trees
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Old Man Willow And Co.
At some point in its illustrious career, this Weeping Willow lost a bifurcating trunk, leaving a near horizontal gape about four feet up the bole. The slowly rotting remains inside there provided a seedbed for not one, not two, but three saplings: cherry, maple, and mulberry. This is a four-tree tree, which is the most…
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Frost
It’s supposed to be freezing in areas north of the city tonight. Our local forecast calls for 36° tomorrow morning. Welcome fall! Here’s a maple to keep you warm.
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Weeper
The amazing thing about this city is how every single block is different. Architecturally, socio-economically, you name it, you never know what you will discover. This goes for the plants and animals, too. Parallel, almost back-to-back, in fact, to the block with the giant American Elm is this big, shaggy Willow (Salix). Another great yard…
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In Da Bronx
Franklinia in bloom. What a scrumptious flower! And the bees agree. (All of today’s trees are descendants from seeds collected by William Bartram in the 1760s. The plant is unknown in the wild.) On the mammal front, Cottontail and Chipmunk and Gray Squirrel.In addition to the frog, a Garter Snake crossed our path, and a…
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Nyssa
Black Tupelo/Blackgum/Bee Gum/Sourgum (Nyssa sylvatica) beginning to turn. Happy September!
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Revisiting a Gentle Giant
Back in May we stumbled upon this magnificent American Elm yard tree in Sunset Park. Yes, it’s growing from the yard, not the sidewalk. It pretty much is the yard of this three-story row house. I walked by the other day. Still there, still too big to fit into my camera.
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Mighty Elm
An enormous American Elm (Ulmus americana) crowding a yard on 44th Street near 3rd Avenue in Sunset Park. The old giant took us by surprise: the neighborhood still suffers from the blight of highway above 3rd Avenue, a product of the 1940s and a wretched vision of a promised land of highways to segregated suburbs.…
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Mighty Acorns
Remarkable things, acorns. They’re packed with proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as vital minerals: this is why they make such great animal food. There are not many mast-eaters in Brooklyn Bridge Park, though, where I found these red-to-mahagony colored nuts breaking through the shells recently. After wintering under the big freeze — hibernating, basically…
Backyard and Beyond 