June 2011
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In Prospect Park
A walk in Prospect Park never fails to turn up something exciting in the animal/vegetable/mineral kingdoms, even if I’m paying more attention to the conversation. When the conversation is with NYC Wildflower Week’s Mariellé Anzelone, there’s plenty to learn. For instance, I think I can now actually name the two flowers pictured here. That’s one…
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Sapling?
I’m not the only half-assed gardener in the Back Forty (inches), my little plot of backyard concrete. The wind, the birds, and the squirrels have been known to plant things as well. In a weeding mind, I over-zealously pulled this out of a pot: Oops, hello, sapling! The seed here looks like a hazelnut or…
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Insects, spider
Ragweed leaf beetle. The woods at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary were dripping with caterpillars, and caterpillar droppings, which rained down invisibly but created a little pitter patter on the leaf-litter.At Ipswich, I got my first mosquito bites of the year. This one was taken down back in Haverhill, MA. Note how its harpoon is longer…
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In the woods
Maundsley State Park, in Newburyport, Massachusetts, is a former private estate. Many of its trees, therefore, escaped the usual rounds of woodland clear-cutting that characterized most of the northeast. The towering white pines, in particular, are a marvel to look at. There were plenty of mast-worthy trees there; I mean those straight, thick-boled beasts that…
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Tiger Swallowtail
One of our biggest butterflies, the eastern tiger swallowtail, Papilio glaucus. Seen all over the East Coast and Midwest; this one was photographed yesterday in Hudson River Park. Note that the upper “swallowtail” is abbreviated, broken or bitten off. This may be a female, because of the extensive blue on the hindwing. Her tongue is…
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Painted Turtles
This is why they’re called painted turtles: We found this one on the road right outside the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary last week. I hopped out of the car to get it off the road. The turtle immediately pulled in all its extremities, tucking its tail along the side, which was nice since the claws…
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Meanwhile, in the Back 40
The seam or gutter between the concrete out back ripened with all sorts of things while I was away. Beneath the plants are ant colonies.There are at least a half dozen species rooted in this little trough of dirt and BQE dust. Or, ah, were, until I weeded them. Meanwhile, behind the fences are two…
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Cedar-Apple Rust
It’s been a good spring for cedar-apple rust. Two weeks ago during the great rain, I noticed several searches for the fungus, Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae, leading to my post of last year on the subject. This year I was on Nantucket to see the fungus in its blooming glory, all over the eastern red cedars in…
Backyard and Beyond 