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By rough count, I have 77 wasp, midge, mite, and aphid gall-inducers logged on iNaturalist, most of them in Brooklyn, and most of these in Green-Wood Cemetery.

Having been forced to move their nest cavity site down to the next avenue, the Kestrels have returned to their old haunts closer to this avenue.

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Queen Anne’s lace is a-bloom. I often see flies congregating on it, but this particular one has a wasp and three beetles. The third beetle is out of focus on the lower left. But for now, I draw your attention to this chunky, colorful wasp. Chrysis angolensis was introduced to this hemisphere in the middle…

Ye olde Double-crested Cormorant. The double-crests are breeding plumage curlicues, infrequently seen. Phalacrocorax auritus literally means bald crow with ears.

The stone retaining wall of the Dell Water in Green-Wood is largely exposed this time of year. I was looking over the pond recently when I noticed a bumble bee fly towards the wall below me. And tuck right into it out of sight. Oh, hey! Both of these gaps in the masonry seem to…