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.”

  • Old Fungus

    That mushroom I photographed in October growing on this wooden fence was still there last week, looking rather lurid now.

    See more

  • Teeth

    The tooth on the left was found at Dead Horse Bay. I think it’s actually two fused together because of the four roots. This is what I photographed for my Mystery post early this month. The one on the right was part of a horse’s skull found on the beach in Italy in the early…

    See more

  • Dunlin

    My, what long bills you have. Dunlin, Calidris alpina, a species of sandpiper. A winter visitor in our region; these were walking just a few feet away from us on Hummock Pond a week ago. Their breeding plumage, as in so many other birds, is more colorful: rufus backs and black bellies. They breed along…

    See more

  • Everywhere

    Some phragmites, and at least one, maybe two, other species have colonized this old whatever-it-is high above the D train at 9th Avenue, Sunset Park. Update: This structure is part of Bay Ready Mix Concrete.

    See more

  • Lizards!

    Something I was not aware of. Didn’t think we had any lizards at all up here in New York, except for the introduced Italian Wall Lizards. But there are actually four species in the state, three natives and the Italian, which I’ve seen in Queens. Both the Five-lined Skink and the Eastern Fence Lizard are…

    See more

  • Mystery

    Would you hazard a guess as to what this is? (Hint: it’s not the deforested-and-mountain-top-removed-for-our-electrical-needs Appalachian Mts.)

    See more

  • Marine Park Reborn

    In May of 2011, I got to go behind the scenes at the restoration project at Marine Park, courtesy of NYC Wildflower Week. Two weeks ago, the long-closed path was opened to the public. Things have changed quite a bit since I was last there.Ladies and gentlemen, we have salt marsh.And meadow. Not lawn, but…

    See more

  • Onward!

    SOMEBODY hasn’t be paying attention to the compost bin. Love the fact that this, whatever it is, is so green, living inside a metal bin, in the darkest corner of a backyard shadowed by a balcony.

    See more

  • Election Day.

    It’s a pretty clear choice between reaction and moderation today. If you know a nature lover who isn’t planning to vote — like tens of millions of Americans, tragically — perhaps you can convince him or her to go to the polls today? Chances are extremely good that they are not Romney fans. The Romney-Ryan-Rove…

    See more