Fieldnotes
-
Monday Meadows
Open these up.For megapixels of wonder.And speak not to me of lawns.
-
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.
-
Tiger Beetle
A Common Claybank Tiger Beetle (Cicindela limbalis). Also known as the Green-margined Tiger Beetle. Spotted by a owl-eyed friend on a lichen-anchored rock on Mt. Taurus up above Cold Spring, NY, on a recent hike. Tiger beetles, in addition to being stripy are fast-moving predators of other insects. This was the view from up there.
-
Monarch, Comma
Spotted two Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in Green-Wood today.Like perfect little kites of joy.Also saw some Cabbage Whites, Orange Sulphurs, and several skippers. Pretty good for a day with temps in the high 40s at sunrise. There was also this Comma (Polygonia comma).Soaking up the sun.
-
-
Herons
This Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) had a bum left foot. It was holding the toes curled and not putting any pressure on it. In flight, which seemed fine, it looked as if a toe was sticking weirdly upright. Green Heron (Butorides virescens), also at Crescent Water. I think it’s standing on something under there,…
-
Woodland Aster
There isn’t much of a concentration of trees in Green-Wood, as opposed to grand old specimen trees, but the tiny patch of woodland overlooking the Sylvan Water is host to these little asters, a burst of autumnal blooming. The reddish-orange parts have already been pollinated, the yellow not yet. Both bumblebees and flies were observed…
-
Raptor Wednesday
On a recent afternoon, I had the pleasure of experiencing the Brooklyn falcon trifecta. It all started in Green-Wood: the distinctive shape of one of the small falcons tearing through the air in the distance, met by the rough chorus of outraged Monk Parakeets stirred up by its cousin. (Yes, falcons are more closely related…
-
After Barely A Summer Dies the Bee
This goldenrod was chock-a-stem with bumblebees, carpenter bees, and honeybees, moving slowly if at all on a cool day. You could pet them if you liked. This is the last hurrah for the bumbles and carpenter bees, except for already mated queens, who will soon find a place tucked away in leaf litter for the…
-
Autumn Meadows
Fat grasshoppers and noisy crickets. Bumblebees built for cooler weather. Darting moths stirred up by our presence. Palm Warblers absent the rufus polls of springtime, but their tails as derrick-like as ever. A falcon shoots by, too quick for us. We curse the god-damned helicopters, a constant curse over the island.And a few days later…
Backyard and Beyond 