Prospect Park
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Alert
I don’t know about you, but I need a mammal break. Look at those little ears! The Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias striatus) are out and about now that things have warmed up in the Ravine, Lullwater, and Midwood. One of the hundreds of reasons to keep your dogs leashed in those parts of the park where…
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Arbor Day Redux
This magnificent specimen at the northern end of Nellie’s Lawn is at its peak right now, maybe even slightly past. A few of the petals were blowing off in the breeze, snowflake-like, perfectly encapsulating the briefness of beauty. (As much as we strive for the epic, life is a haiku, my friends.)This is in the…
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Young Greens
The Tuliptree’s leaf is quite distinctive, although it looks a tad maplish here in its youthful stage. Liriodendron tulipifera is also known as Tulip poplar, Yellow-poplar, White-poplar, and Fiddle-wood. It is one of the largest hardwoods in North America, and is generally marked by a tall straight trunk. One of the grandest examples in Prospect…
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Two Yellow Flowers
Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris), also known as Cowslip, at Brooklyn Bridge Park, where this perennial was planted along the freshwater gardens and continues to thrive, having survived the salty inundation of Sandy. Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria), growing all over the place, in this case in Prospect Park, where it wasn’t planted but spreads like wildfire…
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Flowermania
It’s that time of year, when Backyard and Beyond starts to get overwhelmed with flowers.Some of this weeks sightings.
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First Honeybees
Yesterday, I came upon the first honeybees I’ve seen this year. They were working the ornamental cherries at the Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park. One landed on my shirt. Remember, bees are not aggressive unless you go after them, or their hive. So don’t panic. Close your eyes and think of England if…
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Cherrybombs!
In honor of the rhetorical excess of Lil’ Kim Jong-un, I will bury you in cherry blossoms! Prospect Park will be a blazing pink sea of cherry blossoms!The worker bees of the Democratic People’s Republic will sweep across the pole to conquer the cherry blossoms of Brooklyn!
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Bark Question
Interesting bark in Prospect Park. I don’t know what kind of tree this is. Any ideas?
Backyard and Beyond 