Author Archives: Andrew Dressel

As the anonymous volunteers at the Pedia of Wik so eloquently put it: Mating in dragonflies is a complex, precisely choreographed process.  They continue, breathlessly:  This distinctive posture is called the “heart”. Probably, don’t try this at home, kids. In any case, those are Mr. and Mrs. skimming bluet damselfly or Enallagma geminatum, as theContinue reading “Frisky Friday!”

Hmmm. Where to even start? Lets’ go with the new guys. That’s right, the dragonflies were all over the pond yesterday afternoon in the nice bright sun. On the left is a male dot-tailed whiteface (Leucorrhinia intacta) and on the right is a male twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella). Hey! I don’t make these names up.Continue reading “Things are really starting to warm up…”

Oh sure, the birds have been laying eggs like crazy for months, no doubt. We’ve seen the goslings, after all, and I’ve even found three discarded shells on the ground already. Oh, and don’t forget about the spittle bugs. This morning, however, I was happy to be reminded that birds and bugs are not theContinue reading “Egg laying time in Estabrook”

That’s right, the King Billies are finally here, after their amazing journey all the way from the mountains of central Mexico (or maybe parts of Florida). I also just spotted one out my dining room window as I type this, so the odds are that there are more than one, and if you look, youContinue reading “Well, well, well. Look who just arrived!”

It is a cool, overcast morning with not much going on, and I didn’t capture a single image of the animal kingdom. There was one mallard on the pond, and we’ve already seen all the other birds I saw or heard; robins, red-winged blackbirds, grackles, wrens, cardinals, catbirds, etc. Instead, I did manage to findContinue reading “Slow start to June”

The sun was bright, the sky was blue, and the air was crisp and cool. This morning it seemed that the critters and I had the park just about to ourselves, which was pretty darn nice. The mammals were out in force, for a change, with three deer and rabbits seemingly everywhere I went. WayContinue reading “Peaceful Sunday”

First is a bird new to me, this handsome Eastern Kingbird, who was busily hunting for breakfast bugs over the soccer fields from this commanding perch in a little fruit tree. He was happy to pose, but wouldn’t let me get any closer, so the picture is a little blurry, I am sorry to say.Continue reading “Back to Birds”

I was over by the river looking up at an oriole, which are everywhere now, and this little guy caught my eye with his bright white belly when he landed on a nearby branch. He proceeded to groom himself and air out in the sun as I proceeded to take picture after picture. Unfortunately, hisContinue reading “Vireos and Seamonsters”

Let’s start with the pretty pictures, eh? In that case, first up must be the eastern red columbine, or Canadian columbine, if you prefer. The Latins called it Aquilegia canadensis. These are supposed to be pollinated by hummingbirds, so I’ll keep my eyes peeled. I did finally capture an image of such a pollinator byContinue reading “All kinds of new flora and fauna”

And just in the nick of time, too. Well, not the fruit, yet, just the flower, but I was beginning to despair that they would never open. How I never noticed these beauties before is beyond me. I can’t wait to try that fruit, right? Note this warning, however, from the Pedia of Wik: AllContinue reading “The Mayapples have Arrived!”