mthew
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The Cache
For days now, a Red-bellied Woodpecker has been heard in the London plane tree across the street. The distinctive “quirrr!” announces his bird. But he doesn’t stay long. I hustled to the window with the camera a couple of times before just staking out the situation to catch these images. The bird is caching acorns…
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Some Moths
This pandemic year, I have spent an inordinate amount of time chasing little flutters arising erratically from the grass. By “chasing,” I mean inadvertently flushing a moth and then watching where it lands, usually close by. Above is a Velvetbean Caterpillar Moth (Anticarsia gemmatalis). The ubiquitous Green Cloverworm Moth (Hypena scabra), posed against some Orange…
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Legendary
Woooooooooooo… Green-Wood’s Headless Hawk is said to only fly on All Hallow’s Eve… mostly because every year it bumps into a tree limb and doesn’t work up the courage to do it again for another year. *** Nobody has said it for a while, but I have had people here say “don’t do politics, I…
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Pepper Tray
We rarely celebrate the cultivated fruits of the planet here, but these peppers ready for roasting are as emblematic of the harvest season as anything. From the left: Serrano, poblano, and cayenne from the local farmer’s market. I roast, peel and seed, and then freeze these to use as needed. Which, since they’re in the…
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Woodsy Wood Duck
I’ve mentioned the weeping Bald Cypress on the edge of Sylvan Water before. It provides excellent cover for bathing birds, who can dart into its shelter when they must. As the low tree reaches over to cover a bit of water, it also provides a hidey-hole beneath. The reflection of a Wood Duck in there,…
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Raptor Wednesday
The bagpiper had just finished practicing, so the peace and quiet and nature sounds I came for were again all around me. The call of an American Kestrel had me scanning the skies. This bird flew up to the top of this conifer and, as I got some lens on the situation, I saw that…
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Gall-y
Here’s another gall for your collection: Cypress Twig Gall Midge (Taxodiomyia cupressiananassa). Affects Bald and Pond Cypresses. I like how they almost kinda look like the cones. *** Yesterday, Trump mafia family members Ivanka and Jared tweeted that they were sending in their mail-in ballots, just hours after Trump railed again against mail-in balloting once…
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Red-backed Salamander
I’ve known about salamanders in Brooklyn for a while now, but this Eastern Red-backed (Plethodon cinereus) I ran into this week was the first I’ve seen personally. What is the story here? How have they managed to survive in the midst of all this? True, this one was in as woodsy a place as you…
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Seasonal Colors
Nyssa sylvatica. Toxicodendron radicans. Schizachyrium scoparium. Fraxinus americana, Autumn Purple cultivar. Sassafras albidum.
Backyard and Beyond 