Striped wintergreen, 2 July 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)
Spotted wintergreen’s leaves can be found at any time of year but the plant only blooms from June to August.
The flowers hang like a chandelier from three branches on the main stem. Each flower resembles a lamp: five up swept white petals, paired anthers, and a bulbous green pistil (shown above).
You can tell the difference between spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata) and its close relative Pipsissewa because spotted wintergreen’s leaves are pointed, whorled and distinctly striped on the midrib. For this reason it’s also called “striped wintergreen” — easy to remember when you see the leaves. Where are the spots?
Striped wintergreen (photo by Kate St. John)
Striped wintergreen is endangered in Canada, Illinois and Maine and exploitably vulnerable in New York. I found this one in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
Dori and Louie bow at the Gulf Tower nest, 14 July 2016, 3:48pm (photo from the national Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower)
Yesterday (July 14) was Old Home Week for the Downtown peregrines as they toured all the places they’ve nested since Dori arrived in Pittsburgh six years ago.
Around 7:30am Lori Maggio saw “an adult peregrine, Dori I assume, preening on the Third Avenue nest ledge. Then she entered the nest.” The photo below from last May gives you an idea of what Lori saw. The peregrines nested here in 2012, 2013 and this year, 2016.
Adult peregrine at entrance to Third Avenue nest in May 2016 (photo by Lori Maggio)
At 10:55am Dori and Louie visited their 2015 nest at the old Macy’s Annex. Matt Digiacomo, who captured these photos, says the area is under renovation. The door is open on the balcony behind Dori so she’s not likely to nest here. Perhaps she was curious.
Dori visiting her 2015 nest site at the former Macy’s Annex, 14 Jul 2016 (photo by Matt Digiacomo)
And perhaps Louie was curious, too. While Dori checked out Macy’s, he perched at his usual overlook on the Union Trust Building. I’m sure he’s glad the Union Trust scaffolding is gone.
Louie at his usual perch on the Union Trust Building, 14 July 2016 (photo by Matt Digiacomo)
Finally at 3:48pm the pair rounded out their tour with a bowing visit to the Gulf Tower, at top. Dori nested here in 2010, 2011 and 2014.
All of Dori’s predecessors — and Dori herself — used the Gulf Tower continuously from 1991-2011. It’s a mystery why she’s so nomadic.
(photos from the National Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower, Lori Maggio and Matthew Digiacomo)
Slug on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail, 10 Jul 2016. Not in my garden… but you get the idea (photo by Kate St. John)
On Sunday afternoon I collected my tools: small cat food cans, a trowel, garden gloves, and beer. I don’t believe in wasting good beer on slugs so I used a stash of old bottles. The expiration on this one is December 2008 — 8 years ago! Beer at room temperature lasts 6-9 months after the expiry so this one is fit only for slugs.
Slugfest tools: beer, small catfood cans, trowel, garden gloves (photo by Kate St. John)
For each can I dug a hole to place the rim at dirt level. I set one can under the most-eaten hosta and the other in a central location. Then I poured beer to the rims.
Beer trap for slugs (photo by Kate St. John)
The next morning there were 13 dead slugs in my two beer traps. Great attendance!
Slugs in the beer trap (photo by Kate St. John)
I’ve added two more cans and am now offering vintage brew in four locations.
The 2016 Summer Slugfest is very successful. I’m gonna run out of beer.
(photos by Kate St. John)
UPDATE ON JULY 15: The slugfest ended almost as quickly as it began. On the third day there were no slugs in the traps, none to catch.
Dori at the Gulf Tower, 13 July 2016, 6:38am (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower, Pittsburgh)
Dori watches the city wake up, Downtown Pittsburgh, Wednesday, July 13.
Dori refused to use this nest in March but she likes it in July. Her nest site on Third Avenue faces south-southwest. This nest at the Gulf Tower faces north-northeast.
Cicada damage on an oak tree (photo by Kate St. John)
12 July 2016
After weeks of roaring in late May and June, the 17-year periodical cicadas (Magicicadas, Brood V) are gone but not forgotten.
During the mating frenzy the females used their ovipositors to slit the bark near the ends of twigs and deposit up to 600 eggs per slit. Weeks later the adults are dead but they’ve left their mark on the trees. The slits killed the leafy branch tips.
Everywhere you go in cicada country the trees are green inside and brown at the tips. (This is called “flagging.”)
Cicada damage on an oak tree (photo by Kate St. John)
The trees look as if someone has sprayed defoliant on this year’s new growth. Fortunately that’s not the case!
Cicada damage on an oak tree (photo by Kate St. John)
The trees will be fine. They have plenty of time to recover before Brood V reappears in 2033.
If you lived through the cicada invasion this summer, you won’t soon forget their roar.
If you missed them, your next big chance near Pittsburgh will be Brood VIII in 2019.
This 3-note song mystified me in my own backyard. I can usually identify birds by ear but this one stumped me for at least six weeks.
Finally, I recorded it outside my window and sent it to my friend Dr. Tony Bledsoe. Tony suggested a tufted titmouse. (Turn up your speakers to hear the song in the video above. Ignore the picture, the bird’s not in it.)
A few days later I saw the bird. No wonder we didn’t recognize the song! He’s a gray catbird that sounds nothing like his cohorts. (Turn your speakers back down for the audio below.)
“Grey Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)” from xeno-canto 318616 by Ted Floyd
Most birds are silent in early July but the odd-sounding gray catbird is still singing in my neighborhood and I can guess why.
None of the lady catbirds like his song so he’s still calling for a mate.
Closeup of a song sparrow held by bander Becca Ralston at Neighborhood Nestwatch, Donna Foyle’s home, 9 Jul 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)
Did you know that song sparrows (Melospizamelodia) are the most abundant breeding bird in Pennsylvania? All they need are tall grasses, shrubs or trees to thrive in marshes, suburbs, farmland, or along roadsides.
At the National Aviary’s Neighborhood Nestwatch events, song sparrows are a target species and the one most often banded. This may have been true yesterday at Nestwatch at Donna Foyle’s, but the birds avoided the mist nets! Bander Becca Ralston had to change the net locations several times before this song sparrow came in.
Song sparrows are boring “Little Brown Jobs” (LBJs) from afar but they’re fascinating up close. Notice the intricate pattern and subtle shades of brown on this bird’s head. You can see the feather-eyelashes that circle his eye. His eyes are black from a distance, but up close you can see that they’re really brown.
Cool!
Bander Becca Ralston holds a male song sparrow at Neighborhood Nestwatch (photo by Kate St. John)
Beargrass in bloom, Glacier National Park, 29 June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)
In my final Montana installment, here are some plants seen at Glacier National Park, June 27-30, 2016.
Beargrass grows up to five feet tall with grass-like leaves and a knob of white flowers on top. As you can see in this poorly lit photo, the beargrass was hard to ignore on the Josephine Lake trail.
Hikers next to beargrass showing the height of the flower, Glacier National Park, 29 June 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)
At Logan Pass we saw Glacier Lilies that resemble our own Trout Lily.
Glacier lily at Logan Pass, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)
And at woodland edges, Pink Wintergreen (Thank you, Dianne Machesney, for identifying this for me) …
Pink Wintergreen, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)
… plus Sticky Geraniums …
Sticky Geranium, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)
… and Sego Lilies, the state flower of Utah.
Sego lily, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)
The meadows were full of wildflowers.
Paintbrush …
Paintbrush species, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)
Larkspur …
Larkspur, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)
Blanket flower (I think. Please correct me if I’m wrong!)
Blanket Flower, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)
and the remnants of Camas flowers that had bloomed in mid-June.
Camas flower, McGee Meadow, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)
And finally, I marveled at the huge Western Redcedars on the wet, western side of Glacier National Park. They are so much bigger than our cedars back home.
Western Redcedar, Glacier National Park, 30 June 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)
