Category: Uncategorized
-
A Late May Nature Walk
Leonard Weber May 28, 2023 May is a month of enormous change in Eliza Howell Park. The difference in foliage from early May to late May is evident in these photos from the footbridge over the Rouge River. By late May, birds that have only recently returned from their wintering grounds are busy making nests,…
-
Giant Swallowtail: # 17 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber May 15, 2023 It is always a pleasure to watch a Giant Swallowtail in Eliza Howell Park. It is the largest butterfly here, with a 6-inch wingspan. Most years, it can be seen from time to time in the park, especially in late July and early August. It is not common or numerous…
-
Summer Tanager: An Unusual Presence
Leonard Weber May 2, 2023 Few things attract bird enthusiasts more than the unexpected presence of an attractive bird in a location where it is not usually found. Recently, birders have been “flocking” to Eliza Howell Park in Detroit in search of an immature male Summer Tanager. Summer Tanagers are normally found from Ohio southward…
-
Tawny Emperor: # 16 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber April 26, 2023 Tawny Emperor, a butterfly with a 2-inch wingspan, is not one of the most common butterflies of Eliza Howell Park. In a typical year, however, it can be seen occasionally from late June to August. It is quite irresistible, especially when it is positioned with the wings open. Tawny Emperors…
-
Eastern Tailed-Blue: # 15 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber April 22, 2023 It is a tiny blue butterfly, but the blue disappears when it alights and closes its wings. This description fits a couple of different butterfly species that are present in Eliza Howell Park, but the one featured here is Eastern Tailed-Blue. It is the little blue butterfly seen most often…
-
Dryad’s Saddle: A Mushroom Accompanying Spring Wildflowers
Leonard Weber April 17, 2023 Though the exact dates vary, the spring woodland wildflowers appear in their fascinating variety every year in Eliza Howell Park in late April and/or early May. And every year, as wildflower admirers walk the woodland path admiring the Trout Lilies and the Spring Beauties, we inevitably note another equally reliable…
-
Eastern Garter Snake: An Encounter in the Sunshine
Leonard Weber April 13, 2023 Each year, I see the first Eastern Garter Snake of the year in Eliza Howell Park on a sunny day in March or April. They emerge from winter hibernation and seek the sun to warm up from so much time in the cold earth. This year, my first sighting was…
-
Common Wood-Nymph: # 14 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber April 11, 2023 Common Wood-Nymph is in the same family as Little Wood-Satyr, # 6 in this series. They are present sequentially in Eliza Howell Park. Little Wood-Satyr is seen in May and June; Common Wood-Nymph is present from late June until late August. Common Wood-Nymph has a wingspan of about 2 and…
-
Ephemeral Wildflowers: An Invitation to a Public Nature Walk on April 29
Leonard Weber April 5, 2023 The spring woodland wildflowers are often referred to as “ephemerals.” Their blooming time is brief, completed before the trees leaf out and shade the forest floor. Anyone interested in an opportunity to see and become more familiar with a variety of small woodland spring wildflowers is invited to a free guided…
-
Pearl Crescent: # 13 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber March 31, 2023 The Pearl Crescent is a small orange and black butterfly that flies in Eliza Howell Park from the middle of May into September. Perhaps because of its size (wingspan of 1 1/2 inches), it does not seem to get the attention some other common butterflies get. There are sometimes differences…
Eliza Howell Nature Walk 