invertebrates
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Lake Larvae
Larval… …something, or other. Many of them, in fact. I think these might be lake midges, in the family Chironomidae. And most of them seem to be just the larval husks, the exuviae, of the larval form. The westerly breeze pushed them all to one part of the Sylvan Water. There were a heck of…
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Eggs & Memories
Slug eggs! I think. Quite small. I didn’t notice them at first, as I was photographing this beetle under a log. Some beetles are shy. Only later did I see the spheres in the photograph. I’ve been delving into the archives to see what else has turned up in early Aprils past: 2018: Brooklyn Kestrels!…
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Midge
Non-biting midge bigger than your average fly, characteristically holding his forelimbs out in front. The feathery antennae are reminiscent of some moths. Probably cold, letting me get the phone camera close up.
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Witches’ Broom
A hackberry tree, Celtis occidentalis. Notice the clumpiness in the canopy? A slightly closer view of one fo the clumps. (They were all out of hand’s reach.) This is witches’ broom, a gall-like growth of branches sprouting in multiples. Hackberry is particularly susceptible. In this case, it seems to be caused by a combination of…
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Leaves of Invertebrates
American Robin in the leaves. Because that’s where the good stuff is. Now, if this bird could turn over logs: *** I can’t stomach watching the Orange Troll in action, but I forced myself to look at his sniffly Gollum-in-a-fright-wig performance last night. What a squandered opportunity, but who expected more after three years of…
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Crabs
Atlantic Blue. Atlantic Rock. Lady. Lady in situ. Portly Spider (with barnacles, which are also crustaceans). Atlantic Sand. Note that little spur above the back paddle. All seen at Jones Beach recently. The invasive Asian Shore Crab, spotted at Dead Horse Bay.
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Oaks to Caterpillars to Birds
The National Wildlife Foundation has a county-level guide, the Native Plant Finder, to native plants that support caterpillars. Why caterpillars? Because they are esentially the foundation of the food chain for song birds. Even the seedeaters that come to your feeders for seeds and suet in winter feed their young caterpillars. Caterpillars are relatively soft…
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Water Bugs and Birds
Under a thin layer of ice, two true bugs in the Crescent Water. The first is a water boatman, the second a backswimmer. Not all of the pond was iced over. Aerators keep donut holes of water ice-free, and the edge along one side of the pond was also open. This Eastern Phoebe was making…
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Prunus serotina
There are still, after all these years, parts of Green-Wood I’ve never been. I came across this massive black cherry only recently. It was after a big wind and bits of the scaly bark and branches were scattered about. The mature bark is very different from the younger stuff from way up there. Turning over…
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More Bits, More Pieces
Eumenes wasp mud nest pots. There were a dozen of these mantid egg cases in this patch of Rhus aromatica, the same spot I found the mud nests in. If there were sheep about, I say this was a bit of wool with a medium-sized marble in it. I am, however, hoping it’s some insect…
Backyard and Beyond 