Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

  • Brood X: A Spectacular Spectacle

    Brood X is nearing the end of its absolute reign upon the regions graced with it. The tiny larvae are probably already dropping out of their twig nests and burrowing into the earth. They will emerge in 2038. What will be the state of the planet then? 2024 is the next periodical cicada year: the…

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  • Batty

    First of these I’ve seen. Eastern Red Bats are more typical here in Brooklyn. Several other species of bat have been identified by their distinctive sounds as they fly over Green-Wood.

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  • Orioles

    Baltimore Orioles have nested in this linden tree for at least two previous breeding seasons. Do they ever recycle their old nests? Or the materials contained in them? There’s a lot of human-made material incorporated in their woven bag nests, including ribbon (many bunches of flowers in a cemetery…) and string. This stuff doesn’t break…

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  • New Wasp

    Another Vespula ground yellowjacket species in the ‘hood! Southern Yellowjacket, Vespula squamosa. This is a queen. She was probably looking for a nice hole at the base of this old cherry to start a nest. This is the first report for this species in Brooklyn on iNaturalist; they’re recorded on Staten Island, Manhattan, and further out…

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  • Raptor Wednesday

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  • Recent Pollination Events

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  • Two-Spotted Lady Beetles

    Only the last of these has two spots, but Adalia bipunctata also comes in a black-with-four-red-markings form.

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  • Click Here

    At first, I thought this nearly two-inch-long Eastern Eyed Click Beetle crawling up a London plane tree was actually two beetles. This is a lot of beetle. I’ve seen Alaus oculatus before, but I have never gotten such a close view. The larvae of this species preys on other beetle larvae found in decaying wood. The…

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  • New Fish Crow

    There has been a lot of Fish Crow activity in the neighborhood for weeks now. I hear them all the time. Yesterday, this Eastern Kingbird wasn’t too happy about it. Well, well, well! A wing-flapping fledgling being fed. I don’t know where the nest is, but it must not be too far away.

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  • The Fisher

    The patience of a heron inspires me to wait patiently for the bird to come my way. Both Great Egrets and Green Herons tend to patrol the edge of Sylvan Water in a similar fashion, moving slowly around the edge with periodical pauses before quick, lunging thrusts of their bills into the water. Sometimes, when…

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