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VLS
Very Large Snapper: Green-Wood has a few of them. In general, they stay in the murk of three of the four ponds. The forth has lately been drained to just a few inches of water. This one must be a female, ashore to lay eggs. Where the devil is she doing that? Once I passed…
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Damsels in Distress?
It’s been a terrible year for damselflies in my patch. Since March, I’ve spent 99% of my outdoor time in Green-Wood, where daily damselfly counts can be measured on one hand, a lot less than in previous summers. Rambur’s Forktail male above. Orange Bluet male. Fragile Forktail male and female. Familiar Bluet male and female.…
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Fall Migration in Play
Lost count of the mosquito bites I got waiting for this Chestnut-sided Warbler to appear within a magnolia. Blue-winged Warbler. Canada Warbler. Focus is unnecessary for American Redstarts. Cape May Warbler. The early migratory “eh-eh-eh” of Red-breasted Nuthatches ravaging our conifers is very welcome. Yellow Warbler making some noise, too. Just enough to tell this…
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Butterflies & Ballots
The small dark butterflies are a confusing lot, especially when just flitting by. Give them a chance to perch, though, and things can get a little clearer. This is a Common Sootywing. These are both Wild Indigo Duskywings, I think. There are several other duskywing species, including the classical inspired Horace’s and Juvenal’s, but I’m…
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Raptor Wednesday
Saturday morning there were two Osprey over the Sylvan Water simultaneously. One circled. Another perched, for at least an hour.
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Mushroom Monday
Lots of rain, lots of mushrooms. Here’s one. This orange puff ball is Calvatia rubroflava. Under a pignut hickory, along with a few remains of others. And a little further away.
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Sharp-dressed Sharpshooter
At the beginning of the month, I spotted a nymph Broad-headed Sharpshooter. Since then, I have been looking, relatively diligently, at this same patch of mugwort in hope of seeing the adult form. And I must say, “Braod-headed” is bit utilitarian: Oncometopia orbona. This is why I leave the house.
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The Wanderer
A Wandering Glider, Pantala flavescens. Also known as the Globe Skimmer or Globe Wanderer, and one of two “rain pool gliders.” Considered the most-widespread dragonfly in the world, this species also has one of the longest multi-generational migrations in the insect world. “Basically a tropical species” says Paulson; individuals may migrate up to four thousand…
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Sidewalks of New York
Just some things I’ver seen on the sidewalk recently. This Reddish-brown Stag Beetle wasn’t quite dead. This roach was definitely dead. But what kind of roach? This is not the usual house (German, American, etc.) species. Pigeon Tremex Horntail. I’ve never seen one in Brooklyn before. (And I’ve only seen one once before, in Texas.)…
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Backyard and Beyond 