Fieldnotes
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Fist and Hat Pinholes
Partial solar eclipse viewed indirectly through fist and straw hat.
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Eclipse!
Some parts of the United States will see a total solar eclipse today. This will be a lifetime event for many. The superstitious, Republicans, and other ignorant fools may want to stay inside: the Sun God is very, very angry with them. Here at Backyard & Beyond, we’re only getting a partial eclipse. (And this…
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Caterpillars
In case I spoiled your breakfast with the carnivorous devouring of an adult Monarch’s brain, here’s the famous caterpillar stage of Danaus plexippus. Spotted in Virginia recently.Although the Yellow Bear caterpillar is named Spilosoma virginica, this one was spotted in Westerchester Co., NY. It’s a Tribble! And it looks like it might have some mites…
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The King is Dead
A freshly dispatched Monarch (Danaus plexippus).Cause of death unknown. But the head was missing.While we were surveying the corpse, a European Paper Wasp (Polistes dominula) showed up to browse in the facial cavity. These wasps chew up insect bits to feed their young. The mostly orange antenna of P. dominula are a good identification short…
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Butterflies
Meadow Fritillary (Boloria bellona). I just found a second hand copy of Butterflies Through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Butterflies in the Boston-New York-Washington Region by Jeffery Glassberg and used it to identify this one. The fritillaries can be rather similar to each other.Here, for instance, is a Varigated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia), which on second…
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More Purple Martins
Posh is the only word to describe the two Purple Martin housing units at the Great Swamp NWR Visitor Center. There are a dozen nest sites on each post. Not a single House Sparrow or Starling in the mix. And, whoa, were the martins busy. The martins glide more than our other swallows, and they…
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Vespa Crabro
The last two summers, I saw solitary examples of a very large, yellow-abdomened wasp in Green-Wood. They moved constantly, never staying still long enough to be photographed. Last summer I identified them as European Hornets, Vespa Crabro; the species has been in North American since at least 1840.This summer, I finally found one hanging around.…
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Toad O’clock
American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus) spotted by an eagle-eyed five-year-old on her family’s Westchester Co. property. This was just after we had all run into two other amphibians by the side of the house:Look how this one blends in.A Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus). Less than a foot away from the even smaller but more colorful:Itty-bitty Northern…
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Red Meadowhawks
Obelisking meadowhawk of the Sympetrum genus. This abdomen-up position minimizes the amount of heat hitting the body.The Sympetrum are difficult to distinguish out-of-hand in the field. This could be the White-faced, Cherry-faced, or Ruby-Faced.This male was the only specimen seen at NYBG. The females are even harder to distinguish, but they all know the drill:…
Backyard and Beyond 