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.”

  • Red!

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  • Potter Wasp

    The mud nest of a potter wasp, probably of the Eumenes genus. It amazes me that this has withstood this winter’s ample rain.

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  • Fly Pollinators

    Flies don’t get much credit for pollination, but there’s Veronica pollen on each of these.

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    Fly Pollinators
  • Raptor Wednesday

    This heavily-marked Red-tailed Hawk was trying to break off a branch for nest material as a lone Blue Jay registered a complaint.

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    Raptor Wednesday
  • Wind Pollinated

    Turkish Hazel/Corylus colurna *** In other news, I suspected Oppenheimer would win a bunch of Oscars in the industry’s own award-itself-fest, so I delved into the history in more detail.

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    Wind Pollinated
  • White Oak Requiem

    Sad. This was a mighty Quercus alba. Half way down the slope, so one of its branches nicely aligned with naturalist’s level at the top of the hill. I documented half a dozen gall wasp species on this grand old tree, plus handful of other lifeforms. That wasn’t even a drop in the bucket.

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    White Oak Requiem
  • Kestrel Snacks

    The female on the look-out. She dropped down to the ground and then flew up to another perch with one of the local Northern Italian Wall Lizards. The first time I heard of lizards in NYC was when I saw a photo that was making the social rounds: this showed an American Kestrel carrying one…

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    Kestrel Snacks
  • Giant Joe Pye

    Across the bay, a mural in Jersey City reaches up 20 stories. (Closer view & details here.)

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    Giant Joe Pye
  • At Last, Some Pollination

    The emergent crocuses got some action when it reached about 65 last weekend.

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    At Last, Some Pollination
  • Red-bellied Down

    Under a pine, cause of death unknown.

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    Red-bellied Down