While hiking on the picturesque Purdon Reservation last week with my mentors among the earthy tones of November, a few vibrant green-leaved trees managed to catch our attention. Late to receive the autumn color change message, these beautiful trees seemed to encompass the most vivid color in the surrounding area and illuminated a jarring contrast between the lively green versus […]

As life unrolls through autumn, I’ve been enjoying warm apple cider and pumpkin spice coffee as some of my absolute favorite flavors become seasonally appropriate again. This year, however, my absolute favorite part of the season has been my weekly hikes through the AVIS trails.  I find that the increased immersion in nature clears my head; a much needed stress […]

My name is Krista Calhoun and I am a current senior at Andover High School. As a student in Environmental Sustainability, I’m incredibly excited to be joining AVIS for the year as an intern posting for this blog! I can’t wait to follow in the footsteps of blog founder Amber Ferris and embark on a tremendous journey in discovering the […]

Have you seen this book, Deer-Resistance Native Plants – FOR THE – Northeast by Ruth Rogers Clausen and Gregory D. Tepper? I found this book in the “Leisure” section at the Memorial Hall Library here in Andover. At first, I was confused by the title because I didn’t think of using our native plants as deer resistance. I know it […]

On Thursday, April 14th, I went on a walk through the Bonier Reservation, on Monahan Lane off of Cross street, to learn a little about its history and talk about the plants found on the reservation. Two of the wardens, Erich O’Neil and Barbara Wrightson came along with my mentors and me to teach us about Bonier’s history.  Erich O’Neil’s […]

Physalacriacaeae fungi family Polyporaceae fungi family or shelf fungus Gomphaceae fungi family or Coral fungi Mycenaceae fungi family or Bonnet mushroom On October 5th my mentors and I went on a walk through the Purdon Reservation after a rainy day. On the walk, we were able to find many different types of mushrooms. It is most common to find fungi […]

As winter comes to an end, low wooded areas become flooded creating temporary isolated pools. These pools fill with melting snow, spring rain, runoff, and even rising ground water. They are called vernal pools. Many amphibians and insects, like salamanders, frogs, fairy shrimp, and ​​caddisflies breed in these vernal pools. You can find vernal pools on many AVIS reservations. Some […]

I have been having trouble knowing what to look out for in the winter when everything seems to be dormant, so I asked Walter Kittredge for some help. He gave me great pointers on where to start.  He mentioned – Looking at plant architecture. You could look at trees and shrubs seeing how they look when they are bare and […]

During the winter it is less common for people to be going out walking the AVIS Reservations. Is it because of the snow or the chill of winter? Maybe you didn’t have someone to go out with. There are plenty of activities that are still enjoyable on these trails in the wintertime, especially with friends and family.  Some activities that […]

Oak trees are vital to our native food web, especially for the animals who rely on acorns as a food source. Have you ever paid attention to the number of acorns falling this year or in past years? If so, have you noticed any change from one year to the next? There are certain years where there is a boom […]