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Back To The Galls
Andricus quercusstrobilanus on swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor). There’s no common name for this gall-forcing wasp species. Note the gap here, and the hollows within. The individual galls brown and shrivel up as they grow. Then they fall to the ground. (I don’t think this is standard for gall wasps in general). Since this tree…
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Sad Underwing
What a stupid common name for Catocala maestosa. This fabulous riot of patterning isn’t sad. Methinks the guy who came up with a lot of the common names for our moths, especially the underwings — the Girlfriend, Sweetheart, Magdalen, Once-Married, Mother, Semirelict, Darling, Bride, Tearful, Widow, Obscure, Betrothed, Penitent — had some issues, as they…
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Raptor Wednesday
Red-tailed Hawk. Cooper’s with Starlings. Same Coop without them. American Kestrel male. Northern Harrier. Broad-winged Hawk. Another Cooper’s.
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Flickerings
Northern Flickers, passing through on their south-bound migration, will often rocket off the ground well before your approach. A couple on the path ahead of me recently allowed me to stand still as they policed the edges for ants and, presumably, other delicacies. There certainly are a lot of components to this species’ plumage. And,…
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Monarchs, Mostly
All the Monarch caterpillars I’ve seen this month in Green-Wood. Not overwhelmed by the numbers, unlike two years ago. Black Swallowtail for a change of pace. *** I thought this Judith Butler interview on gender was excellent. It was an exchange of emails, so much better than a conversation; the written word is still the…
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Grosbeak, Beechnut
Red-breasted Grosbeak foraging for beech nuts. This is a female. The yellow underwings underline that. Males are pinkish-red under there. This one and several others are scarfing up dogwood fruits. *** New Yorkers have until October 9th to register to vote. Other states.
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Day-flying Nighthawks
On Wednesday morning around a quarter to eleven, I happened to look outside and saw a small herd of Common Nighthawks passing by. There were nine of them! This was after I’d seen a Broad-winged Hawk overhead, the first time I’ve seen one of these long-distance migrants in Brooklyn. Good birds to see from the…
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Some Wasps
Have you noticed all the parts of a wasp’s mouth? That’s the tongue in the center there, reaching into the nectar, but that’s not the half of it. This is Ammophila pictipennis, I think, one of the thread-waisted wasps. Here’s a European Hornet, hanging from at least one foot, devouring a Western Honey Bee. These…
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Raptor Wednesday
An Osprey passes overhead, carrying a fish head-forward. Location: Green-Wood, approximately a mile from the bay. (I don’t think that’s a Sylvan Water fresh-water fish.) Some forty minutes later, I heard the mewling call of one of these fish-hawks. Going to investigate, I was surprised to find it perched up in a tree with a…
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Backyard and Beyond 