Popular Plants
The outdoor restaurants are getting more crowded now that we are in the middle of July with Eastern Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) like this one sitting two to a table at times. On the left is an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) and on the right is a Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus). This is as good as a summer nature scene gets. I was able to capture more images of both of them while nectaring independently, and I will share them in the next week. For now we wish you a wonderful weekend full of delightful nature sights and sightings like this one. Scott...
Read MoreThe Big Dipper
Can you spot the Big Dipper just above the horizon between the trees? It can be hard to believe in the midsummer heat but birds are already migrating south for the winter both during the day (various swallows to Eastern Kingbirds to Blue-gray Gnatcatchers) and the night (Red-eyed Vireos to Indigo Buntings to Black-billed Cuckoos). Those nocturnal species use various methods to help them move around our planet – some may use a coastline, others the Earth’s magnetic field, and like people, certain birds gaze at the stars. Various species take in the night sky as a map, just as we...
Read MoreHairstreak Butterflies
Here are four gorgeous hairstreaks in one great comparative composition by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser. Check out all the small intricate details that help separate the species. Photographed for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Connecticut while on assignment for The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
Read MoreHemlock Woolly Adelgid Documentary and Discussion
New York Invasive Species Awareness Week – NYISAW Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Documentary and Discussion Thursday July 14th, 2016 – 7pm at Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Jamestown Join WNY PRISM and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute for a special screening of Chris Foito’s award-winning documentary, “The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid: A Film about the Loss of an Ecosystem.” This film showcases the significance of the Eastern Hemlock tree on the landscape and the devastating impacts hemlock woolly adelgid, a tiny invasive insect, has had on these “Redwoods of the East.” A Q&A session with...
Read More“Amphibians All Around” at Long Point State Park
Check out these free nature education programs at Long Point State Park on Chautauqua Lake featuring some of our partner organizations and fellow experts! You definitely have to attend the “Amphibians All Around” program by RTPI Conservation Techician Elyse Henshaw this Saturday, July 16. Events start at 10AM at the Overlook Gazebo.
Read MoreGray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)
For some reason the Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) had eluded RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser’s net for the last couple of years…but not anymore. He found a beautiful individual flying around a couple weeks ago right before we all noticed them emerging in many locations. The butterfly is the most widespread hairstreak species in North America, often being found in disturbed and nonforested sites. Photographed for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Connecticut while on assignment for The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History....
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