Fieldnotes

This week I’ll be showcasing some new-to-me species. Eye-level leaves are the naturalist’s friend. Your big honking tree has a lot of leaves up there, and 99% of them are inaccessible to the eye. But find yourself some low branches, or a sapling, and examine the sun-bathed leaves. They can be hopping… That’s how I…

Look closely. There are at least four little grasshoppers on this plant. The coreopsis flowers are making room for them, too. And here’s katydid in the mix. *** Breaking! There are coyote pups in the Bronx. I haven’t seen them, but these pictures on iNaturalist are just what you need today.

Harmonia axyridis is found everywhere now. Mugwort is a good place to find them. This is a vary variable beetle, variably spotted, even variably colored (although the red ones predominate). They are rounder and larger, in general, than native species. Introduced to North America about a century ago, they are invasive, bad news for native…

Linden Bark Borer Moth on a linden leaf. An introduced species… to go with our numerous introduced linden species. Linden’s are very popular street trees here. The flowers are just opening now. European Paper Wasp, the one with the orange antennae. One of the tiger crane flies. Certain grassy and unkept parts of Green-Wood are…

Mamma Kestrel after a recent rain.

An unkempt clump of spirea and other plants. Just watch for a bit. Things are happening. You just need to tune your senses to it.

Some trees species have both male and female reproductive parts on the same tree. Others, called dioecious, have male and female parts separated on individual trees. Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) is one of these species. This is even signified in the species epithet. These are the flowers of a male Kentucky coffeetree.