Mute Swan
They may be a non-native and invasive species, sometimes harmful to our native waterfowl, but one has to still appreciate the beauty of the Mute Swan on a winter day when they are trying to survive like everything else.
Read MoreDowny Woodpecker
This is not where you typically spot your Downy Woodpeckers! Usually we see them living up to their names and bills on trees or even on suet at home feeders. However, this has been such a terrific year for natural food that I have spotted plenty of them on the ground enjoying various acorns, nuts and other seeds. This cute fella looked happy with such a deep menu to select from on a warm afternoon. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MorePesticides
Is this treatment really necessary in 2015? Do people think that a process which ends with a sign being erected warning them of pesticide and to stay clear for at least 24 hours, with a crossed out circle featuring a pet and a child, is somehow going to mean they have a healthy yard? How can anyone think these chemicals will not harm them, not to mention the environment, for a prolonged period of time? These little things drive me crazy, especially when my name is attached to it…we need to stop making some yards into fields of death, and besides that, what is the prettiest picture of...
Read MoreWater Chestnut Infestation
Last week while I was traveling to Connecticut and Rhode Island (I’ll be posting about this soon!), I had the opportunity to get a good look at the Hudson River in eastern New York and see first hand the water chestnut infestation that has taken over much of the waterway. When most people hear of water chestnut, they often think of the slices of white vegetables in your stir fry mix or chicken noodle soup. While that is indeed water chestnut, its not the kind that we are necessarily concerned about. Water chestnut (Trapa natans) is an aquatic plant native to western Europe, Africa and...
Read MoreEastern Purple Coneflower
This Eastern Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) makes for a spectacular “ornamental” type of plant for boxes and plots! I put ornamental in quotation marks because it is far more than a decorative object or flashy looking flower. It is a native perennial that is very popular among our pollinators, and adding them to your garden – wherever it may be – will not only give it a lovely look but also a feeding frenzy of insects. On the day I took this photo I saw Black Swallowtails, Spicebush Swallowtails, Orange and Clouded Sulphurs, Cabbage Whites, a Viceroy, and...
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