August 2014
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Scavenging
Today is Open House New York‘s Art Deco Scavenger Hunt, which I’m taking part in, so I wanted to share with you some of the city’s Art Deco wonders because many were inspired by the natural world. These first three photos from the Barclay-Vesey Building, designed by Ralph Walker for the New York Telephone Co.;…
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One Froggy Morning
Green-Wood’s Valley Water, filled with tadpoles earlier in the spring, is now full of young Bull Frogs (Rana catesbeiana). At least, that’s what I think they are. The crowd including this frogpole, not yet completely transformed into an adult.The lily pads spluttered as these little ones hopped, skipped, and splashed away, sometimes hitting several pads…
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USDA Prime
Not only does the Multicolored Asian Ladybeetle (Harmonia axyridis) come in multiple colors, they’re also found with a variable number of spots. Or none at all. That’s me in the reflection of those high-gloss elytra. (Post title refers to the first release of the species in the U.S., which was done by the USDA. Subsequent…
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Harbor Heron Cruise
What could be better than being on the water of the NYC archipelago on a summer twilight? NYC Audubon’s Harbor Heron Cruises go up the East River tidal strait, passing under the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, 59th Street, Triboro/RFK, and Hell Gate bridges to check out the local rookeries. (A century and more ago, a rookery…
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“As Big As A Lear Jet”
A couple of years ago, I saw Cicada Killer Wasps (Sphecius speciosus) tunneling nests in two different tree pits in my neighborhood. One of those pits is again a nesting site. It’s notable on the block because it’s the only pit that has a good expanse of bare soil. This wasp was patrolling one of…
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Stain? Ghost?
Searching to find out why leaves makes these stains on concrete, I find a lot of webpages dedicated to getting rid of them (bleach, blech!). I love the things! And find them deeply satisfying. In a cursory search, I didn’t get much further than the organic pigments in the leaf become embedded in the concrete’s…
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Shorewalk
“Creeping along the endless beach amid the sun-squall and the foam, it occurs to us that we, too, are the products of sea-slime.” H.D. Thoreau on Cape Cod. I walked from the Lemon Creek Fishing Pier to Conference House Park along the Raritan Bay shore of Staten Island recently. The red glacial till of the…
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Common Green Darner
A male Common Green Darner (Anax junius), one of our largest species of dragonfly. You should really click on the picture for a larger view, since there is some great detail here because this one perched quite a while below eye-level, allowing us all good looks as he rubbed his front legs over his eyes.…
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Friday’s Feet
“The angels wanna wear my red shoes,” sings Elvis Costello. Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) don’t often swim, but they can.
Backyard and Beyond 