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 […]
Observing the winter woods
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 […]
Winter activities
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 […]
White squirrels of Ballardvale
This year during my cross country season, my friend and I would sometimes run through the Shawsheen River Reservation to the Vale Reservation. We always saw a white squirrel running across the paths on our runs. I was fascinated by how beautiful the squirrel’s fur was. I am used to seeing gray squirrels running around everywhere but it was a […]
The mysterious oak
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 […]
This years 375th anniversary challenge
This year’s 375th challenge is a perfect way to get out and explore the parts of Andover you may not have seen before. This challenge has been going on since July 1st 2021 and will continue until May 6th 2022. The goal is to hike 10 AVIS Reservations and 10 Town Conservation Lands here in Andover. If you need a […]
Containing the burning bush
And now for an update: On November 17th, a hardy group of seven of the AVIS Weed Warriors worked all along the path at Indian Ridge to begin to reign in the burning bush that is encroaching. One team member removed and bagged berries on branches that were cut so that they would not start a new crop of this […]
The burning bush invades
On Monday November 8th, my mentors and I went out scavenging to find an invasive species called winged euonymus. This species is also known as burning bush. On our walk through the Indian Ridge Reservation, we found over 30 burning bushes with the help of ones already marked off with a pink ribbon by one of AVIS’ rangers. When we […]
Hello nature lovers!
Hello everyone! My name is Amber Ferris, I am a senior at Andover High School working as an environmental sustainability intern. This is a new nature blog for the AVIS Reservations. I am hoping this blog will inspire others to get out and see the beautiful reservations, and the nature within them. After reading these blog posts, I hope you […]