Nashua Conservation Commission

10/31/2026

The best wildlife habitat in a yard this fall isn't a birdhouse or a new feeder. It's the pile of leaves about to go to the curb.

Bagging leaves doesn't just clear the yard. It hauls away whatever is sleeping in them: bumble bee queens winter in the leaf litter and the soil just below it, woolly bears curl up underneath, and in hardwood country luna moths spin their cocoons out of fallen leaves. Firefly larvae spend most of their lives down there too.

The fix takes about ten minutes.

🌿 What helps:

- Rake the leaves off the lawn, where a thick mat smothers the grass, and pile them into the flower beds and under shrubs instead
- Keep them away from the curb and storm drains, where extra leaves wash nutrients into the water
- Hold off on the spring cleanup until a stretch of warm days, so everything under there has time to wake up and move out

No bags required.

10/30/2026

A fall cleanup checklist usually says cut back the perennials, rake the leaves, haul the brush to the curb.

Eight things in a yard in late October are sheltering something that's about to spend the winter inside them. Removed before spring, they don't tidy the yard. They empty it.

🍂 The eight:

1. Hollow plant stems — home to native bee eggs.
2. Leaf layers — sheltering moth pupae and beetle larvae, feeding spring songbirds.
3. Brush pile — a cozy den for chipmunks and Carolina wrens.
4. Seed heads on native plants — food for goldfinches and juncos.
5. Standing dead trees — nesting spots for birds and insects.
6. Loose bark on firewood or stumps — winter refuge for mourning cloak butterflies.
7. Stone walls or rock piles — hideaways for garter snakes and salamanders.
8. Tall grass along fences — essential habitat for bees, voles, and spiders.

The yard that looks a little rough in November is the one that comes alive first in April. 🌿

10/25/2026

A standing dead tree is a snag, and it can be one of the most valuable wildlife structures in a forest.

Beetles carve galleries under the bark. Woodpeckers come for the beetles and leave cavities behind. Screech-owls, flying squirrels, and bats move into holes they couldn't dig themselves.

One dead tree, many tenants, year after year.

A snag near a house, road, or path needs a qualified professional's eye. A stable one in a safe spot needs nothing at all.

Dead doesn't mean useless. Sometimes it means the next chapter has begun. 🌲

10/04/2026

The Nashua Conservation Commission would like to thank Rivier University for selecting work at our properties as one of the of the service options available to first year students for their day of service. Students joined Conservation Commissioners and Rivier staff at Terrell Homestead Conservation area on October 3rd, where we worked on a meadow restoration project by removing woody plants from the meadow. The meadow provides habitat for pollinators, birds, and mammals. Everyone worked hard and their efforts helped improve the quality of wildlife habitat. Thanks to all who participated!

09/20/2026

Thanks to the folks who helped clear invasive plant species and trash along the trail at Joyce Park Wildlife Sanctuary in Nashua yesterday. We focused on Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) a destructive, woody vine from Eastern Asia that chokes, girdles, and kills native trees and shrubs and Black swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum nigrum) an invasive, herbaceous vine from Europe that smothers native vegetation and harms local ecosystems. Monarch butterflies mistake the Black swallow-wart vine for native milkweed and lay eggs on it, but their caterpillars cannot digest it so they starve.

We bagged the roots of these plants along with the seed pods of the Black swallow-wort plants. These black bags will be left in the direct sun on pavement for several weeks before being disposed of as trash.

This conservation property is accessed from Ingalls Street. There is a new kiosk and parking area across from 21 Ingalls.

08/24/2026

Planning any late-summer or fall planting? Choosing native and drought-tolerant plants can help create a yard that needs less watering while supporting local wildlife. Explore Nashua's native plants with this search tool from NWF: https://nativeplantfinder.nwf.org/Plants

07/09/2026

Great opportunity to buy native plants locally!

Garden tour and native plant sale!

06/17/2026

Join us at NH Audubon’s Farley Meadow Sanctuary on June 23rd from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm. We will be utilizing iNaturalist and eBird to document species both seen and heard during this group outing. Please park in the lot of the Nashua Church of Christ at 97 Farley Rd. and gather at the trailhead kiosk.

From June 21 through June 27, the NH Audubon Nature Challenge will be bringing people together all over New Hampshire to celebrate and document our local wildlife using eBird and iNaturalist. We welcome explorers of all ages and skill levels to visit any of our 20+ included sanctuary properties and help us inventory the birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, flowers, trees, mosses, mushrooms, and more there.

Want to prepare? Review the webinar on our website or YouTube if you want to learn more about eBird and iNaturalist. You can join us for a guided tour with naturalists during the challenge too! Space is limited so RSVP now on our Events Calendar.

https://nhaudubon.org/center-and-events/nh-audubon-nature-challenge/

05/27/2026

Spring is a great time to add native plants to your yard or garden. Native species grow better locally, are more resilient, help manage water, reduce heat, and support pollinators and wildlife. Explore native flowers, trees, and shrubs for NH: https://plantnative.org/rpl-nen.htm

05/25/2026

Join people all over New Hampshire and help document birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, flowers, trees, mosses, mushrooms, during this weeklong event held June 21st through June 27th at NH Audubon properties.

NH Audubon is holding a free webinar June 2 from 6-7:30pm.

During this upbeat and informational webinar, you will:

Learn about the NH Audubon Nature Challenge and why we need your help.
Learn how to register for iNaturalist and eBird if you do not already have an account (both are free to use!) and how to submit valid observations.
Find out which wildlife sanctuaries are included and some tips on visiting.

Find more information here:

Get ready for the 2nd annual Audubon Nature Challenge! Join people all over New Hampshire documenting birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, flowers, trees, mosses, mushrooms, and everything else during this […]