Fieldnotes
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Botanisk Have
A selection from Copenhagen’s botanical garden. Their native plant section was mostly gone to seed, but a few flowers were still bravely waving. Yes, a little awkward cataloging this post under “Sweden” but the Danes held the part of Sweden we visited for centuries, so I’m sure, in the spirit of Scandinavian cooperation, everybody’s going…
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In Sweden
I particularly wanted to see some sloes, the marble-sized drupes of the blackthorn (Prunus spinosa). My walking stick, which saw me around Dartmoor, is made from the storied wood of this shrubby, hedgy, sometimes-tree. There’s much legend associated with this species; and (black) magic, like, for instance, how they find a long straight piece for…
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North Woods
We were in Skåne, Sweden’s southern-most county, largely flat and agricultural. But there were certainly pockets of woodlands.And mushrooms.And the fabled Röd flugsvamp (Amanita muscaria), which the Vikings used to get up and go… berserk in the morning.
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Winter Memories, With Spring and Fall Not Far Behind
Ok, this last one was in May… Alas, I have no pictures of Swedish owls. In coming days I will be posting about our adventures in southwestern Sweden on a Wings Birding tour with a wonderful guide named Evan Obercian. We looked for a Tawny Owl that had been heard around a church in Malmö.…
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Darners
The mosaic darners of the genus Aeshna are some of our largest dragonflies. There are 20 similar looking species in North America, so they can be a bear to identify. This looks like a Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa), photographed recently in Westchester Co. They run about 2.9″ long. Shadow Darners can be seen well into…
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Feather Quiz
Starting with a gimme, a bit of exotica.Found along a pond in Westchester Co.Found at the northern end of Central Park. Answers in comments. It’ll take several days to get back to ya’ll.
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Tern Tern Tern
Time for a Tern challenge? Post-breeding terns lose their summer plumage quickly. So what do we have here? (These pictures were all taken two weeks ago in tidewater Virginia.) A. B. C. Yes, that bill is broken. Th bird was grooming, but I wonder how long it can survive this way? (Note that I won’t…
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Spreadwings
I have not come across any of the spreadwing damselflies in Brooklyn. These Lestidae family insects are the exception to the rule that damselflies rest with their wings folded back above their abdomen, in contrast to the dragonflies who don’t fold their wings at all. This year I caught a glimpse of a spreadwing —…
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Current Lepidoptera
And even more butterflies. This is a Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus). Mostly southern, but makes forays as far north as New England. First spotting of this species for me, in Green-Wood.Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) caterpillar. This is the one that gets on your parsley; the earlier instars or stages are black with a white splotch in…
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Painted Ladies
There were more Vanessa cardui butterflies around the Green-Wood Buddleja planting than I’ve ever seen in one place in New York City.Really nice to see so many individuals of slightly different sizes and color intensity.What is up with this hanging out on the stone or tarmac?
Backyard and Beyond 