Winter Solstice

Today, on the last day of autumn, the sun set at 4:40:28 in Philadelphia. Tomorrow, it will set at 4:40:59. The days may grow colder as we head into winter, but also pleasantly longer. Click to enlarge the sun going down over the New Jersey Pine Barrens. 

 

Snow Day

 

It snowed all last night, and when the sun came up, the trees had been transformed. 

Some of them looked like giant snowflakes. 

Then the wind started blowing the snow off the trees. It seemed to be snowing all over again, except for being blue and sunny. Click to enlarge. 

Nathaniel Hawthorne once wrote, "A few feathery flakes are scattered widely through the air, and hover downward with uncertain flight, now almost alighting on the earth, now whirled again aloft into remote regions of the atmosphere." As if he'd spent the day looking out my windows.

At sunset, some of the treetops were still draped in snow. They lit up wintry pink like this. What a beautiful day! 

Farm Visit

 

I visited the Lots of Love Farm Animal Sanctuary in Williamstown, NJ, today, where I petted, photographed, and fed healthy snacks of seeds and grain to the residents. Here's a pretty pony. And a few of my favorites... 

A handsome cow. Click to enlarge.

Roaming ducks. 

An emu. 

And a rhea, that's a big flightless bird that resembles the emu, but is from South America instead of Australia. Rheas are usually grayish brown. This one has a genetic condition called leucism, which makes its feathers white and eyes blue. He is quite a special bird! 

This camel expertly grabbed my food bucket and challenged me to a tug of war. Clever camel.

And speaking of clever. There are lots and lots of cute little goats wandering the grounds, accepting snacks and taking advantage when opportunities arise.

Like when I put my food bucket on a picnic table for a moment while I bent to take a picture of this lovely pig. While I was doing so... a little goat climbed on the table and from there hopped onto my back! 

While we were distracted, another little goat climbed the table and raided my snacks. The whole thing was loads of fun, and I smiled and laughed the whole time I was there. It was more like visiting a farm (with exceptionally cute animals) than a petting zoo. I'm glad that all the animals there ended up in such a caring home. 

The Last Day of November

It's the last day of November. Another short cold day. It brings to my mind this poem November Night by Adelaide Crapsey. Click to enlarge.

"Listen...
With faint dry sound,
Like steps of passing ghosts,
The leaves, frost-crisp’d, break free from the trees
And fall." 

 

Cooper's Hawk

 

This is an immature male Cooper's hawk. A breeze is ruffling its breast feathers. The eyes are yellow, indicating it's a first year bird, so this might be its first migration. Next year, the eyes will be orange, and when fully adult, red. 

Here's another picture of the same bird. I saw it at Cape May Point last week. The New Jersey Audubon Society calls Cape May Point the "raptor capital of North America." It's a world-famous place to watch migrating hawks in autumn.  The shape of New Jersey naturally funnels southbound migrating birds toward the point. Many linger there, waiting for favorable conditions to continue on across the wide Delaware Bay. On peak days, several thousand hawks have been counted by observers for the Cape May Hawkwatch, which is operated by New Jersey Audubon. Click to enlarge. 

Birdwatching Yesterday

I went birdwatching at Forsythe Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey yesterday. It's beautiful there in autumn. Click to enlarge.  

This lovely great egret stood still long enough for a photo. I love it when the water is still enough to reflect the long, graceful neck. 

There were lots of bufflehead ducks. Look at this handsome line following the adult male in front. 

I saw my favorite little duck, the green-winged teal. Here are two males. 

A shiny common grackle. Chattering as usual. 

There are woods in the refuge near the marsh. I took this nice sandy trail into the woods. 

And came back out on this one. A quote from Nathaniel Hawthorn seems to fit here: "I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house."

Boxelder Bugs

 

I was out of my home territory yesterday, visiting West Deptford, N.J., close to the Delaware River. It was marshy and although I did not see them, I know there were lots of boxelder trees nearby. I know because I saw their namesake insect -- the boxelder bug. Behold, above. This was more of an event than it sounds, because I'd never seen one before. As if to make up for lost time, I saw thousands of them yesterday. Click to enlarge.

I saw them on cars and walls, a lot of them, clustering especially on white backgrounds. They were sitting in the sunshine, seeking warmth. It's their yearly autumn swarm, during which they look for warm places to overwinter. They'll try to get inside buildings, but will settle for any sheltered nook. After spending the winter dormant, they'll again emerge in spring. I'd never seen them because there were no boxelder trees in my neighborhood; they eat mainly the leaves flowers and seeds of boxelders and do not stray far from them. 

Autumn Leaves

No thoughts today, just colored leaves. 

Click to enlarge. 

Take the yellow path. 

But do not touch the poison ivy, pretty though it may be. 

Goodbye, Halloween. Let November begin! 

Happy Halloween!

 

Halloween's coming. Candy's on the menu. BONE appétit! Click to enlarge.

Windfall Caterpillar

 

I find some of my best caterpillars on boardwalks under trees on windy days. They get blown from the tree and fall onto the contrasting surface of the boardwalk where they stand out. This one is a catalpa sphinx moth caterpillar, Ceratomia catalpae. I found in one windy day last week on a boardwalk under -- you guessed it -- a catalpa tree. Click to enlarge.

The leaves have not yet fallen from the catalpa trees in my neighborhood. That's lucky for this caterpillar because catalpa leaves are all it eats. It is even sometimes called a catalpa worm. The tree and its caterpillar are native to the eastern United States. When I was a child, we called catalpa trees Johnny Smoker trees for their long, cigar-shaped seed pods.  

The caterpillar is facing left. Notice the long black horn rising from its rear end. 

The horn is just for looks; it does not sting. It is thought to be a visual defense that makes the caterpillar look dangerous to would-be predators. It works for me. The next stage for this caterpillar is to make its way to the ground. It will burrow down and form a pupa, within which it will remain dormant through the winter. Maybe it wasn't blown out of the tree, after all, just wending its way along the boardwalk, looking for some nice dirt to pupate in?

Urban Wildlife

 

Urban wildlife sighting in Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. Click to enlarge.

Squirrel evolution has reached the Age of Picnic Tables.

Around the corner. The cat wants to come in. 

Out all night. Still looking fabulous. 

Nearby, a horse-head hitching post for your horse. 

While meanwhile in South Jersey...

Indian Pipes

 

I took a short walk along a favorite dirt road in the New Jersey Pine Barrens this week. It turned out to be a remarkable experience. I saw more clusters of Indian pipes that day than I have seen during the rest of my life combined. There were scads of them! It was an Indian pipe extravaganza! And their odd little bell-shaped flowers were blooming. And the flowers were full of seed pods. Click to enlarge. Note the lovely pink accents. 

Indian pipes are curious flowering plants. They don't make their own food through photosynthesis. They don't even have chlorophyll, so they are not green. 

They look a bit like mushrooms, right? They are also called ghost plants. 

We find them near trees, where they intrude on existing associations between the trees and underground fungi. The fungi are “mycorrhizal,” that is, they grow around roots. The relationship between the trees and the fungi is mutually beneficial. Mycorrhizal fungi enhance the root zone of the trees and provide access to more water and nutrients. In return, they obtain sugars produced by the trees through photosynthesis. Good for both. 

Along comes the Indian pipes. Their roots parasitically take water, sugars, and nutrients from the fungi and give nothing in return. Bold strategy, Indian pipes! 

The large round structures in the flowers are seed capsules. Inside them are dust-small seeds that will be released on the air when the time is right.