Local

  • View
    437
Followers
Empty
Robert Leming
Added a post  to  , Local
Of Seaside Goldenrod, late Fall dunes and Downy Woodpeckers

Originally Posted on November 27, 2016

Dave Taft runs a charming, informative seires in the New York Times - NYC Nature. It runs many sundays in the Metroplitan Section - I make it a point to flip through, hoping for the latest.

Today, this

Dave's writing is always vivid, today I could feel the healthy glow of post Thanksgiving, outdoors, cool, almost cold sunny day - near the great Atlantic.

He also includes locations where sightings are likely, local to NYC. I am sure there is a small corps of denizens who frequently follow his lead and go out in search - just for the love of it.

Each of these essays are short, all dedicated to the natural world    Recommended  

This weeks article includes this, one of those wonders of nature:

"Like other goldenrods, seaside goldenrod hosts a number of insect parasites that lay eggs in the plant’s living stems. As the stem dries in winter, it swells to encase the developing larvae in woody protection. This valuable food source is enormously attractive to overwintering insectivorous birds like downy woodpeckers, which can be observed far from their familiar woodland homes, hammering at the dried goldenrod stems and disturbing the peace behind the dunes, while foraging for a winter meal."

Cycles like this: seaside goldenrod, parasitic larvae, downwoodpecker - always just outside our ken, right? Perhaps miraculous is the wrong word, but doe me it glimmers.

 

Recommended  

We The People Logo

Close