Brooklyn
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Sparrow Duplex
The House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, is an Old World sparrow unrelated to the numerous species of New World sparrows. The bird has spread around the world to general urban ubiquity; they were introduced to North America — among other places, they were let loose right here in New York City in the 1880s — initially…
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Skunk Cabbage
Exciting news: the Native Flora Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is expanding by two more acres, more than doubling the space. Think globally, plant locally. (But, erhm, what’s happening to the Rock Garden? I love those erratic glacial boulders, hardy pieces of the mainland.) I was in the 100-year-old original section of NFG the…
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Spring Loaded
About two weeks earlier than last year, the fruity ornamentals amongst us have erupted. Genus Prunus of the family Rosaceae encompasses the cherries and plums, and cherry plums, and apricots, and quinces, and even peaches — Callery pears also blooming now are another genus w/in Rosaceae– and these small-blossomed beauties are out and about now…
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Springpink
Just about the perfect spring color.If you hurry, you can see the real thing at the magnolia madness at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
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Spring’s sprung
Spring officially started early this morning, but it’s been bursting out for more than a month now. These pictures are from last week in the Brooklyn Bridge Park.
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Interior Moth
An old frenemy returns to the apartment stairwell. Meal moth, Pyralis farinalis.
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Hellebores-a-poppin’
6th Street, Park Slope. Genus Helleborus was named after the Greek words for “killing” and “food,” since members of the family are often toxic. Also known as Lenten Rose. Much hybridized, popular as a very early bloomer. Another batch on Sidney Place, the Block of Perpetual Renovation, in Brooklyn Heights. The native wildflower False Hellebore,…
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Skene Amidst the Daffodils
This is Alexander Johnston Chalmers Skene looking out over the early daffodils in Grand Army Plaza. I assumed that Skene might possibly be the only gynecologist ever memorialized with a statue, but I would be wrong, as you’ll see in that informative Parks Department link: Central Park has J. Marion Simms, the, ahem, “father of…
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A Neighborhood Giant
One of my favorite local trees is on Warren Street. It is growing out of a yard instead of the sidewalk. Usually, when they do host trees, these little front yards of brownstone row houses have smaller ornamental fruit trees or understory specialists like dogwood that can thrive under the taller sidewalk trees. This one,…
Backyard and Beyond 