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