Brooklyn
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Silver-spotted Skipper
1. The “silver spot” on the Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) is on the other side of the wings and is more of a white splotch to the field observer. 2. “Rumba” is a variety of rose.
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Some Pollinators
It’s National Pollinator Week, but we should be thanking the bees — and other pollinators — every day for the work that they do. And fighting like the dickens the exterminationists of the agribusiness/pesticide complex.
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Red-tailed Hawks
Spot the three young Red-tailed hawks in this nest.
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Sumac
The flowers of sumac (genus Rhus) are astonishingly small.
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And the foxgloves
Seeing towers of Foxgloves (Digitalis) over the weekend — many of the flowers had been knocked down by Saturday’s strong rains — reminded me of my trip to Dartmoor a year ago. The hedge-shrouded paths there were frequently foxgloved, and abuzz with bees. Check out the wild pattern within, and remember that bees see more…
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More Galls
The world of galls is vast: I don’t know what these are, but they evidently darken into these rather glossy, bean-like structures:Another. It’s just a splotchy discoloration on the top of the leaf, but underneath there’s some interest.
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Blue Flag
Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor) blooming now. These are also known as Wild Iris, Harlequin Blueflag, and Northern Blue Flag. Look for them in swamps, marshes, and wet shorelines from Virginia to Canada. Watch honeybees and native bees land on the large petal, which must look AMAZING in their ultraviolet-shifted vision, and scoot down into…
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Nesting Update
Returning to three nests reported here on May 23rd, I find the birds incubating. Nesting season is, for the observer, rather more contemplative than active. The Green Heron (Butorides virescens) was the only one of these three not hunkered down when I arrived. The bird was grooming itself — could be either male or female…
Backyard and Beyond 