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Jane’s Walk: A Man, A Plan, Stranahan!
Top-hatted, I’ll be participating in the Jane’s Walk weekend, leading a walk through Prospect Park and into Green-Wood Cemetery on May 3rd. We’ll walk from the James S. T. Stranahan statue at Grand Army Plaza — who, what, where? PRECISELY! — to the Stranahan gravesite in Green-Wood in celebration of the forgotten man behind the…
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And poppin’: Yellow Trout-lily
The Trout-lilies (Erythronium americanum) are amongst us once again. These were in Prospect Park; a friend reports them out and about in the far north of the New York Botanical Garden as well.The flower’s tepals curve back like this on bright sunny days, leaving the anthers fully exposed for pollinators. (There’s still not all that…
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Let ’em rip
Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides). And these Aesculus buds.Like lipsticks against the sky. And down in the leaf litter: Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum). Amelanchier. Time for the shad to blow.
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Raptor Wednesday
The patience of a Merlin (Falco columbarius).And its knowledge of our presence.We walked the wide way around this Ginkgo biloba of a perch in Green-Wood to get this front view.
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Chuck-will’s-widow
Naturalist Gabriel Willow, whom I explored Monhegan Island and other parts of Maine with last year, spotted a Chuck-will’s-widow in Bryant Park yesterday. This Midtown Manhattan park is a remarkable migrant trap, but this was pretty unusual, so word quickly spread. I managed to get to the park around 3:00, where, amid the dozens of…
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Building
A Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) shapes a growing nest with its body. “Its” because this could be either male or female, as both work on the nest. Cornell’s All About Birds does say that on average males do more gathering of nesting materials and females more actual nest-building. Note the ribbon: our cast-offs are finding…
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Bloodroot
Bloodroot. What a name, eh? Sanguinaria canadensis has blood-red sap. (The “root” is actually a rhizome.) The sap has historically been used as a dye and for medicinal purposes. They emerge enveloped by the leaf, then shoot above this protective cloak before opening. Look for these on sunny days when they offer their pollen to…
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Hepatica
A single blooming Anemone in the leaf litter. But more are on the way. Some interesting taxonomic issues raised by this one: The genus name for this spring ephemeral used to be Hepatica and some still think it is. Hepatica, meanwhile, is used as the common name; it’s also called Liverleaf or Liverwort. I’m not…
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Intertidal Zone
Originally posted on Backyard and Beyond: The tides increase as you approach the Bay of Fundy. While the average difference between high and low is five feet here in NYC, it’s 10 feet in Maine. This means the state’s rocky shore is full of tidal pools, pockets of water temporarily abandoned as the tide pulls…
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