Category: Uncategorized
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Viceroy: # 5 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber February 7, 2023 Because it looks so much like the more famous Monarch, the Viceroy may be the most misidentified butterfly regularly seen in Eliza Howell Park. (For photos of Monarch, please see # 4.) The Viceroy is black and orange, with white spots. With a wingspan of about 3 inches, it is…
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Monarch: # 4 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber February 3, 2023 Monarch, probably the best known of all North American buterflues, is common in Eliza Howell Park. It is present from mid/late May until late September A nectaring butterfly, it is attracted to a variety of flowers, providing good views of it, both when the wings are closed and when the…
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After the Snowfall: Images from a Walk in the Park
Leonard Weber January 26, 2023 The snowfall in Detroit on January 25 was heavy in both senses: 1) it added up to several inches, and 2) it was a wet snow, weighty on a shovel and sticking to surfaces. Here are some images from my next-day nature walk in Eliza Howell Park.
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Silver-spotted Skipper: #2 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber January 22, 2023 The species selected for the second in this series on butterflies of Eliza Howell Park is the Silver-spotted Skipper. It is quite common in the park, frequently seen here from the middle of June to the middle of August. The Silver-spotted Skipper is large for a skipper, the largest skipper…
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American Lady: # 1 of “23 Butterflies in 2023”
Leonard Weber January 16, 2023 Since Eliza Howell Park in Detroit is slowly getting recognized as a great place to see butterflies, this might be a good year to highlight some of the butterflies that can be found here, presenting them one species at a time. It’s a long time until butterfly season in Michigan,…
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Colorful Winter Mushrooms
Leonard Weber January 10, 2023 They are small and, at this time of the year, they lead to pleasant stops on nature walks in Eliza Howell Park. They are mushrooms, found on dead wood, that just started fruiting or remained fresh-looking as December ended and January began. One of these is called Crowded Parchment. This…
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Birds of Eliza Howell Park: Another Year Begins
Leonard Weber January 3, 2023 At the beginning of a new year, I often review some of the records of my Eliza Howell Park observations. Recently, I have been checking the records of bird sightings. January 2023 is the beginning of Bird Record Year 19. In 2022, I saw 117 different species, typical of the…
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Twelve Buds at Christmas: Trees in Pause Mode
Leonard Weber December 20, 2022 During Christmas season walks in Eliza Howell Park, I often stop under leaf-bare deciduous trees and check the tips of branches. I am admiring the growth buds and appreciating the reassurance that the trees, though currently in pause, have a head start on Spring. As with leaves and bark and…
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Marvelous Moss: On Logs in the Vernal Pool
Leonard Weber December 15, 2022 There is something about moss-covered logs that I find very attractive. Late Fall, before snow covers the ground (and the logs) in Eliza Howell Park, is the time I often go looking for them. What I find especially fascinating is the contrast between the way the moss appears when I…
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Fruit of Horse Nettle: Attractive, Seldom Eaten
Leonard Weber December 11, 2022 Horse Nettle is one of the few perennials in Eliza Howell Park that hold their fruit into Winter. The berries, which remind me of small yellow tomatoes, are still on the plants well into December. Horse Nettle (also known as Carolina Horsenettle and a variety of other names) is a…
Eliza Howell Nature Walk 