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Samples from the Almanac
RIVER BIRCH, Betula nigra
December
River Birch is most commonly found in moist areas. It is a fast-growing, medium-sized tree with a single or multiple stems that grows to be 50 to 70 feet tall.
WITCH-HAZEL, Hamamelis virginiana
November
Witch-Hazel is a multi-stemmed shrub with a bowing, graceful form that grows eight to 15 feet high and wide. “Hamamelis” means the flower and fruit mature at the same time.
EASTERN SCREECH OWL, Megascops asio (or Otus asio)
October
The Eastern Screech Owl is a year-round inhabitant of Newton. It comes in two colors, red or gray. You’ll rarely see it during daylight hours unless you’re lucky enough to spot one dozing at the entrance of its tree-hole.
GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARY, Speyeria cybel
September
The Great Spangled Fritillary is the most common fritillary butterfly in the northeastern U.S. It is relatively large, up to four inches, with orange to tawny brown wings that have a delicate pattern of markings and spots.
COMMON NIGHTHAWK, Chordeiles minor
August
In past years one could often see and hear the common nighthawk as it circled in the glow of streetlights, picking off moths and other insects attracted by the glare.
AMERICAN CHESTNUT, Castanea dentata
July
The American Chestnut was once the most common tree in the eastern woods. Chestnut is in the beech family and is related to the oaks that replaced it as the dominant forest tree.
EASTERN COMMA BUTTERFLY, Polygonia comma
June
Eastern Comma butterfly got its name from a white comma-shaped marking under its wing. The commas identify it as one of the “anglewing” butterflies. The margins of their wings are highly irregular,
TROUT LILY, Erythronium americanum
May
Trout Lily is also known as dogtooth violet or yellow adder’s tongue. It grows in colonies in moist woods. Yellow, nodding flowers are carried singly above the basal mottled leaves,
SHADBUSH, Amelanchier canadensis
April
Shadbush is a multi-stemmed, vase-shaped shrub, the smallest of the many serviceberry species, which grows to be 10 to 20 feet high and five to 10 feet wide. Shadbush is also called thicket shadbush,
AMERICAN WOODCOCK, Scolopax minor
March
The American Woodcock is most noticeable during its remarkable mating display, beginning in March as snow clears from overgrown fields. Check the meadows in Nahanton Park. At dusk,
COMMON HAIR CAP MOSS, Polytrichum commune
February
Common Hair Cap Moss forms lush green carpets on moist, slightly acid soils in the woodlands of Newton. This moss gets its name from the hairs that cover the cap of its spore case.
FERNS IN THE SNOW
January
Unlikely as it may seem, some ferns are easy to find despite a several-inch blanket of snow. Most ferns emerge in April, grow spores under their fronds in the summer,