Humped Bladderwort (Utricularia macrorhiza)
Gorgeous above the water surface, deadly below it – the Humped Bladderwort (Utricularia macrorhiza), and other bladderworts, use small submerged vesicles – bladders – to trap and digest small aquatic invertebrates to augment their nutrient intake in the wetlands they occupy. These are among the very few carnivorous plants found in the northeastern United States. Photographed by RTPI President Twan Leenders for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History and the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project.
Read MoreAmerican Bittern
This is the American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), a stupendously cryptic and sensationally camouflaged heron species of freshwater and brackish marshes and wetlands. During late fall and winter they can be infrequently found moving south to warmer or coastal areas where the water does not freeze. Even their movements are meant to blend in perfectly to surrounding vegetation, stalking prey including fish, amphibians, insects, mammals, reptiles, and more. The American Bittern was once a terror in the night to many early American settlers who lived in coastal regions. Its pumping, gurgling,...
Read MoreAmphibian Crossing
This Wednesday or Thursday, depending on your location in the Northeast, should bring temperatures well past 40 or even 50 with rainy conditions. Since it is late March it may be the first night of amphibian migration as these are ideal conditions for frogs, toads and salamanders to emerge from hibernation and start migrating to a nearby wetland at night! Please slow down for salamanders and frogs when you’re driving back roads near wetlands – even when they don’t get crushed by your tires, the slipstream generated underneath a vehicle when you’re moving more than 20-25 MPH will pick these...
Read MoreRed-winged Blackbird Male in Flight
It’s takeoff time! Red-winged Blackbirds are pouring back into marshes, wetlands, ponds and coastal areas throughout the Northeast. Males are back on territory, and here we can see one showing off those fiery shades. Spring is ready to explode! Even if it may start with more snow for some of us…
Read MoreGet outside and find Rusty Blackbirds
This gorgeous scene is on the trail at the Akeley Swamp Important Bird Area in Pennsylvania. It is a prime location to find Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus) during migration and October is the right time to spot them. They can be found in wooded wetlands, marshes, ponds and agricultural areas mixed in with flocks of other species like the Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird and Brown-headed Cowbird. If you see any please enter them into eBird! Rusty Blackbirds are one of the fastest declining species in North America and we need all the data and information on them we can get to help...
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