Fieldnotes
-
Manitoga
Making up the team “More is More,” my friend Sarah and I won second place in the Open House NY Modern Architecture and Design Scavenger Hunt earlier this spring. We claimed our prize last weekend: a guided tour of Manitoga, the Russell Wright Design Center, near Garrison, NY. I have to admit I’d never heard…
-
Kerjillions
The tadpoles of a toad, I assume American Toad (Bufo americanus) rather than Fowler’s (Bufo fowleri), about a centimeter long. In the shallows of Doodletown’s Reservoir. The adult toads live inland but come to fresh water to reproduce.There were innumerable numbers of them. They follow the human sperm plan; produce a lot, a few will…
-
On Congress
Street, this morning.Along with the roses on the corner of Henry, pictures of which I showered my Twitter followers with, ‘cuz they probably needed a sweet start to the week.
-
Prince’s Bay, Part II
We went out to Prince’s Bay on the southwestern shore of Staten Island to look at the Purple Martin Colony at Lemon Creek Park. Purple Martins (Progne subis) are our largest swallow. On the East Coast, they pretty much nest exclusive in colonial human-made “houses,” which are usually patterned like little human mansions, or, this…
-
Prince’s Bay
A journey into the eroding underbelly of Staten Island.These were a surprise. Peacocks, screaming their haunting woman-in-peril scream on the grounds of the Seguine Mansion. Flannery O’Connor, who lived on a farm with 40 peafowl, said about the carrying voices of these birds, “To the melancholy this sound is melancholy, and to the hysterical it…
-
Hunkered Down
A Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), one of the three dozen or so species of birds that nest in Prospect Park. This one is hunkered down before the onslaught of the Googa Mooga bullshit that has taken over the heart of the park for a week and culminates in many full porta-potties this weekend. Farther away,…
-
Blooms, Bugs, BBP
What might we discover on this Sunday’s New York City Wildflower Week walk in Brooklyn Bridge Park?You can register for this free walk via the link above.Blooms we have, insects are holding out for some warmer weather, so who knows what we will discover.OK, I cheated with this last image, because Watertower II, by Tom…
-
Snake/Privatization
An albino version of the New York native Black Rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta) being held by one of Prospect Park’s “Pop-Up Audubon” staffers recently. This is the largest snake species in the state, reaching up to six feet in length. They get bigger in the South. Constrictors, Black Rat snakes squeeze their prey to death,…
-
Wildflower Week
New York City Wildflower Week begins tomorrow. It’s a celebration of all things wildflower, and all things habitat, because you can not separate the two, and a reminder that the NYC region has already lost over 40% of its native flora. I will be leading two walks this year. Events are free. Pictured: In the…
Backyard and Beyond 