Fieldnotes
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kingbird
An Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) between insecticidal sorties over the Upper Pool. What a binomial to saddled with, eh? Called “king” because of their aggressively territorial characteristics. Often return to the same perching place overlooking meadows or water bodies. King of all it surveys, at least according to us. Just barely seen here, the white…
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Who’s the Bos?
I am inordinately moved by the fate of the Aurochsen. Bos primigenius were the wild ox of Eurasia, painted by their hunters at Lascaux and elsewhere tens of thousands of years ago. These big beeves with the great horns were the ancestors of domesticated cattle, of which there are many breeds, including some with Aurochsen…
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Mantid on Hicks
My eyes aren’t getting any better, but perhaps my eye is. I was walking down Hicks Street trying to remember if I’d read Vidal’s The Golden Age, which I found on a stoop a block or two back, when I noticed this.Figured it was the exuvia of a mantis. Took some pictures, thought it too…
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Swamp Darner
A female Swamp Darner (Epiaeschna heros), one of the largest dragonflies in the east. A migratory species, averaging 3.4″ long. This is my first sighting. I watched her deposit eggs into pieces of lumber that edged a portion of the Vale of Cashmere. All the other species of dragonflies I’ve seen deposit their eggs in…
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Flying Now
Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) are out and about now, moving fast. One of the large “dark swallowtails,” which I find impossible to identify in motion. That’s the point. Both the Spicebush and the Black Swallowtail (P. polyxenes) mimic the Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor), which evidently tastes disgusting after loading up on Pipevine toxins. Predators learn…
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Froggy
Valley Water in Green-Wood is swarming with tadpoles right now. Here’s one of many hundreds popping up for a gulp of air. They were zooming up and then down into the murk.This rock, however, provided a nice docking area for them. Not sure if there is more than one species here or some are just…
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Pondhawk
Common or Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicollis). This is an immature male; his thorax will turn completely blue as he reaches maturity. Superficially like the common Blue Dasher, but larger, with clear wings, and white appendage. These Pondhawks are known as great predators, and capture and eat dragonflies their own size, including others of their own…
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Your Morning Chipmunk
Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) in the Vale of Cashmere. Cute as the dickens, but you know, without any predators they can become quite a problem, being predators themselves.
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Lily, Amberwings
Male Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera) on Water Lily (Nymphaeaceae). Twisted love: Amberwings making more Amberwings. The female, who lacks the amber wings, immediately started depositing eggs on a drop of water on a water lily leaf after this acrobatic display. This species is just about an inch long, making it one of the smallest dragonflies…
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British Bugs
A selection of the insects spotted on my Dartmoor walk, most of which I can’t identify, so if you know ’em, holler below in the comments.This one was easy to look up. (And be sure to click on the image to get a closer look at the wings.) There are only two damselfly species with…
Backyard and Beyond 