Butterflies – National Pollinator Week
This is the last day of National Pollinator Week which ran from June 16 through June 22. It turned out to be very appropriate timing for us in Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania as more insects emerged and vegetation continued to grow very rapidly. I actually had some days with several more “first of year” sightings of bees, dragonflies, and butterflies, the group I wanted to focus on and share photos of in this entry. The following were photographed in the last week in the Chautauqua-Allegheny region in public locations like state game lands, wildlife management...
Read MoreBlue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor)
We hope you can get out and about this beautiful weekend! Be sure to stop and smell the roses..or Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor), among other things.
Read MoreNatives and their Invasive Look Alikes
While we were out birding this weekend for RTPI’s annual Bird Fest we found a number of memorable species, including several non-avian organisms. Blue flag iris (Iris versicolor) was one particular flower that was exciting to come across; however, its look alike, yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus), wasn’t so much. Yellow flag iris is one of several invasive species RTPI will be reporting this summer to the NY iMapInvasives database as we work to learn more about what invasive species are here and how we can prevent their spread. Elyse Henshaw Conservation...
Read MoreMay Speaker – Twan Leenders
With so much happening at RTPI and all of the active conservation and education work we are completing this spring and summer in our local area we decided that our own President and Executive Director Dr. Twan Leenders should be our May speaker. Please join us on Wednesday, May 21 at 7:00PM at RTPI for this free and educational event. Twan is a biologist from The Netherlands interested in animal ecology and conservation management. For more than twenty years his work with birds, mammals, plants and especially tropical amphibians and reptiles has taken him to various places on the planet. As...
Read MoreMystery Fern
Earlier this week while we were surveying a potential property for the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, we came across this interesting fern. Any idea of what it is? I’ll give you a hint, it is named after a bird since the fertile and sterile fronds looks very similar to the feather plumes of this particular species. Give up already? It’s Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), a terrestrial fern relatively common to the area’s floodplains and rich woods.
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