http://www.middlesexconservationdistrict.org/

Middlesex Conservation District, 319 Littleton Road suite 205, Westford, MA (2026)

06/03/2026

Unfortunately, we had to cancel our tour due to the owner being unable to host the event space. We apologize for the inconvenience. We’re looking to make another native rain garden tour available. Details are TBD.

06/01/2026

Read our latest newsletter: Gardening for all Wildlife: Supporting Biodiverse Landscapes

Whether you are making or managing a garden for pollinators or birds, there are numerous other animals in our ecosystem that may also live in or near you and your property.

Rabbits, voles, shrews, foxes, owls and many more depend on plants and/or animals to survive and thrive. Shrews and moles play important roles in eating insects such as slugs, grasshoppers, and snails.

Supporting predators such as owls and other natural pest controlling animals can include putting up owl boxes or keeping older trees with deep cavities.

Keeping rodents in check means protecting predators too. Rodenticides harm much more than mice and rats, they can also harm and kill pets, hawks, bobcats, snakes, and other animals that feed on rodents.

Although we may not like seeing the damage caused by certain animals, supporting predators and not using harmful chemicals can create a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem.

Image Credits: Chrissy McClarren and Angy Reago - no rights reserved (CC0)

05/11/2026

Aquatic Invasive Species Identification Workshop

When: Wednesday, June 24, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Where: Framingham Public Library
Program Type: In-person Only
Cost: Free, Registration Required
Maximum Limit of Participants: 25
Speaker: DCR Lakes and Ponds

Learn how to identify aquatic plants and protect your local waterbody from invasive species through this hands-on workshop led by DCR’s Lakes and Ponds Program. View live plant specimens and learn key features of common invasives that can be found in the SuAsCo watershed.

By learning to detect invasive plants early, participants can help prevent new infestations from becoming established. Early detection increases the chance that invasive plants can be eradicated before they spread, saving both ecological value and costs.

Registration required, limited to 25 participants.

Some common invasives to be aware of:

Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata): Highly aggressive, grows an inch a day, and spreads via turions and fragmentation.
Eurasian Watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum): Widespread, forming dense mats that choke out native vegetation.
Water Chestnut (Trapa natans): Forms floating, thorny rosettes that impede navigation and recreation.
Fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana): Common in lakes and rivers, often spreading through fragmenting.
Curly-leaf Pondweed (Potamogeton crispus): An early-growing invasive found in many waterbodies.
Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria): Frequently found on the margins of lakes and wetlands.

Registration Required: https://middlesexconservationdistrict.org/events/

Image Credits: OARS 3 Rivers

The Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Division of Conservation Services Conservation District Innovation and Basic Grant Program provides funding for this program.

05/06/2026

Exciting news! Indian paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea), a critically imperiled state-endangered species, has been identified growing in Northwest Connecticut. Believed to be extinct throughout most of New England, this seedling has sprouted at one of its last known habitat locations in the region (on NCLC protected land).

Last year, a stewardship team applied special plot treatments to encourage germination of any viable seed remaining in the soil at this location. The team is thrilled to report that a successful plant was identified growing in one of the plots last week.

This is an amazing conservation step forward, thanks to the people who make land protection and this conservation work possible.

Fingers crossed, this plant is the beginning of the restoration of this endangered species.

Thank you to the CT Botanical Society, Connecticut Association of Wetland Scientists, and Millbrook Garden Club for helping fund this species restoration project.

03/31/2026

Tour a Large-Scale Native Rain Garden with Evan Abramson

When: Sunday, July 12, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM - rain date July 19th
Where: 24 Conant Road, Lincoln, MA 01773
Program Type: In-person Only
Cost: Free, Registration Required
Maximum Limit of Participants: 40
Speaker: Evan Abramson of Landscape Interactions

Join MCD on a field trip to visit an elegant example of a biodiverse native basin garden (read: rain garden at much bigger scale) at a private residence in Lincoln, MA with Landscape Interactions Founding Principal Evan Abramson, designer of the site and author of the Lincoln Pollinator Action Plan.

Registration Required: https://middlesexconservationdistrict.org/events/

Image Description: Darkened picture of rain droplets and puddling on a grassy area. Top and bottom parts of the photo are blurred.

Image Credits: Evan Abramson

The Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Division of Conservation Services Conservation District Innovation and Basic Grant Program provides funding for this program.

02/25/2026

2026 Spring Native Plant Sale! 🌱🪴🌸🌼🐝🦋🐦

We welcome you to our 2026 Spring Plant Sale!

We are selling wildflowers, grasses, shrubs, fruiting plants, and more!

All plants will come as plugs, tubelings, or bare roots.

Examples of plants we are selling include Swamp Rose Mallow, American Cranberry Bush, Blue Stemmed Goldenrod, Closed Gentian, Foam Flower, Coral Honeysuckle, Culver’s Root, Foam Flower, Little Bluestem, and Narrow-leaved Blue-eyed Grass.

Supplies include Root bags, 6″ Pollinator Pathway signs, and Garden Labels.

Choosing native plants is one of the most direct ways to support pollinators, birds, and local ecosystems. These plants evolved alongside our wildlife and play an essential role in providing food, shelter, and seasonal rhythm across the landscape.

Whether you are filling a garden bed, starting a meadow, or adding just a few plants to your yard, small choices can make a meaningful difference.

If you would like more information about why native plants are important, please check out our Resources page under “Plants” and “Pollinators“.

If you are curious to learn about the plants native to Massachusetts and the Northeast, please, go to masspollinatornetwork.org and go to their Resources > Plants > scroll down and click Plants native to this region. This Google sheet is from Massachusetts Pollinator Network’s website, created by Amy Meltzer and Heidi Dollard, and provides a comprehensive list of plants, blooming period, sunlight, moisture, and more!

The plant sale ordering deadline is April 24th!

Pick-up and Cash Sale:
Friday, May 1, from 4:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Saturday, May 2, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Minuteman High School
758 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA 02421

Please use the QR code or go to https://middlesexconservationdistrict.org/ and click Spring Plant Sale under the menu or to order plants.

Information on the sale can be found here: https://middlesexconservationdistrict.org/spring-sale-ordering/

Want to Volunteer?
Volunteers are essential to the success of the plant sale. Helping with order packing and pickup days is a great way to support the event and connect with others who care about native plants and local conservation. Please email the District Administrator, at [email protected], if you would like to volunteer!

Please come to our website and order some native plants to help diversify your garden!

And as always, thank you for your support of the Middlesex Conservation District!

This event is free to enter and open to the public.

plants

01/26/2026

Native Seed Winter Sow with Isabel Bailey

When: February 7, 2026, from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Where: Billerica Access Television, 390 Boston Road, Billerica, MA, 01821
Program Type: In-Person
Cost: Free, Registration Required
Maximum Limit of Participants: 40
Speaker: Isabel Bailey, Supervisor of the Middlesex Conservation District

In this free workshop (donations greatly appreciated), led by Isabel Bailey, we will learn how to sow seeds into milk jugs for easy, outdoor, over-wintering germination of native pollinator-supporting plants. After attending the demonstration, participants will prepare the growing containers and plant seeds.

What to bring:

Clean, translucent, and empty gallon jugs if you have them. Remove the cap. (Additional jugs will be provided.)
Gardening gloves (if desired)
Scissors. (The workshop will provide some to share.)
Duct Tape (we will have rolls circulating, too.)
Cardboard box, tray, or other container to take home jugs (We have some to share.)
Description of area where you’ll transplant your seedlings (shade, sun, partial sun/shade)
Families are welcome (please register the total number of attendees!)

Registration Required: https://middlesexconservationdistrict.org/events/

Sponsored by the Billerica Garden Club

Image Description: Isabel in the center photo. The background photo shows milk jugs, labeled with native plant species, on a porch with soil inside. Snow surrounds the jugs with water droplets on the jugs.

Image Credits: Andrea Grossman (background) and Mary Lauve (center photo)

The Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Division of Conservation Services Conservation District Innovation and Basic Grant Program provides funding for this program.

01/13/2026

Healthy Soil through Maximum Biodiversity: Replicable Models for Resilient Design with Evan Abramson

When: February 10, 2026, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: Zoom
Program Type: Zoom Only
Cost: Free, Registration Required
Maximum Limit of Participants: 100
Speaker: Evan Abramson of Landscape Interactions

Funded by a Healthy Soils Action Grant from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, for the past two years Landscape Interactions has been collaborating with farmers and community gardeners across Massachusetts to develop a series of scalable, replicable landscape designs and land management practices to improve soil health and increase soil carbon sequestration by supporting native pollinator species at risk of extinction. Through a robust process of on-site data collection, collaborative design and community engagement, Healthy Soil through Maximum Biodiversity offers a playbook for building biodiversity and ecological resilience below and aboveground.

Evan Abramson will present two seasons of data from ten participating sites, walk audience members through the process of creating the target list of over 150 at-risk species, and showcase the scalable, replicable designs that support these species, all forthcoming in a free, public access publication.

Registration Required: https://middlesexconservationdistrict.org/events/

Image Description: Evan Abramson in the center photo. The background photo shows native plantings around the side of a building with an artistic rendering of an adult and child to the left of the building.

Image Credits: Evan Abramson

The Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Division of Conservation Services Conservation District Innovation and Basic Grant Program provides funding for this program.

interactions

12/22/2025

Gardening for Biodiversity with Native Plants: Providing Habitat for Pollinators, Birds, and Other Essential Wildlife

When: January 24, 2025, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Where: Concord Free Public Library-Fowler Branch, 1322 Main Street, Concord, MA, 01742
Duration: 1.5 hours, one hour presentation and half hour for Q&A
Program Type: In-Person only
Cost: Free, Registration Required
Maximum Limit of Participants: 50
Speaker: Amy Meltzer, Massachusetts Pollinator Network Steering Committee Co-Chair

In this talk, Amy will focus on the current biodiversity crisis; the evolutionary history among native plants, insects, birds and fungi, and how these interdependent relationships among diverse species are necessary for their survival. She will show how growing native plants and using ecological landscape practices can simultaneously reverse biodiversity loss, increase resilience in our landscapes, and slow climate change – all while creating a beautiful garden!

Registration Required: https://middlesexconservationdistrict.org/events/
Donations are welcome!

Image Description: (image on left) bumblebee on New England Blazing Star, (image on right) swallowtail butterfly on bee balm, (image in center) photo of Amy Meltzer

Image Credits: Amy Meltzer

This program is co-advertised by the Middlesex Conservation District, Grow Native Massachusetts, and Massachusetts Pollinator Network.

The Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Division of Conservation Services Conservation District Innovation and Basic Grant Program provides funding for this program.

11/26/2025

What’s Up in the Watershed: Learn about Local River Science with OARS 3 Rivers – with Abby McCarthy of OARS

When: January 10, 2025, from 1:00 PM to 1:45 PM
Where: Concord Free Public Library-Fowler Branch, 1322 Main Street, Concord, MA, 01742
Duration: 45 minute presentation with Q&A included
Program Type: In-Person only
Cost: Free, Registration Required
Maximum Limit of Participants: 50
Speaker: Abby McCarthy, OARS’ Water Quality Program Manager

Are you interested in learning about local river science? Come learn about water quality programs for the Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Rivers with the local nonprofit OARS 3 Rivers from Water Quality Program Manager Abby McCarthy. She will share a fun and interesting presentation about the ongoing programs to monitor and improve water quality, what issues affect river health in the watershed, and how you can get involved in local river science volunteering. Although this talk is designed for a general audience of adults and youth ages 12 and up, people of all ages are welcome to attend. The talk will be 45 minutes, with ample time for questions. We hope to help build excitement for local environmental projects and water science!

Registration Required: https://middlesexconservationdistrict.org/events/

Image Description: River landscape in the background. Picture of Abby McCArthy in center

Image Credits: Abby McCarthy (self) and Andrea Grossman (river background)

This program is co-advertised by the Middlesex Conservation District, OARS 3 Rivers, and the Concord Free Public Library.

The Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Division of Conservation Services Conservation District Innovation and Basic Grant Program provides funding for this program.

Middlesex Conservation District

06/03/2026

06/01/2026

05/11/2026

05/06/2026

03/31/2026

02/25/2026

01/26/2026

01/13/2026

12/22/2025

11/26/2025

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