Fieldnotes
-
Beetlemania
A collection of beetles at the Insectarium de Montreal which I visited earlier this month. This picture was shot through the vitrine glass. There are 350,000-400,000 described species of beetles; estimates suggest there may be a million or more species of them all told. These are just some of the most spectacular and shiny ones…
-
Downy parachute
This is the seed of a milkweed, several different species of which are found in Brooklyn Bridge Park. According to this site, it’s a parachute seed, one of seven different wind-dispersal types.A framed version that I found down the block. Looks homemade, using the same techniques my old stained glass artist of a roommate used.…
-
Navy Yard
The human/nature… intersection? continuum? state-of-being? Whatever you want to call, it certainly is. What it means here on this blog is that I always keep a weather-eye out for manifestations when I’m up to other things. So, checking out the new museum at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, I found this Henson Creature Shop animatronic pigeon.…
-
Bee Wary
I’m as guilty as the next person: I’ve been reveling in this unseasonable weather. (It was 60 degrees here a few minutes ago.) But I’m reminded, by those canaries of the insect world, the honeybees, that something is amiss. You see, these warm days keep honeybees active. They’ve been flying out from the hive, but…
-
American Chestnut, Prospect Park
Stumbled on another American Chestnut in Prospect Park. A city of leaves on a hill.
-
Cattails in Autumn
The rooftop cattail colony on Furman St. Uh-oh, is that phragmites in the corner? There goes the neighborhood!
-
99 Percent
of the trees at Occupy Wall Street‘s Liberty Square (f.k.a. Zuccotti Park) are Honeylocusts, Gleditsia triacanthos. Click on image to open big. There is a lone London Plane, Platanus ‘x acerifolia‘ in the northwest corner, or right-hand side of the picture. (Sorry, the creepy mobile police observation tower was off-limits for a more encompassing picture.)…
-
Springtime in November
It was like spring in Prospect Park today. Late spring, even, except for the rich fall colors of the leaves and the lack of birdsong. How warm was it? There was a woman wearing a bikini in Nelly’s Lawn. Among other sun-worshippers were the turtles, brought up out of the murk by the warmth.A few…
-
Big Brooklyn Tree
A recent post by my fellow naturalist co-conspirator Melissa at Out Walking the Dog mentioned “state champion trees.” I was curious to find out more about these. To be on NY state’s Big Tree Register, trees are awarded points based on their height in feet plus trunk circumference in inches plus 1/4th of average crown…
-
Brown Rat
A young Brown Rat, Rattus norvegicus, expired in Prospect Park. A cosmopolitan species, found on every continent except Antarctica, these rats thrive in dense conglomerations of humans because we provide so much for them to eat, and such nice places for them to burrow. Robert Sullivan’s Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the…
Backyard and Beyond 