Tag Archives: Boston

Arboretum: Nursery Web Spider and Easter Egg Berries

I didn’t let summer’s final gasp of heat and humidity deter me from a walk in the Arboretum on Wednesday, although, after a month-long break in 90-degree heat, I felt like I was experiencing the first hot day of the season. I spotted a nursery web spider (Pisaurina mira) biding its time under a leaf. Note how it rests with its two front legs touching each other.

Nursery web spider
Nursery web spider

This spider has a dark stripe running down the middle that is bordered by a white margin, which undulates along its abdomen. Also note the white hairs along its body and the black spines on its legs.

Nursery web spider
Nursery web spider

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Arboretum: Beggarticks and its Pollinators

Aside from the aphids, I spotted a number of other creatures in the Arboretum last week. An American bullfrog was spread out lazily in the marsh waters.

American bullfrog lounging in water
American bullfrog

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Arboretum: Woolly Alder Aphids

I passed a European alder tree (Alnus glutinosa) on Willow Path at the Arnold Arboretum a couple days ago (accession 1399-73*B), and noticed that many of its branches were covered in a white fungus/mold-like substance. Upon closer inspection, the mold moved!

This was no mold. It was an infestation of woolly alder aphids (Prociphilus tessellatus).

European alder branch with a woolly aphid colony.
European alder branch with a woolly aphid colony.

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Arboretum: Summersweet Butterflies and Wasps

On Tuesday, I walked from the Arboretum’s main gate to the shrub garden. I saw a couple of butterflies for the first time, among them a common sootywing (Pholisora catullus), a dark brown butterfly with white spots.

Common sootywing
Common sootywing

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Boston’s Dominican Parade

We watched the tail end of Boston’s Dominican Parade Sunday afternoon on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain. Loud and festive, the parading groups brought a lot of energy to the neighborhood. Dominican flags flew everywhere.

Drivers seemed to compete as to who could stack the most speakers on their car or van. At times, the loud music was nice, especially when dancers followed. But I didn’t understand why five cars in a row each blared a different song; all we heard was noise. Is it about the music or your speaker set-up?

Van covered with speakers
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Arboretum: Bussey Hill Trees and Insects

Late last week, I went to the Explorers’ Garden on Bussey Hill on a pleasant, sunny day. A few butterflies passed me by but did not perch. The eastern kingbird below paused at a the top of a crabapple tree. In about a month, this kingbird will probably make its way to South America for the winter.

Eastern kingbird in a crabapple
Eastern kingbird

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Eastern White Pine vs Silver Maple

Two of the fastest-growing native trees in the Northeast are duking it out on Paul Gore Street in Jamaica Plain. An eastern white pine and a silver maple arch over the street, meeting in the middle.

White Pine vs Silver Maple
Silver maple (left) and eastern white pine (right) over Paul Gore St

Update on June 2, 2016: The white pine has won the battle. The silver maple was cut down today. It had dropped some large limbs during recent storms and was probably deemed a public hazard. Still, it’s sad to see an urban giant go.

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Arboretum: Cup Plants and Caterpillars

I found this white-dotted prominent caterpillar (Nadata gibbosa) crawling across Meadow Road yesterday. A green caterpillar with an opaque, lighter green face, it is covered with white dots. This one had two brown patches on it, perhaps some sort of infection?

white-dotted prominent caterpillar
white-dotted prominent caterpillar

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