Category: Uncategorized
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Snapping Turtle Hatchlings
As I reported at the time, I was able to observe a Snapping Turtle lay and bury eggs in the ground near a bench in Eliza Howell Park in June this year (“Snapping Turtle Lays Eggs,” June 15, 2022). Ever since, I have been keeping an eye on the spot. According to published reports, many […]
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Fiery Skipper: A Small Colorful Surprise
This week I spotted the 35th butterfly species of 2022 in Eliza Howell Park, a little orange and brown/black skipper that I did not recognize immediately. It was nectaring on Chicory. The many species of small skippers are often hard to distinguish (for me), so I photographed it to help with later identification. It was […]
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Insect Watching: A Late August Photo Report
While I check to see if there are any migrating warblers present first thing in the morning these days (there are!), most of my focus is on the colorful insects now active in Eliza Howell Park in Detroit. A good place to look is in a patch of flowering Goldenrod. It is a challenge to […]
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Bumblebees: The Fascinating Lives of Common Pollinators
All season long, as long as there are flowers blooming, I can watch bumblebees on any nature walk in Eliza Howell Park. They take both nectar and pollen from a wide variety of flowers. This week many of them are visiting goldenrods, which are beginning to produce abundant blooms.. I am also seeing them on […]
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Butterfly Colors Fade with Age
By the time butterflies become flying adults, they have already gone through three previous stages: egg, larva/caterpillar, and pupa. In most butterfly species, adult lifespan is short, perhaps two to four weeks. There are exceptions, such as Monarchs that migrate in the fall and Mourning Cloaks that spend the winter in hibernation as adults, but […]
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August Attractions
Following the intense nature watching months of May, June, and July here in Elza Howell Park, it can be tempting to take a break. And I do in the sense of scheduling very few group nature walks at this time of the year. But the annual cycle does not slow down and August has its […]
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A Gall Gallery: Fascinating Insect Galls
Insects are amazing. Some are able to stimulate plants to grow a shelter for their developing larvae. These growths on plants known as galls. After the eggs that are laid on the plant hatch, the larvae start to eat. The chemical compounds they secrete stimulate the unusual plant growth. Since discovering an additional type of […]
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The Different Among the Familiar: The Past Week in Eliza Howell Park
After more than 2000 nature walks in Eliza Howell Park, I have learned what to expect at various times of the year. It has been both exciting and sarisfying this past week to observe many the same colorful wildflower and butterfly species that I usually see in mid to late July. It is also true, though, […]
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Viceroy: A Butterfly Equal to the Monarch
This is the best time of the year to enjoy butterfly watching in Eliza Howell Park. Many meadow flowers are in full bloom, attracting a colorful variety of butterflies. One species now present is often misidentified: the Viceroy butterfly. It looks very much like the much better known Monarch, so a quick look leads many […]
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Wild Bergamot: A Favorite of Butterflies
In early July in Detroit’s Eliza Howell Park, Wild Bergamot begins to bloom. For nature watchers, it is an important and exciting time, a signal that the summer buterfly season is here. As is evident from this recently taken photo, Wild Bergamot attracts a variety of other insects in addition to butterflies. My focus here, […]
Eliza Howell Nature Walk 