Land Conservancy of Ridgefield

Good morning Town of Ridgefield, CT!
#06877

Nothing says spring like skunk cabbage.

Looking forward to participating in the 2nd annual event!! See you there. 🌎🌻🌾🍁🌱

You see a dead branch on your oak. You want it trimmed. Here's who lives in it.

A Downy Woodpecker drilled a roosting cavity in that branch last October. She sleeps in it through winter and is raising chicks in it right now.

A Carolina Chickadee excavated a second hole three feet away. Dead wood is the only wood soft enough for her to drill — she can't excavate living timber.

A White-breasted Nuthatch wedged herself into a natural crack near the base of the dead section. She stores seeds there — hundreds of them pressed into bark crevices like a wall-mounted pantry.

A flying squirrel uses the Downy Woodpecker's old cavity from two years ago. Woodpeckers drill a new hole every year. Last year's becomes a flying squirrel apartment. The year before that becomes a screech owl roost.

One dead branch. Four species. Three of them wouldn't be on your property without it.

The living part of the tree is fine. The dead part is the part that's most alive.

🌿 A different way to see it:

- Leave dead branches that aren't directly over walkways or structures — they're the highest-density wildlife real estate on your property
- If a branch must be removed for safety, cut it to a six-foot stub rather than flush — stubs still function as habitat
- Dead wood on the ground works too — a fallen branch becomes beetle habitat within weeks

The branch you're about to call the arborist about may be the most productive part of your tree. 🌿

🚯Take Pride – Town Wide! Rid Litter Days 🚯

Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19
If everyone helped for 15 minutes, what a difference it would make.

📍Pick Up Supplies at:
Ridgefield Bicycle Company, 88 Danbury Road
Ridgefield Parks & Rec Center, 195 Danbury Road
Town Hall Information Office, 400 Main Street
(Supplies; safety vests, trash bags, blue bags for recycling cans & plastic bottles)

📍Drop off points for filled refuse bags on April 18 & 19 only:
Branchville Elementary School, 40 Florida Road
East Ridge Middle School, 10 East Ridge
Farmingville Elementary, 324 Farmingville Road
Ridgebury Elementary, 112 Bennetts Farm Road
Ridgefield High School, 700 North Salem Road

📱For more information or questions, call/text Melene Rose 801-652-7384

Co-sponsored by the Caudatowa Garden Club and Town of Ridgefield with support from HRRA, Ridgefield Bicycle Co. and Ridgefield Hardware Store

https://www.ridgefieldct.gov/calendar.php?view=month&month=04&day=01&year=2026&event=1077

2 Great Ridgefield legends!

Pete Nichols & James Tobin out on a Sunday for the Land Conservancy of Ridgefield . Almost everyone on the board grew up in Ridgefield. 🧡

Like our page and follow along as we explore spring in Ridgefield 🌿🦆🐞

Get outside and enjoy the snow!! It will be summer before you know it!

January is when hidden life rests quietly in our yards.
Leaving a few places undisturbed helps it survive until spring.

• Leave leaf layers under shrubs and trees — moths, beetles, and native bees shelter there
• Keep standing stems from flowers and herbs — hollow stems host bee larvae and eggs
• Stack small brush piles in a quiet corner — wrens, chipmunks, and ground beetles use the cover
• Let tall grass clumps stand along edges — dry stalks shelter bees and small mammals
• Leave log piles or fallen wood — salamanders and insects hide beneath while wood decomposes
• Skip raking one natural corner — messy edges become winter habitat hotspots

We are hiring!

Check out the open positions and see if one is right for you.
https://ridgefieldct.gov/departments/human_resources/current_employment_opportunities.php

Winter wonderland !!
Get outside folks ❄️
#06877

We love more space and less traffic!
DONATE today, and help us continue preserving what’s left 🍁
Old school in the mail: Land Conservancy of Ridgefield
P.O. Box 32
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Or click the link. We thank you in advancefor any amount 🪾🍂🐾

https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=qNpe9P_TRwLFUf4KyQaQck89X7Kdy6AiS6RLGuRzcuDd3d1ZcGicYLuHGabiljjRLKQntqbIQiEZwcnc