Backyard
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Persistence
Harmonia axyridis on 5th Avenue. At this rate, why even bother taking shelter for the winter?On the contrary, let’s stay out all day and night… * In case you missed it in the hullabaloo over Hamilton, on Friday, the President Elect of the United States of American settled the fraud suit against him for his…
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Sunset Park Elm
I’ve been photographing this big American Elm in Sunset Park for the last year.The long shadows if not the temperature tell of the days drawing nearer. Today’s the first day of the end of daylight savings time, meaning an hour sooner sunset, and we’ve still a month and more to go to the shortest day.…
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City of Roosts
Rebecca Solnit is a writer I’ll follow anywhere. A few years ago, she produced an atlas of San Francisco that just called to my old geographer’s heart. Infinite City was followed by Unfathomable City, in which she teamed up with Rebecca Snedeker for an atlas of New Orleans. Now she and the wonderfully named Joshua…
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Sunset Park Elm
Fall is coming! And about time, too! The state of the elm. From this southwesterly perspective, it is hanging onto the slope of the moraine with everything it has. Previous states of the elm.
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Shelter From The Rain
On the edge of the storm, a beetle clings to the outside of the kitchen window.Slick wet glass, mind you. Last seen heading further up to the frame. Early October, Brooklyn. Should I submit this to bugguide.net to see who can identify it from this angle? Or would that be cruel? Actually, we have a…
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View From The Moraine
A green lacewing (Chrysopidae) paused briefly on the window recently.
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Book Gifts To Keep On Giving
Have you reached the anti-gift stage yet? Most of the crap that will be given with the best of intentions this holiday season will be thrown out soon, adding yet more to the garbage we so heedlessly produce and litter the entire world with. And this after the production of that needless junk has caused…
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Katydid Nights
Since Sunday night, a katydid has been stridulating out beyond the Back 40. It’s a Common True Katydid (Pterophylla camellifolia), the one that says its own name. Once upon a time, nearly a century ago, this species was presumed extirpated from NYC, but it has clearly returned. Katydid-katydidnt & etc. The Horticulturist remembers childhood visits…
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Snails on Saturday
The rain in the middle of the week bought the snails out in the Back 40. Half a dozen were visible from the door for the rest of the week. All are the big ones, Cepaea nemoralis, an introduced species. I’m sure there are others. These two were getting frisky. More snails: the surprising abundance…
Backyard and Beyond 