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Do Brush Piles Really Work For Wildlife? Yes! 

/ Jason Major / Leave a comment

While the park was under a thick cover of snow during February 2026, certain brush piles were surrounded by abundant tracks of the Eastern Cottontail.

Abundant tracks of the Eastern Cottontail 

Once the snow had melted, the appearance of well-worn entrance holes in these brush piles proved that they were used as shelters during a period of extreme cold.

Entry holes were excavated from around logs 

The location of where entrance holes were excavated and their relationship to the overall matrix of the popular brush piles suggest that a good one must include different kinds of plant material in alternate layers. A loosely interwoven network of woody stems of different diameters is important to form a sturdy dome-like shape that holds grassy material, herbaceous vines, and leaf litter for thermal insulation.

Brush piles that are well-built can last several years since component materials can be added over time. Such stable locations would provide save havens for wildlife from predators as well.

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Finding Artistic Inspiration at Salter Grove

/ Jason Major / Leave a comment
Oil painter Pat Perry at Salter Grove on July 23, 2021

Salter Grove isn’t just a great place to picnic, play, and go fishing—you can also find it artistically inspiring like Pat Perry did in July! Pat set up her portable easel for a bit of “plein air” painting, capturing the beauty of the cove, causeway, and breakwater from the eastern shore under a bright summer sky.

Pat came “all the way” from West Greenwich to paint a view from Salter Grove.

And earlier today on the west side of the park, “sidewalk artists” Sabrina and Adam created quite an impressive display of magical beasts, national flags, and planets to explore in chalk on the paved path to the playground.

Adam and Sabrina and their sidewalk chalk masterpiece on August 2, 2021

You never know what may inspire you at Salter Grove!

Nature Red in Tooth and Claw

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Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk with freshly-captured squirrel 

While working on the nature trails on Tuesday, November 17th, a hawk flew right toward us, struggling to keep hold of a squirrel in its talons. It graciously posed for some photos, and then flew to a limb tangle where it was better able to pin the squirrel down for a feast. It must have been very hungry because it even stripped the fur off the squirrel’s tail, presumably to access the tidbits there.

An hour later, a large raccoon was spotted sleeping 35 feet up on a black oak bough, not far from the hawk’s feeding perch.

Then an immature bald eagle soared by over South Cove.

Finally, the same hawk was seen close up, feeding on another bird, but unfortunately the camera battery had died.

Salter Grove—who needs a documentary when you can see it live?