23 Days Until Spring

In 2012 I spotted this butterfly in New York City in March. Click on the photo above to enlarge it and see if you can spot the butterfly. Its color and shape matches almost exactly the pale petals of the flower so I almost missed it.

Yet there it was. It was my first butterfly sighting of 2012 and more dramatic than usual.

Just wanted to point out that we had a day with undeniably summery temperatures in the Northeast this week, and there are just over three weeks until official Spring. It is not too early to begin to hope for the first butterflies of 2018.

Eye to Eye

This is my cat, Chase. When she’s in bright sunlight her pupils are thin vertical slits. I recently read a paper by Martin Banks, et al. about the pupils of terrestrial animals and why they are different shapes. Click here for the paper. The vertical pupils of cats, it turns out, are typically seen in ambush predators that are active day and night; hunters that sit still at close range and then pounce (which describes Chase to a T). The  pupil shape gives the cat a special kind of depth of field that allows her to estimate distances without moving her head. Stealthy! Click to enlarge.

This goat, on the other hand, has eyes on the sides of his head and horizontal pupils. The study found that’s a common arrangement for grazing animals that are always watching to see who might be sneaking up on them. According to the study, the horizontal pupils help light to enter the eye from in front and behind but not so much from above and below, giving the goat a nice panoramic view of its surroundings and some help evading danger.

Any questions?

Herringbone Root

I saw this while I was taking a walk yesterday. The root has grown through the cracks between the bricks in the sidewalk, turning at barriers and efficiently finding its way. I wonder how long that took? Click to enlarge.

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” 

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Zoo Squirrel

Big bowls of fresh greens, carrots, dried corn, healthy pellets, and other delicious things are intended for residents of the Cape May County Zoo in Cape May Courthouse, New Jersey, but lucky local squirrels easily get past some of the fences and share the bounty. This one is making itself at home. Imagine a bowl of breakfast you could fit a couple of people inside! Click to enlarge.

OMG -- there's corn? I love corn!

Mmm...corn.