mthew
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Pet-trade Refugee
One of the many surplus Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) dumped into local waterways. Idiots buy them and tire of them and let them loose. The red “ear” is actually just a mark; on this specimen it’s rather pale; sometimes it doesn’t show at all. I once counted 70 RESs, which are native to the southeast…
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Night Singing
The other day, I heard an American Robin (Turdus migratorius) singing at 4:09 a.m. Another night-singer you might hear in our parts is the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), pictured here in full diurnal aria. What you definitely won’t hear here is the “Blackbird singing in the dead of night” of the Beatles, because that’s Turdus…
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Solstice
The sun will rise to its highest point in the sky today here in the northern hemisphere, meaning you will cast your shortest shadow of the year. Look at those miniature suns at the edge of the path… Closer: Opuntia humifusa, Prickly Pear Cactus, now blooming. This is the only native cactus in our part of the…
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Gateways
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) absolutely owning the place.There are a good number of Songs nesting at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, which is part of Gateway National Recreation Area.Another was singing on top of this Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nest box. There’s probably a whole family of swallows in there behind the parent seen poking out.The…
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Tiny Hopper
I think this a nymph Differential Grasshopper (Melanoplus differentials). In the high grasslands of Governor’s Island, which were also filled with Seven-spotted Lady Beetles.
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European Paper Wasp
Polistes dominula, gathering some boardwalk wood.
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Eastern Harvestman
Or Eastern Daddy Longlegs (Leiobunum vittatum). Your annual reminder: these are not spiders, don’t have fangs, don’t bite, and are not venomous. Some can spritz you with a stinking defensive spray, though.
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Eastern Amberwing
Our smallest dragonfly species, the Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera). This is a male. A female was also seen dipping her abdomen down into a lens of water atop a waterlily leaf, depositing her eggs. Blue Dashers, Green Darners, and Black Saddlebags were also about, but we certainly haven’t yet hit peak dragonfly.
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Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
The insects are definitely out and about. I had half a dozen mosquito bites Saturday night, all inside the assumed safety of my well-screened apartment. But let’s highlight some living invertebrates this week, starting with the always stunning Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus). Unmistakably big and yellow, right? This is a female, with much more…
