Fieldnotes
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Natural Object: Water Chestnut
This is the fruit of the European water chestnut, Trapa natans. Also known commonly as devil pods, they float and can be found up and down the Hudson and less frequently on area beaches. The plant is a fast spreading invasive. They have been used for food and medicinal purpose in Europe for 5000 years…
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Painted
A painted turtle on a rock in the Upper Pool in Prospect Park stands out from its red-eared slider companions.
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Whelk egg cases
Telling your whelk egg case strings apart, Southern New England to Mid-Atlantic division: This is the egg case of the channeled whelk, Busycotypus canaliculatus. Note how the edges of each individual capsule comes together as if pinched, giving each capsule a sharp edge. This is the egg case string of the knobbed whelk, Busycon carica.…
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Expeditionary
Well, we were rained, or, more specifically, thunderstorm-precautioned, out of our exploration of the threatened Four Sparrow Marsh, part of New York City Wildflower Week. We hope to re-schedule sometime later this spring or summer. In the meantime… The great Patrick Leigh Fermor (l’escargot des Carpathes) writes that his father, who was Director of the…
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Salt Marsh, Silk Stockings
Marine Park is the largest park in Brooklyn, but most people think it ends at the NW end of Avenue U. Across the street, however, is the Salt Marsh Nature Center, which overlooks Marine Park Creek, which connects to Gerritsen Creek and flows into the Atlantic. This part of the park is a large, U-shaped…
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In the hallway
A meal moth, Pyralis farinalis, eager to get to my pasta, flour, and grains.
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Wildflower Week Continues
NYC Wildflower Week continues: I took part in the fantastic tour of the Native Flora Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden yesterday. Curator Uli Lorimer, here showing us the whole mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum, was an extraordinary guide to his own domain. Grab any chance you get to have this expert show you around the place,…
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Chicago Lights
My friend Cathy has been finding dead birds in the Windy City, victims of high-rise glass towers and bright lights. The migration seasons in particular takes an enormous toll. Here’s some more information about how skyscrapers kill and what can be done about it. This is a picture she sent me: it’s an Eastern bluebird,…
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Wildflower Week
I’m looking down for a change. We’re in the thick of New York City Wildflower Week, with tours, lectures, and walks happening throughout the city until Sunday. It’s all free and it’s mostly outdoors. What are you waiting for? (I’ll be doing a walk at Four Sparrow Marsh on Sunday.) Dodecatheon jeffreyi, Jeffrey’s shooting star.Zizia…
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Backyard and Beyond 