Eastern Chipmunk, Tamias striatus

Eastern Chipmunk

Tamais striatus

"I am on alert for the first signs of spring, to hear the chance note of some arriving bird, or the striped squirrel's chirp." (Walden)

Deptford Pink, Dianthus armeria

Deptford Pink

Dianthus armeria

- Shouting for attention -

This little flower is easy to overlook when rambling through the countryside. However, during peak summer months, Deptford pinks' tiny little blossoms shout for attention. These small blossoms top out at about only a half inch in diameter.

Red-Legged Grasshopper, Melanoplus femurrubrum

Red-Legged Grasshopper

Melanoplus femurrubrum

Red-Legged Grasshopper
 

While the grasshopper probably is not most folk's favorite creature, it still is a critter that deserves cataloguing and attention. He is in the same order as Jiminy Cricket and the locusts that

Common Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis

Common Garter Snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

 

Hiding in the autumn leaves

 

Halloween is the celebration of all things spooky. And, for many folks snakes are included among their lists of spooky creatures. (In fact, the fear of snakes,

Painted Turtle, Chrysemys picta

Painted Turtle

Chrysemys picta

Moseying towards the driveway

Sometimes nature's critters will be waiting right outside your backdoor, like this painted turtle. One morning when I got up early to photograph birds and flowers, I found this little guy moseying towards the driveway. He was very patient with me and didn't run away as I moved him

Tribute to Thoreau

Tribute to Thoreau

 

Since discovering and devouring Henry David Thoreau's magnum opus, Walden or Life in the Woods has been formative in how I view and try to understand my natural surroundings. As I ramble across the acres of Paradise, through fields, woods, and wetlands I try to keep Thoreau's perspective close to heart. To see the world with all the wonder he saw it with. Thoreau never travelled extensively or to exotic lands. Instead, he spent two years in the backyard of his hometown admiring all the beauty and phenomena of local nature. He knew that the "universe is wider than our views of it." Especially the universe found right in the backyard. This is what this photographic census is attempting to achieve; to prove that on a small parcel of land, beauty and wonder can be found if we just truly open our eyes and look beyond and deep within the routine, familiar backyard.

Acres of Paradise

Beyond & deep within routine

Black Raspberry, Rubus occidentalis

Black Raspberry

Rubus occidentalis

 

Summer hasn't truly begun for me until I can taste the sweet, tart fruit of the black raspberry plant. And, after a well earn day of working in the summer sun there is no more tranquil way to unwind than to go foraging. In my part of the Catskills, this tasty fruit begins to appear in early July and continues to fruit to the end of the month.

The black raspberry is related to the more famous red raspberry and blackberry but its unique taste has earned it its own right. The fruit tends to be smaller, seedier, and tarter than the other two species. But where I wander they are bountiful and make up the backbone of my foraged fruits. And, like all (non-poisonous) berries, they are good for one's health.

When foraging for this berry it's best to wear long sleeves and long plants because one will have to dive into masses of thorny, sticker branches to get the finest fruits. But all that hard work and those bleeding scratches pay off for that one delicious little berry! Take note, if one waits too long, the birds will greedily snatch up the fruit leaving none behind. And finally, remember, black bears also like berries!

Fellow naturalist, Dave Spier, has more information on and appreciation for the black raspberries here.

The darker, the tastier

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_occidentalis

http://www.wikihow.com/Tell-Raspberries-and-Blackberries-Apart

Joe-Pye Weed, Eutrochium

Joe-Pye Weed

Eutrochium

 

During the summer wetlands are a great place to find colorful flowers, which is where I found this whimsical Joe-Pye weed. (Mother Nature must have been inspired by Dr. Suess.) This collection of bursting purple flowers was accompanying jewelweeds and cardinal flowers near a roadside culvert. Unfortunately when I photographed this flower I did not take note of the plant's details (stem color, leaf pattern, etc.) to determine its species.

 

Joe-Pye weeds are native to many states in North America and have undergone recent reclassification. Other names for the plant are trumpet weed and sometimes thoroughwort. The legend is that Joe-Pye was a Mohegan Indian healer from western Massachusetts who used this plant (E. purpureum) to treat typhoid fever. However, this folk medicine has not been verified by modern science.

 

Purple floweres of Joe-Pye weed

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_pye_weed

http://www.prairieworksinc.com/2010/11/15/joe-pye-the-name-behind-the-legend/



Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rustica

 

I got lucky with this photo. My little Coolpix Nikon really isn't meant for taking pictures of birds. Birds generally move quickly and fly away when one gets too close. But this little swallow sat on his perch for a long time letting me photograph him (or her).

 

Barn swallows are particularly fun because they live close to humans, preferring man-made structures for shelter. I find them fun to watch when I cut the lawn. They dance and tumble around behind the mower snatching up all the seeds and insects that my mower flings into the air.

 

Despite there fun nature I do worry a bit about these birds residng so close to humans. Their nest and fecal matter can pose a health risk to humans and domestic animals if they are contaminating food or water sources. But one does require special permission to remove swallow nests.

 

Head profile

Looking away

 

Reader's Digest Book of North American Birds (2012)

http://allstateanimalcontrol.com/animals/swallows/swallow_faq.php#9



Spotted Jewelweed, Impatiens capensis

Spotted Jewelweed

Impatiens capensis

 

The same day I discovered the lovely cardinal flower I discovered the spotted jewelweed, also known as touch-me-not. This little orange flower is a native species to much of the eastern United States. Like the cardinal flower, it prefers wet soil and can found, like the ones I discovered, in culverts and wetlands.

 

The touch-me-not name comes from the flowers seed capsules which will burst open if touched. It is also known as jewelweed because of how water beads up on the plant's leaves. It is fun and beautiful to take a leaf and swirl it around a bowl of water!

 

Jewelweed, has also been reported as a cure for poison ivy. Just mash up the stems and leaves and then apply to the irritated skin. I have not tried this natural cure myself. According to discussions on the web, the jewelweed cure has mixed results everything from alleviation to doing nothing at all.

 

Orange spotted jewelweed flowers

 

 It looks like it might eat you

 

 

Water "jewels" on a leaf

 

http://uswildflowers.com/detail.php?SName=Impatiens%20capensis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_jewelweed

http://williamrwilson.hubpages.com/hub/How-Do-You-Treat-Poison-Ivy-Using-Jewel-Weed-To-Treat-Poison-Ivy



Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina

 

Chipping Sparrow

Spizella passerina

 

One June morning I placed a lawn chair in the middle of my driveway and from there captured as many birds in my field of sight. I was able to get a couple of nice shots of the American chipping sparrow collecting some material as it was returning to its nest in an azalea bush.

 

This sparrow is famous for making its nest out of horse hair earning it the nickname, hair bird. Being that Paradise Farm is a horse farm, it is no surprise to find these little birds creating homes on the property. As a child I'd collect these delicate little hairy nests that fell out of bushes in the autumn.

 

On the driveway

 

In the azalea it called home

 

It's hidden nest (with furry little chicks)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipping_Sparrow
Reader's Digest Book of North American Birds (2012)

Cardinal Flower, Lobelia cardinalis

Cardinal Flower

Lobelia cardinalis

 

 

As I was walking alongside a country road, this cardinal flower's vibrant color caught my attention. It was growing in a slow flowing culvert. When I got down in the culvert I was greeted by a slew of pleasant cardinal flowers off in the creek-bed.

White-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus

White Tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

 

White-tailed deer are common throughout New York. They are famous for there distinctive white tail which can been seen as the deer run away. This white flag is to warn other deer of potential predators.

 

 

A spotted fawn seen near the side of the road