mthew
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Male Flowers
Some trees species have both male and female reproductive parts on the same tree. Others, called dioecious, have male and female parts separated on individual trees. Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) is one of these species. This is even signified in the species epithet. These are the flowers of a male Kentucky coffeetree.
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Black Lives Matter
The very fact that it has to be said, for years, for decades, for fucking centuries. The very fact that some whites shriek “all lives matter” in response, as they also demand the right to risk infecting the people who do their hair, and miss the point entirely. It’s hard to put together a post…
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Real Bees
The Common Eastern Bumblebee is, as the name suggests, our default bumblebee species. Bombus impatiens is found throughout the east-of-Mississippi River region, from FL to NS. Bumble Bees of North America by Williams, Throp, Richardson, & Colla, lists only five color pattern forms (two queen, one worker, two male) for this species. That’s not a…
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Fake Bees
At first glance, you might think this was a small bumble bee. I did, and this isn’t my first bumble rodeo. But look at those eyes. In front of the face, not on the side like a bee. And the eyes are touching: this is a fly, a bumblebee-mimicking fly. Possible Merodon genus. Here’s another.…
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Raptor Wednesday
Another Brooklyn Bald Eagle sighting. The squawking of Canada Geese made me look as the eagle cruised over the Sylvan Water. A Northern Mockingbird was smacking into the raptor’s back. More recently, I saw a raptor in the distance chased by two small black birds, which turned out to be Fish Crows, identified by their…
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Apres Migration
There may still be some migrants moving through, but the great waves of north-ward birds are done for this year. Locally, the early birds are fledging. These Canada geese nested on the island in the middle of Sylvan Water. Eggs too big for Common Ravens perhaps? Just after seeing this House Finch feed one of…
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Spiders
Literally ran into this one’s silk and started carrying her along. Zebra Jumping Spider, fairly common, which may be because they are relatively easy to identify. Six-spotted Orbweaver, although I could only get pictures from the underside. About eye-level in a tree. Common Spitting Spider. A neighbor. Pholcus genus spider with something else alive. Actually,…
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The Central Park Effect
The Rio Grande Valley is one of the great birding places in the U.S. Think Roger Tory Peterson’s “South Texas Specialities” in the back of his Eastern/Central field guide. It’s also the fraught border between two intimately connected nations. A few years ago, before Trump’s even more white supremacist approach to anti-immigration politics than the…
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Crowing
Fish Crows, by the sound of them, harrying the male American Kestrel. They did not seem to be making much of an impression. In other media, I didn’t do one of my listening tours this year because of you know what, but I did talk to WNYC’s Amy Pearl about listening to nature.
Backyard and Beyond 