Odds and ends …

Posted on by
2
Photo by Chris Bosak A hummingbird moth sips nectar from a butterfly bush in New England, summer 2019.

Odds and ends from the natural world:

I led you astray in a recent column and I’m here to own up to it and make it right.

I wrote about and included a photograph of a tomato hornworm caterpillar being covered in the small white cocoons of a wasp parasite. That part was true. It was a tomato hornworm and it was covered in the cocoons of braconid wasps. These wasps start their life cycle as an egg laid inside the giant green caterpillar and eat their way out to build their cocoons.

I was mistaken, however, in saying that the caterpillar would have turned into a hummingbird moth – at least the kind we enjoy watching around our flowers in the summer and early fall. That moth is the hummingbird clearwing moth and is not Continue reading →

Don’t let looks fool you

Posted on by
1

I love when I stumble upon these. Yellow garden spiders may look threatening, but they are harmless and not aggressive towards humans. They can bite humans but will only do so if threatened (handled, stepped on, sat on, etc.) Females are the large, colorful ones we see in gardens and fields. Males are smaller and nondescript. They are native to the U.S. and are beneficial to our landscape, if not intimidating-looking.

And another mantis photo

Posted on by
Reply
Photo by Chris Bosak A praying mantis in a field in New England, September 2020.

I had mentioned in an earlier post that praying mantises were being seen frequently this summer. Well, here’s another one I found the other day. Here’s the original post.

Here’s some interesting information about praying mantises I found on the Daily Hampshire Gazette website:

“In Massachusetts there are two species of praying mantises, the Chinese mantis, Tenodera aridifolia, and the European mantis, Mantis religiosa. As you can guess from their common names, neither of these insects is native to North America. Both species were introduced over 100 years ago, likely by gardeners looking to control pests.“

The article has plenty more interesting facts about these fascinating insects, including why some are green and some are brown. You’ll note the mantis shown in this post is much more brown the one in my previous mantis post. Here’s the link to the Daily Hampshire Gazette article.

One word: Raccoons

Posted on by
1

I didn’t see the culprits, but I know damn well it was raccoons. The locking handle was engaged and everything. Those bast… animals are smart and persistent.

For the Birds: Micro-level horror show in the garden

Posted on by
Reply
Photo by Chris Bosak A tomato hornworm is covered in braconid wasp larvae on a tomato plant in New England, August 2020.

(Note: This post has been updated from its original content to correct information about the hummingbird moth caterpillar.)

I was all set to follow my last column about fall migration with a closer look at some of the songbirds, including warblers, that are heading south now and will be for the next several weeks.

That column has been put on hold as I saw something in the garden last week that just can’t wait. Experienced vegetable gardeners have likely seen this before, but it was a first for me and I was amazed at the gruesome details when I researched it online.

First, a little background. It is a first-year garden plot. I dug it during April at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in the Northeast. More than anything else, it was a diversion from the nuttiness going on in the world; something to keep my mind and body occupied during quarantine. I’ve never had a green thumb and I had little hope in the garden ever yielding impressive crops.

As it turns out, my pessimism was warranted. Once the leaves popped on the giant oaks that surround my property, the garden didn’t stand a chance. Tomato plants require how much sunlight? Continue reading →

Birds and salvia Part 2

Posted on by
1
Photo by Chris Bosak A white-breasted nuthatch eats sunflower seeds near salvia blooms in New England, September 2020.

As promised, here are a few more shots of birds near my salvia blooms. Click here for the original post if you missed it.

Photo by Chris Bosak A tufted titmouse eats sunflower seeds near salvia blooms in New England, September 2020.

Continue reading →

Birds and salvia Part I

Posted on by
Reply
Photo by Chris Bosak A red-bellied woodpecker stands on a deck railing next to salvia blooms in New England, September 2020.

A few years ago I purchased a few bunches of coneflower late in the season and they made for a perfect setting for bird photos on my deck in the fall. This year, the salvia I purchased early this spring has grown enough to make a nice setting for birds eating seeds off the deck railing. The hummingbirds like the salvia too! Click here for one of those coneflower photos. Click here for some hummingbird drinking from salvia shots.

I’ll post a few more salvia shots tomorrow.

Photo by Chris Bosak A black-capped chickadee eats sunflower seeds near salvia blooms in New England, September 2020.

Continue reading →

A few hummingbirds – while they last

Posted on by
4
Photo by Chris Bosak A ruby-throated hummingbird hovers around salvia blooms in New England, September 2020.

The hummingbirds that haven’t flown south yet will likely do so soon. Here are a few shots of “my” hummingbirds that are still hanging around.

Photo by Chris Bosak A ruby-throated hummingbird hovers around salvia blooms in New England, September 2020.
Photo by Chris Bosak A ruby-throated hummingbird hovers around salvia blooms in New England, September 2020.

For the Birds: Feeling a lot like fall

Posted on by
2
Photo by Chris Bosak A Bald Eaglea fies over Little Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn., Sept. 2016.
Photo by Chris Bosak A Bald Eagle flies over Little Merganser Lake in Danbury, Conn., Sept. 2016.

There have been a few mornings recently that have felt an awful lot like fall. Cool temperatures, low humidity, the occasional falling leaf.

The bird world is following suit in New England, ever so slowly. I’ve seen a few passing warblers in the backyard over the past few weeks and the hummingbirds are feeding with an added urgency to fatten up for their journey south.

I’m not trying to rush the end of summer, and we still have a few weeks until it is officially over. The end of August and beginning of September is a fun transition time in the bird and nature world. A walk through a New England meadow this time of year yields butterflies, dragonflies and all sorts of crazy-looking insects that make you think of summer. Then, you notice the goldenrod in bloom and a hawk soaring overhead reminiscent of fall.

The fall migration starts as early as July when young shorebirds work their way southward along the New England coast. It really begins in earnest in the middle of September when the hawk migration gains a head of steam. September is when a visit to a hawk Continue reading →