Fieldnotes
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Springing/Budding
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) bud emerging. Today marks the vernal or spring equinox, when the hours of day and night are exactly 12 hours each — except that they are not. But you can take that up with your local astronomer if you’d like. Otherwise, enjoy the eruption of life here in the northern hemisphere in…
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Shroom
One of the polypore mushroom species, aging nicely in Prospect Park.
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Prison Peregrine
I only recently discovered that Peregrine falcons nested on the high-rise Brooklyn Detention Complex on Atlantic Avenue last year. This building used to be called the Brooklyn House of Correction ~ things becomes more complex but not necessarily better ~ although it is neither a house nor particularly corrective. I’m not often near it, even…
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We stand
on the wings of eagles.High about the columns at Grand Army Plaza, symbolic eagles provide a perch for even mightier real pigeons. These columns, with their pre-fascist fasces, were designed by Sanford White, whose post-Olmsted and Vaux entrance-way brought the rustic Victorian park into the grandiose Victorian end of the century (1892). Brooklyn-born Frederick MacMonnies,…
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Two
1. I saw Comet Pan Starrs tonight from the Brooklyn Promenade. It was just above a bruise-colored haze bank (alas, poor Jersey!) over Ellis Island. The tail was quite diaphanous. It was my second try at spotting it, with an interval of poor weather in between. Not visible to the naked eye, it was easy…
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Persephone
While failing to see the rare-for-our-parts Varied Thrush that has been in Prospect Park for a few days, I otherwise noted: two raccoons slowly uncurling high in a tree crotch; one darting chipmunk; a dozen turtles crawled up on shore and rocks of the Pools to warm up after so many water-chilled months; a Red-tailed…
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Problem Swans
With their long necks, Mute swans (Cygnus olor) can reach down to food that other geese can’t. Although loved by many, these swans are an invasive species, introduced to the U.S. to picturesque ponds and estates. Since then, they’ve escaped and established breeding populations in Prospect Park, among quite a few other places. Their aggressive…
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Croton Point
This Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) was perched near the entrance of Croton Point Park as we entered and then, several hours later, as we left, albeit on the other side of the road. We recognized him by his chest plumage and streaks of russet on the neck. This is a nice walk. We take Metro…
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Animacula-finder
This is a model of van Leeuwenhoek’s microscope, circa 1670. It is a few inches long and opened up a whole new microworld for humans, including the somewhat staggering activity found in ol’ Antonie’s own sperm (ah, science!). I found this model at the Grolier Club not so long ago.
Backyard and Beyond 