Brooklyn
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Hickory Yellow
So many hickories, genus Carya, so little time. They are a blaze of yellow now.
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Persimmon Bandit
Yesterday’s pictured Persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) were not quite ripe. Here’s another: Looks ripe, but it’s still pretty hard. And they really have to be smushy soft to eat. Then they are perfumed and delicious. But bite too soon and you’ll get a mouthful of astringent tannins that you’ll rue all day long. Bleagh! Funny thing,…
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Borough Kestrels
This male Kestrel zoomed up to the top of Green-Wood’s Gothic Revival gate while a Red-tailed Hawk circled overhead. Then it made an unsuccessful dive at a Monk Parakeet, a bird roughly its own size. I’ve noted Kestrels up there before.This one found the lights and goal posts of the football field at Floyd Bennett…
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Sunset Park Elm
Broader than taller, with a giant limb that trifurcates into prongs that sweep down low.
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Groundcoverhogs
I was surprised to see one of the best birding spots in Green-Wood Cemetery shaved down to the bone recently. This was an impenetrable thicket along the flank of the hill overlooking the Sylvan Water, perfect for songbirds and woodchuck. Two woodchuck dens are exposed here now, but then most of the cemetery’s dens are…
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Autumnal Colors
Just a quick reminder that you don’t actually need to leave New York City to see some spectacular colors. Not that there’s anything in the least wrong with heading north or wherever to leaf peep, but sometimes it doesn’t fit your schedule or budget. These are all from Prospect or Green-Wood.
Backyard and Beyond 