew on spider webs: the morning every web in the yard shows
- Red efts: the orange young newts that walk the woods after rain
- Why vernal pools dry up in summer, and why that matters
- Stone walls in the Sudbury woods and the farms they once edged
- Kettle holes: ponds and hollows left by melting glacial ice
- Large milkweed bugs crowding milkweed seed pods in late summer
- Fall webworm tents on branch tips: the silk nests explained
- Snapping turtle hatchlings crossing lawns and roads toward water
- Woodchucks fattening up for hibernation in late summer and fall
- Goldenrod or ragweed: which one causes fall allergies
- Red maples in New England swamps: the first trees to turn in fall
- Giant puffballs in lawns and fields from August to October
- Fall warbler migration through Massachusetts yards and trees
- Tomato hornworms covered in white wasp cocoons
- Hickory tussock caterpillars: look, but do not touch
- Flying ant day: winged ants swarming after rain in late August
- Milkweed tussock caterpillars eating milkweed leaves in gangs
- Daddy longlegs, or harvestmen: not spiders, and not venomous
- Queen Anne's lace curling into bird's nests as it goes to seed
- Hummingbird moths: clearwing sphinx moths hovering at bee balm
- Slime mold on the mulch after rain: the yellow blob explained
- Barn swallows gathering on wires before fall migration
- Bald-faced hornet nests: paper globes in the trees, seen from afar
- Pokeweed berries and purple stems: a look-only plant
- Why goldfinches nest in late summer, months after other songbirds
- Bald cardinals and blue jays at the feeder: molting, not sick
- Why poison ivy turns red so early in fall, and what the red is for
- How the sunset point moves along the horizon through the year
- The Big Dipper never sets from eastern Massachusetts
- Black knot on cherry trees: the black lumps are a fungus
- Crow or raven: how to tell them apart by the tail
- Honey mushrooms: golden clusters at the base of trees in fall