The Natural Capital

Things to look for in August

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 20:57:00 +0000

What a lovely break in the heat we're having. Here are some things to keep an eye out for in August. Links are to previous LOOK FOR posts:

Photo credit: Rongem Boyo

The Perseid meteor shower is expected to peak August 11-14. The moon will be a waning crescent that comes up just before sunrise, so there should be dark skies. We just have to fight the haze and clouds of August humidity. The best time to look is in the wee hours of the morning, but you could see meteors at any time after about 9 PM.

hummingbird on cardinal flower in our yard

In August we often see hummingbirds in our yard nearly every day. What a treat to watch them go from hovering in mid-air, to zipping away, fast as lightning.

Greater Anglewing by Jerry Oldnettel

Even more common are the katydids, who chirp just about everywhere in the evening. Even when we lived in Dupont Circle, there was one in the tree outside our apartment building. In the woods you'll hear them by the thousands...and in this post, you can learn to tell apart the calls of the five different species.

Monarch larva by The Natural Capital

Monarch butterflies are in serious decline. But this is the time of year that they are laying their eggs, and if you look closely on milkweed, you may see some stripey caterpillars. Until a few years ago, we brought a few inside every year and raised them. (This post on raising monarchs has been one of the all-time most popular posts on the Natural Capital.) Lately, we've seen so few that I actually choked up a little when I saw a monarch on the milkweed in our backyard.

Joe Pye weed by Garden Beth

Joe Pye Weed is another butterfly magnet at this time of year -- not so much for the monarchs as for the swallowtails. Keep an eye out for Joe Pye weed in wetland areas and then watch for the butterflies...look closely and you'll find lots of other pollinators, too.

Passionflower by Texas Eagle

Joe Pye is one of our tallest flowers; passionflower is surely one of the most exotic-looking. The tropical look of this flower may lead you to think of steamy nights of passion, but the 17th century missionaries who named it claimed to have religion in mind.

Sagittaria by Tom Brandt

Katniss, namesake of the character from the Hunger Games, blooms in August. You won't find enough to subsist on as she did, but if you're a fan of the book it's fun to know the plant.

Dragonfly by afagen

Dragonflies are common sight this time of year. They hang out around water, because they lay their eggs there and spend their nymph stage as aquatic creatures. In our post we highlighted 6 common species, and shared a video of a dragonfly shedding its aquatic skin to become an adult.

Sumac berries by billmiky

Sumac has extremely distinctive clusters of dark red, hairy berries in the late summer. They're great for making pink lemonade! Check out our post to find out how.

We really enjoyed watching a sphinx moth nectar on jimson weed by the Potomac River a couple of years ago, and may head back to try again. If we end up just watching the sunset by the river, that's not so bad either.

Polyphemous moth by Jason Sturner

Also out this time of year are the giant silkworm moths, and their large green caterpillars. So beautiful.

What have you been seeing lately? Leave a comment and let us know!

What's going on at Jug Bay?

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 16:32:00 +0000

We've gone to Jug Bay three times in the last three weeks. The place is teeming with life at this time of year: ospreys calling, dragonflies zipping by, warblers bringing food to their fledglings, and flowers everywhere. Most of these pictures were taken on the short loop trail from the parking lot by the boat dock at Patuxent River Park.

Spatterdock and rose mallow

Rose mallow

Meadowhawk?

Wild grapes

Boletus frostii

Trumpet vine -- we saw hummingbirds and orioles drinking the nectar

Southern leopard frog

Red Admiral

Prothonotary warbler eating insects on the spatterdock leaves

Great blue skimmer

Moths on Clethra alnifolia

Cinnamon fern

Things to look for in July

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 22:15:00 +0000

Our monthly roundup of things to look for this month:

Photo credit: InspiredinDesMoines

I originally wrote about bald eagles for the 4th of July, but they're around all summer -- and some stay over the winter. Still, it's a great time of year to get out on the water and look for them. Matt once had the pleasure of watching an eagle fight an osprey for the fish it had just caught -- evidence of the theiving behavior that made Ben Franklin prefer the wild turkey for national bird.

Photo credit: The Natural Capital

While you're hanging out in wet places, keep an eye out for moisture-loving jewelweed. It's a pretty flower, a sparkly wonder, a trailside snack, and a soothing skin treatment. What's not to love?

Photo credit: The Natural Capital

Another moisture-lover is cardinal flower. I used to love cardinal flower just because it's a gorgeous flower. It took a few years before I realized that if you sit quietly for long enough by a large patch, a hummingbird will come by. And that takes it to another level.

Photo credit: The Natural Capital

I always thought of hibiscus as a tropical flower. It's the kind of thing you expect to see printed on Hawaiian shirts, or tucked behind a hula dancer's ear. But we've got native hibiscus right here in DC. It blooms in July, also in wet areas. (I guess I spend a lot of time on the water in July!)

Photo credit: brocktopia

Also out in July: Chantarelles. They are a choice culinary mushroom prized by chefs around the world. And they grow in Washington, DC. With all this rain, it's been a good year for them already.

Photo credit: Teague O'Mara

Five-lined skinks might be scurrying about as you go looking for these other things -- look for their blue tails!

In July we also find several other wild edibles, including milkweed, black locust beans, and sassafras.

Finally, check out our other posts on great things to do in the summer:
Natural places to go swimming
Public campgrounds
Places to rent a canoe or kayak

Enjoy!

Things to Look For in May

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Fri, 01 May 2015 13:00:00 +0000

This spring has been cold and a little slow, like last year. Morels, in particular, are just starting to show up. Below are all the things we've highlighted before on the Natural Capital in the month of May. It's getting to be a long list!

What else have you been seeing out there? Enjoy the beautiful weekend outdoors and leave a comment here or on this post on Facebook.

yellow ladyslipper at TWMA by Carly&Art

We often make it out to Thomspon Wildlife Management Area in early May to see the trilliums and ladyslipper orchids. I know I usually say that there's so much to see in the DC metro area that roadtrips are unnecessary, but the display at Thompson's is really unbelievable.

Photo credit: cotinis

Pinxter Azaleas - Some yards are an absolute riot of hot pinks and purples in the spring with azaleas bred from Asian species. But there is actually an azalea native to this area, and it's quite showy in its own right. They're blooming in Rock Creek Park right now.

Photo credit: The Natural Capital

Tuliptree Flowers - Tuliptrees are one of the dominant species in the forests in and around Washington, DC. But because the trees are so tall, many people have never seen their flowers. You may find some falling on the ground even if you can't see them in the treetops. (But the real treat is, you can drink their nectar.)

Photo credit: Eric Begin

Baltimore Orioles - Migrating right along with the tuliptree nectar are the orioles. Learn to recognize their pretty song and you may greatly improve your chances of actually seeing one.

Hummingbird by Jason Means

Ruby throated hummingbirds - Need I say more? Love, love, love these birds and I'm always so happy to see them come back in the spring. People have reported seeing them in the area, but I haven't spotted one yet.

Canada warbler by Jeremy Meyer

There are also many species of migratory warblers -- pretty little songbirds with pretty little songs. In the last several years, we've had a day or two in mid-May when a lot pass through our yard. This post shows some of the species we see the most.

Photo credit: ac4lt

Mountain Laurel - The gnarled, shaggy trunks of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) make it a showy shrub at any time of year. But in late May or early June, they burst into flower.

Tufted Titmouse by RunnerJenny

Tufted titmice - These birds are in the Washington DC area year round, but (like many birds) they're nesting in May. This post was inspired by catching a pair flying back and forth repeatedly to their nest to feed their young, when we went to see the mountain laurels.

Blue flag iris by dermoidhome

Blue flag iris - This gorgeous iris can be found in our local wetlands. It's one of the showiest flowers native to the DC region.

Oyster mushrooms by justresting

Oyster mushrooms - These are quite possibly my favorite local mushroom. They're not showy like chicken of the woods or early like morels, just a reliable, plentiful mushroom with a nice mushroomy flavor.

Photo credit: NC Orchid

Putty root orchid - I had been looking for this flower for years. I finally saw one two years ago, in May.

Serviceberries by dbarronoss

Serviceberries - We first learned these native, edible fruits as "Juneberries," but they should maybe be called "Mayberries" around here. (Does something already have that name, or is it just a place in tv land?) They should start ripening at the end of the month. They're scattered throughout the woods in the DC area, but you'll get the most fruit from trees that have been planted ornamentally...see our list of some of the best areas we've found, and a few more in the comments to the post.

Photo credit: Mary Keim

Eyed click beetles - We love these funky insects and their acrobatics. If you've never seen one in action, check out the videos in our post. For some reason we seem to always see them around this time of year. I'm not sure if that's just chance, or something about their life cycle.

Photo credit: USDA

And while you're out looking for all these things, don't forget to start checking for ticks. Lyme disease is rampant in our area, and a big deal if you get it. But if you find a tick within 24 hours of it attaching itself to you, chances are you won't get Lyme. So just suck it up and look for the little bloodsuckers.

LOOK FOR: Jack in the Pulpit

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 13:10:00 +0000

The Jack in the pulpits are starting to unfurl right now. I've always loved these flowers, showy in their design rather than their color.

Jack in the pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum
Photo credit: Kid Cowboy

But the name Jack in the pulpit never made much sense to me until I lived in New England. In the southern Unitarian church I grew up in, a pulpit wasn't something you could stand in. It was just a stage with a lectern on it.

One day, I walked into King's Chapel in Boston (built 1689) and I got it. Their pulpit isn't a stage; it's a little cubbyhole, with a roof, just big enough for one person to stand in. This architectural arrangement would have been familiar to the early European settlers who gave Jack in the pulpit its name.

King's Chapel pulpit, taken by Kjetil Ree

Jack in the pulpit, taken by Susan Tryforos

As they mature, if you look closely, you'll see that in one "flower" there are actually many tiny flowers, lining the Jack (which botanists call a spathe). These tiny flowers can be either male or female, and often one plant has flowers of only one sex in a given year.

So, sometimes the Jack is really a Jill.

Even better, most plants change the sex of the flowers they make over time. Younger, smaller plants start off producing only male flowers. Older plants have had more time to store up energy in their roots, and will produce more leaves and female flowers.

It's the female flowers, of course, that can produce fruit. You'll see the beautiful red berries of ~~Jack~~ Jill in the pulpits in late summer.

Photo credit: Charles de Mille-Isles

What's Blooming at Turkey Run?

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 16:26:00 +0000

If you do nothing else this weekend, please, PLEASE go see the bluebells in your favorite river valley. They should be stunning. Last Sunday they were just opening up at Turkey Run, and Wednesday they were very close to peak on the other side of the Potomac (around Lock 7 on the C&O Canal).

And there's so much else going on out there. I've finally gone through the pictures we took from both walks. Here are some highlights:

Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)

Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) and spring beauty (Claytonia virginica)

Windflower (Anemone canadensis)

Cutleaf toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)

Dutchman's breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

Toadshade trillium (Trillium sessile)

Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)

Trout lily (Erythronium americanum) -- there are HUGE patches near where Dead Run crosses the trail from Turkey Run

Squirrel Corn (Dicentra canadensis)

The Woodpeckers of Washington DC

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 12:48:00 +0000

Last week we were hearing a Northern Flicker drumming on our neighbor's vent pipe several times a day. This weekend a red-bellied woodpecker started in on our chimney cap. They're not stupidly looking for insects in metal objects; they just want to make some noise. It's that time of year -- and what better way to advertise your woodpecking prowess than by pecking as loud and fast as you can? (And boy, does our chimney make a good speaker system!)

In fact, it was a six-woodpecker weekend. We regularly get downy and hairy woodpeckers at our awesome peanut feeder. And we saw a sapsucker and a pileated in Rock Creek Park on Saturday. So I thought it would be fun to put together this little guide.

Photo credits, clockwise: USFWS, David Mitchell, Brandon Trentler, Michael Pazzani, Bruce McKay, Francesco Veronesi, Steve Andrews

With a little practice you can also tell most woodpeckers apart by their calls, or even by the speed of their drumming. (The exception is downy and hairy woodpeckers, which sound exactly the same to me.)

Woodpecker	Calls	Drums
Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens
Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius
Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus

What's Blooming at Boundary Bridge?

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 01:38:00 +0000

What a beautiful afternoon. We didn't get out for too long, but the bloodroots made my day.

Spring beauty (Claytonia virginica). See our post on spring beauty here.

Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) -- not blooming but I love the shoots.

Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) -- the flowers are almost done.
See our post on skunk cabbage here.

Violet (Viola sp.)

Early saxifrage (Micranthes virginiensis).

Lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) -- pretty but non-native and horribly, horribly invasive.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis). See our post on bloodroot here.

What's Blooming at Carderock?

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 13:38:00 +0000

This Wednesday we led a bunch of homeschoolers on a walk out on the Billy Goat C trail and then took our own walk on Billy Goat B. I suspect after yesterday's warmth things are even farther along, but here are a few of the things we saw just starting to spring forth in Spring!

At first glance, there's not much sign of life.

Harbinger of spring (Erigenia bulbosa).

Spring beauty (Claytonia virginica). See our post on spring beauty here.

Bittercress (Cardamine sp.). See our post on bittercress here.

Maple (Acer sp.). See our post on maple flowers here.

Wood frog eggs. See our post here.

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), about to bloom. See our post here.

Things to Look for: Spring!

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 12:24:00 +0000

It's another late spring, and so I have no idea exactly what the timing will be on some of these things...the peepers and wood frogs are active. And I'm hoping to get out this weekend to check one of the warmer bloodroot patches that I know about (last year, which was also cold, they were blooming on April 9.). What have you been seeing lately?

Photo credit: Carly & Art

Bloodroot is one of our favorite spring flowers. Each plant blooms only briefly, and there's a window of only a few weeks that the bloodroots bloom at all. It's one more thing that inspires us to spend as much time as possible in the woods at this time of year.

Photo credit: aecole

Every year we look for the cheery flowers of the
spicebush as they emerge to light up the understory. It's common throughout our local forests.

Photo credit: jpwbee

Maple flowers aren't as showy, but they're an important source of nectar for early-season pollinators -- and an unexpected spot of springtime color if you know to look for them.

Photo credit: bbodjack

Spring peepers are another pilgrimage-inspiring phenomenon in our household. How are these tiny critters so LOUD? And why are they so hard to find? We were so excited when we finally figured out how to spot them.

Wood frog eggs by The Natural Capital

The frogs are noisy because they're looking to mate. Spring peepers lay their eggs in out-of-the-way places, but we often find wood frog eggs in March (and tadpoles in April), easily visible in vernal ponds in many of the local parks.

Photo credit: cyanocorax

Spring Beauties are not a showy flower, but we find them dainty and adorable. They're one of the first spring ephemerals: perennial flowers that emerge every spring on the forest floor, and they last a little longer than most.

Photo credit: Dandelion and Burdock

Bittercress is less adorable, but more abundant than spring beauties -- and edible! Throw some in your spring salad mix for a vitamin-packed punch.

Things to Look for at the End of Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 14:41:00 +0000

We skipped town for over 6 weeks this winter. Little did we know the worst of the cold was yet to come. Here are some things to look for out there in the winter wonderland, and some to give you hope for spring to come...it will be here before we know it!

>> What have you been noticing in nature this winter? Leave a comment below.

Vulpes vulpes from Wikimedia Commons

When we got back to town, our neighbor let us know he's seen foxes coming and going from under our shed. He thinks we may have a den. The snow has revealed many noturnal comings-and-goings, and our neighbor seems to be right. Do we dare to hope for pups this spring? For now, see our guide to some common footprints in the snow.

Ice at Scott's Run by the Natural Capital

Even when it doesn't snow, looking for beautiful ice formations can be enough to entice me out into the cold for a good walk...usually. This might be a good time to check out your favorite body of water.

Skunk cabbage by Rupert G.

Skunk cabbage is one of the select group of plants in the world that attracts pollinators by imitating rotting flesh. And, it's just about the only native flower you're going to find blooming at this time of year. It's prehistoric-looking and stinky, but it's a flower. In January and February. It's said that they generate their own heat and can even melt snow, but I've never seen it...now might be the time to check.

Photo credit: Lolly Knit

Before this recent cold snap, Matt collected several gallons of maple sap from a few nearby trees. When it warms up this weekend the sap should start flowing again.

For those of us (myself included) who tend to feel a little house-bound as it gets colder and colder outside, we wrote a Southerner's Guide to Staying Warm Outside in the Winter.

We also put together a list of Nature Centers in the DC area, in case you need a nature fix when you really can't stand to be outdoors for too long.

Stay warm!

Things to look for in October

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 14:31:00 +0000

I've been distracted from the Natural Capital but I haven't totally forgotten about you guys...Here are some of the other things we try to take time to enjoy in October. What have you been noticing lately?

Maryland shore of the Potomac by Todor Kamenov

Fall foliage will start becoming more apparent soon. See our list of favorite local places to enjoy the color, and leave a comment with your own favorite spot. Or try our quiz of 10 fall leaves.

Wild grapes by Memotions

Wild Grapes are tart but tasty trailside treats -- if you can reach them. Have you found any lately?

Acorns by VS Anderson

Acorns have been dropping. We've been playing around with making acorn flour: take off the shells, grind the nutmeats into coarse flour, then put them in a filter and let them soak in repeated changes of water over several days. Then dry and grind into finer flour. Use it to replace a little flour in any baking recipe that doesn't require a lot of gluten. We love it in pancakes.

Virginia Creeper by Rene J

Virginia Creeper has started to turn a brilliant red. It's the harbinger of fall color.

New England Aster by giveawayboy

New England Asters are lighting up our backyard right now, and on a sunny day they're covered in pollinators. Do you have a favorite spot that they grow in the wild? We'd love to hear about it.

Cedar waxwing by Kelly Colgan Azar

Cedar waxwings are beautiful but gluttonous birds that come through our yard every fall and feast on our holly berries. I love to find them by their high-pitched calls, which you can hear on a video in our post.

Stink bug by fangleman

Marmorated stink bugs will probably start coming into your home as it gets cooler, if they haven't already. These bugs just came to Pennsylvania around 1998, and have been spreading through the eastern United States with stinky abandon.

chicken of the woods by zwavelzwam

It seems like every year we find a few pounds' worth of chicken of the woods in October, and this year is no exception. Plenty of other mushrooms out there, too, with all the rain!

We always love to hear what other people are noticing out there...leave us a comment below about your favorite things or new finds for this time of year!

Things to Look For in August

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 15:58:00 +0000

There's still plenty to see outside, if you're in town and you're willing to put up with a little sweat. Links are to previous LOOK FOR posts:

Photo credit: Rongem Boyo

The Perseid meteor shower is expected to peak August 11-12. The moon will be just past full, so it's not a great year to catch them, but keep an eye out.

hummingbird on cardinal flower in our yard

In August we often see hummingbirds in our yard nearly every day. What a treat to watch them go from hovering in mid-air, to zipping away, fast as lightning.

Greater Anglewing by Jerry Oldnettel

Monarch larva by The Natural Capital

Monarch butterflies are laying their eggs, and if you look closely on milkweed, you may see some stripey caterpillars. Every year, we bring a few inside and raise them. It's a pretty amazing process. (This post on raising monarchs has been one of the all-time most popular posts on the Natural Capital.)

Joe Pye weed by Garden Beth

Passionflower by Texas Eagle

Sagittaria by Tom Brandt

Katniss, namesake of the character from the Hunger Games, blooms in August. You won't find enough to subsist on as she did, but if you're a fan of the book it's fun to know the plant.

Dragonfly by afagen

Sumac berries by billmiky

Sumac has extremely distinctive clusters of dark red, hairy berries in the late summer. They're great for making pink lemonade! Check out our post to find out how.

Polyphemous moth by Jason Sturner

Also out this time of year are the giant silkworm moths, and their large green caterpillars. So beautiful.

What have you been seeing lately? Leave a comment and let us know!

One hour, 15 mushrooms

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 21:30:00 +0000

Yesterday when we were walking I challenged myself to take pictures of as many species of mushroom as I could. I didn't gather enough information to carefully ID most of them; I just enjoy the diversity of the world of fungi. So many colors, so many shapes and textures. How many different kinds can you find in an hour? It's fun to look even if you don't know what they're called.

Some kind of russula. I love the colors in this group: green, red, sometimes even purple.

Chanterelles! We found a new patch.

This one had a lot of white stuff coming off of it. I think it might be Leucocoprinus cepaestipes.

Pink cap and skirt...could be a blusher -- Amanita rubescens?

There's a group of mushrooms called waxcaps (genus Hygrocybe) that get sticky-slimy on top when they're wet. This is one of those.

This rubbery mushroom releases a cloud of spores from its top surface a few seconds after you push on it. Galiella rufa - hairy/rufous rubber cup.

Violet toothed polypore (Trichaptum biforme)- I couldn't get a good shot from below, but the underside is purple like the edges seen here.

Some kind of bolete, which is the group of stalked mushrooms that have pores on the bottom of their caps instead of gills. Probably one of the scaberstalks, named for that rough surface on the stalk.

Another bolete, this one with red cap and red underside. I don't see a good match in any of my books.

This mushroom exudes white latex when you break it -- some kind of Lactarius.

This tiny mushroom had a cap that was nearly transluscent.

These were even tinier.

And this was one of the biggest.

LBM (little brown mushroom)

More LBMs...

Want to really find a lot of mushrooms in an hour, and have someone tell you what they all are? Go out on a foray with the Mycological Association of Washington. There are mushrooms almost all year round, but late summer is a great time for colorful boletes.

Things to Look for in July

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 14:31:00 +0000

Better late than never, our monthly roundup of things to look for this month:

Photo credit: InspiredinDesMoines

Photo credit: The Natural Capital

While you're hanging out in wet places, keep an eye out for moisture-loving jewelweed. It's a pretty flower, a sparkly wonder, a trailside snack, and a soothing skin treatment. What's not to love?

Photo credit: The Natural Capital

Photo credit: brocktopia

Also out in July: Chantarelles. They are a choice culinary mushroom prized by chefs around the world. And they grow in Washington, DC. Matt has found several patches already this year.

Photo credit: Teague O'Mara

Five-lined skinks might be scurrying about as you go looking for these other things -- look for their blue tails!

In July we also find several other wild edibles, including milkweed, black locust beans, and sassafras.

Finally, check out our other posts on great things to do in the summer:
Natural places to go swimming
Public campgrounds
Places to rent a canoe or kayak

Enjoy!

Things to look for in June

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 23:37:00 +0000

Hasn't it been gorgeous out? I hope you got to enjoy the outdoors this weekend. There's more great stuff to come...

Mulberries by akeg

Mulberries: These berries are bane of some homeowners' existence as they drop and ferment on sidewalks and driveways throughout the metro area...not to mention the purple bird poop. We choose to see mulberries as a glorious abundance of free fruit, rather than an annoyance.

Mosquito by James Jordan

Mosquitoes: Especially after lots of rain, it can really pay off to look for where water might be collecting. See our tips on looking for spots where the mosquitoes might be breeding.

Tiger swallowtail in our backyard

Tiger swallowtails: In the fall, tiger swallowtail caterpillars form a chrysalis in which they'll spend the whole winter, waiting for the right time to emerge. And then, on some warm, sunny day in April or May, you'll see one fluttering by. And you'll know: winter's over. In June, you'll start to see more. To me, tiger swallowtails are one of the things that make summer summer in Washington, DC. If you spend enough time outside on a sunny day, you're bound to see one.

Firefly by James Jordan

Fireflies: They're out. J.M. Barrie wrote: "when the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies." We sit and watch them almost every night in our backyard. What better way to celebrate the summer?

Ramp flowers by milesizz

Ramp flowers: Ramps are sought out earlier in the spring for their edible leaves and roots. But later in June, they send up flower stalks topped with a puffball of white flowers. If you can find a big patch, it's a very impressive sight. We've seen a lot at Scott's Run and Carderock...keep an eye out and let us know if you see some.

Cicada lyrica by DaynaT

Cicadas: In most of DC and MD, we're missing out on the 17-year cicadas that emerged in Virginia this year. But toward the end of the month, keep an eye and an ear out for the dog-day cicadas. It doesn't take much work to hear them: they're some of the loudest insects on the planet.

Photo credit: the Natural Capital

Pickerel weed: This water-loving plant has gorgeous flowers that attract butterflies.

Photo credit: The Natural Capital

Milkweed is a beautiful, once-common roadside plant that is struggling in modern times. If you love monarch butterflies, you should show milkweed some love. Their lives depend on it: monarch larvae can only survive by eating milkweed leaves.

Lone Star Tick from CDC

And while you're out looking for all these things, don't forget to keep checking for ticks. Lyme disease is rampant in our area, and a big deal if you get it. And there are other crazy problems they can transmit, like an allergy to red meat. So just suck it up and look for the little bloodsuckers.

What else have you been seeing on the trails lately? Leave a comment and let us know!

What's Blooming in Rock Creek Park

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 02:16:00 +0000

Spring has sprung! Here are some of the things we saw this afternoon in Rock Creek. What have you been seeing out there?

bloodroot - big patches on the Melvin C. Hazen trail by Peirce Mill (see bloodroot post)

cut-leaf toothwort

fern fiddleheads (not sure which species)

trout lily

spicebush (see spicebush post)

Notable critters seen or heard but not photographed: spring peepers, barred owl, blue-gray gnatcatchers, and brown creepers. Rock Creek Park is such a treasure. Enjoy it!

Cleaning up the Anacostia River

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 11:00:00 +0000

The three films we highlighted from the DC Environmental Film Festival over the last couple of weeks had one theme in common: the need to clean up the Anacostia River. The Anacostia Watershed Society has come a long way in the past 25 years in their goal to make the Anacostia fishable and swimmable, with help from many individuals and organizations. The river is now cleaner than it has been in generations. But there is still a lot of work to be done.

Kayaking the Anacostia near Bladensburg Riverfront Park
Photo credit: Mr. T in DC

Trash. The morning of Saturday April 5th is the Anacostia Watershed Society's 20th annual Earth Day trash-removal event. Last year, the cleanup removed 49 tons of trash from the river. Register here to help out.

Toxins. But the problem goes much deeper than trash. This year a new coalition, United for a Healthy Anacostia River, has formed to focus on cleaning up toxins from the bottom of the river.

Brown bullhead catfish with tumor
Photo credit: Fred Pinkney, USFWS

Old industrial sites along the river like the US Naval Weapons Factory, the Washington Gas and Light coal gasification plant, Pepco’s two generating stations, the city dump, and others have left a legacy of pollution. Fish in the river have a high rate of tumors thought to be caused by polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, which come from coal, oil and gasoline). But while the tumors are unsightly, it's the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that invisibly accumulate in the muscle tissue of fish and pose more of a health threat to humans. You can sign a petition to make cleaning up these toxins a top priority in DC.

Sewage. The toxins aren't all old. An estimated 2 billion gallons of untreated sewage mixed with stormwater flows into the Anacostia River each year as a result of antiquated sewer systems that overflow during storms (known as combined sewer overflows, or CSOs). This results in high levels of bacteria and other pathogens in the water, another thing making it unsafe to swim or fish in the Anacostia.

As a result of a lawsuit, DC Water is now building a huge system of 23-foot-wide tunnels that should keep most sewage out of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. In a fascinating article, the Washington Post called it "the most amazing and expensive construction project that no one will ever see." When you get your water bill, know that recent rate increases (and probably more in the future) are going to pay for this project. Here's a bit of a peek:

Runoff. Even when it doesn't combine with raw sewage, stormwater runoff can create problems as it picks up nasty chemicals from the streets and then crashes into local streams at concentrated points, causing erosion. If you're a homeowner, check out the programs in DC, Prince George's County, and Montgomery County that will give you rebates for doing things to keep more rainwater on your property and out of the street.

So, what do you think -- will we be able to swim and fish in the Anacostia in our lifetimes?

EFF: Nature and Community, Raptors and Youth

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 11:00:00 +0000

Every year, the DC Environmental Film Festival offers hundreds of insightful and compelling films from around the world. Films are showing from March 18-30, and many are free. On the Natural Capital, we're highlighting a few with DC connections.

March 30, noon, Carnegie Institution for Science
Protecting and Restoring Nature and Community: 6 short films

MIDNIGHT BLUE (France, 2013 8 min.) Using sand as animation, the film follows the rhythm of a whale's meditations, allowing us to witness the ocean in a different way.
FROM THE CLOUD TO THE GROUND (Tanzania/USA, 2013, 8 min.) Collaboration between the Jane Goodall Institute, Google Earth Outreach and local villagers to monitor forests.
FISH-I: AFRICA (USA, 2014, 18 min.) In the Western Indian Ocean, fighting large-scale illegal fishing.
CABO PULMO (USA, 2013,16 min.) Rejuvenation and conservation of an ocean ecosystem at the only coral reef in the sea of Cortez.
SANCTUARY (USA, clips from a work-in-progress, 10 min.) This is the story of Rodney Stotts’ awe-inspiring struggle to provide Washington, D.C.’s underserved youth and endangered raptors with a safe haven for mutual healing and growth. As Rodney mentors a group of 16 to 18-year-olds whom the education system has failed, they will work to build flight cages for eagles on conservation land, a second chance for the young people and the birds. Introduced by filmmaker Annie Kaempfer. Discussion with Annie Kaempfer and Rodney Stotts, falconer and trained raptor specialist, follows screening.
REVIVING THE FREEDOM MILL (USA, 2013, 20 min.) When environmentalist Tony Grassi takes a crazy gamble to rehab an abandoned Mill, he inspires both skepticism and hope that its revived bond with the river will breathe new life into the rural town of Freedom, Maine. Discussion with Tony Grassi and filmmaker David Conover follows screening.

Check out this interview by Alexandra Cousteau for a taste of Rodney Stotts' work:

And another from VOA:

EFF: Fishing the Anacostia

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 11:00:00 +0000

Every year, the DC Environmental Film Festival offers hundreds of insightful and compelling films from around the world. Films are showing from March 18-30, and many are free. On the Natural Capital, we're highlighting a few with DC connections.

March 21, 6:30 PM at The Anacostia Community Museum; free.
FISHING THE ANACOSTIA (USA, 2014, 12 min.)

"Every year, more than 17,000 people eat fish from the polluted Anacostia River in Washington D.C. Decades of pollution have resulted in a buildup of toxins that sicken the fish population and have restricted the recommended consumption for catfish, carp and eel to zero. Efforts are underway to return the river to a more natural state and the fishermen themselves are key to addressing the problem."

Discussion with filmmaker Colby Waller follows screening.

Or watch it here:

EFF: Sustainable DC

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 11:30:00 +0000

Every year, the DC Environmental Film Festival offers hundreds of insightful and compelling films around the world. Films are showing from March 18-30 and many are free. On the Natural Capital, we're highlighting a few with DC connections.

SUSTAINABLE DC: 3 Short films
March 21, 6:00 PM, Carnegie Institution for Science; Free, but reservations required

GREEN ROOFS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (USA, 2014, 5 min.). Green, or vegetated, roofs help contain rainwater to reduce runoff that would otherwise collect oil and grease from roadways, nutrients from lawn fertilizers and bacteria from pet waste as it flows into our rivers and streams. Green roofs also filter air pollutants from the rainwater and save energy in buildings.
EARTHECHO EXPEDITION: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE BUILD CITIES? (USA, 2013, 10 min.) Philippe Cousteau and the EarthEcho Expeditions team journey across the Anacostia River and underground in Washington, D.C., to explore the impact of urbanization on the water cycle. They visit the new sewer tunnels being constructed as part of D.C.’s Clean Rivers Project.
REBALANCING (USA, 2014, 23 min.) Is Capital Bikeshare an environmental success story? Shot in every Ward of Washington D.C., in Arlington and in Alexandria, the film addresses how bicycling both reflects and changes our lifestyles.

Introduced by Mayor Vincent C. Gray. Following the screening there will be a panel discussion, moderated by Elliott Francis of WAMU, with Keith Anderson, Director, DC Department of the Environment; Harriet Tregoning, former Director, DC Office of Planning; Vanessa Garrison, Founder and Director, GirlTrek, and George Hawkins, General Manager, DC Water and Sewer Authority.

You can also watch the EarthEcho piece here.

Amazing: Watch a Frozen Wood Frog Come Back to Life

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 14:12:00 +0000

Every winter, wood frogs freeze solid. They have no heartbeat -- their heart freezes too. For weeks at a time.

When he holds one in this video, narrator Robert Krulwich says "it feels like a rock."

But watch what happens next.

Friday will be well above freezing during the day and on Saturday it's predicted to get up to 60 degrees. You might want to check out your nearest vernal pond and see what's going on.

See also : LOOK FOR: Frog and Toad Eggs (and Tadpoles)

Happy Spring!

Things to look for in March

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 21:50:00 +0000

This time last year, the wood frogs were out and had already laid their eggs. As of this morning, the pond where we always find them was completely frozen over. And there's more snow on the way! I can't tell you how happy it made me to put together this post of the things we have blogged about in March in previous years. It gives me faith that winter will end one of these days, and there will be spring beauties, spring peepers, and all kinds of other cool stuff. What have you been seeing lately?

Photo credit: Carly & Art

Photo credit: aecole

Every year we look for the cheery flowers of the
spicebush as they emerge to light up the understory. It's common throughout our local forests.

Photo credit: jpwbee

Maple flowers aren't as showy, but they're an important source of nectar for early-season pollinators -- and an unexpected spot of springtime color if you know to look for them.

Photo credit: bbodjack

Spring peepers are another pilgrimage-inspiring phenomenon in our household. How are these tiny critters so LOUD? And why are they so hard to find? Last spring we finally figured out how to spot them.

Wood frog eggs by The Natural Capital

The frogs are noisy because they're looking to mate. Spring peepers lay their eggs in out-of-the-way places, but we often find wood frog eggs in March, easily visible in vernal ponds in many of the local parks.

Photo credit: cyanocorax

Photo credit: Dandelion and Burdock

Bittercress is less adorable, but more abundant than spring beauties -- and edible! Throw some in your spring salad mix for a vitamin-packed punch.

Photo credit: bcfoto70

I love to watch yellow-bellied sapsuckers as they feed: they make a series of round holes in a tree's bark, then lap up the sap that comes out -- and the insects that are attracted to it. The yellow-bellied sapsucker is considered a "keystone" species by some ecologists because so many other birds rely on them, following along for their leftovers.

Photo credit: Henry McLin

As the sapsuckers are coming to town, the Canada Geese are leaving. We've seen several flocks over the last few days.

Photo credit: Gene Han

Woodcocks are much harder to spot, but they'll put on even more of a show than the sapsuckers and the geese, if you can find them.

Want more? See also the list of things we found on a walk we took in mid-March a couple of years ago.

LOOK FOR: Snowy Owls

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 20:16:00 +0000

I think I passed into a new realm of birder geekdom yesterday. I went out specifically looking for a single bird. And I have to say, it was pretty cool when it actually worked.

Snowy owl at Reagan National Airport by Viola Aragon

Snowy owls are two-and-a-half-foot-tall birds that spend their summers breeding in the arctic tundra. For the winter, some (usually younger birds) will migrate south. But "south" for these cold-tolerant birds usually means balmy Canada, or maybe the very northern tier of the US. Once every few years, they show up further south, a phenomenon ornithologists call an irruption.

Photo credit: pe_ha45

This year is one of the biggest snowy owl irruptions in decades. Apparently, 2013 was a summer of abundant lemmings (aka baby-owl food), and as a result there are lots of healthy young snowy owls looking for someplace to spend the winter. They've been spotted as far south as Florida and Bermuda.

How can you see a snowy owl? We went to Gravelly Point in the late afternoon on Saturday. There were several birders already there, and they'd already spotted the owl just behind the fence at the airport. A few of them had scopes trained on it, which made for a much better view of a pretty distant bird.

(Birding tip: whenever you see people with tripod-mounted scopes looking at something, it is always worth asking what they're looking at. I've never met someone who wasn't thrilled to share their find.)

People have also been seeing a snowy owl right downtown, around 14th and L Streets NW.

And how do we know about these hotspots? There are two great resources to check.

The Maryland and DC Birding Group has a website where people post notable sightings. It's full of talk about the snowy owl these days and possibly your best source for real-time updates about whether someone has seen an owl today.
If there isn't a recent post on that website, you can go with the most common locations people have been seeing the owls. For that, your best resource is eBird, which collects data from millions of people about bird sightings and compiles them into searchable maps. Here's the map as of today for snowy owls in DC. See why we went to Gravelly Point? (For an updated map, click on the picture to go to eBird.)

Whether you find an owl or not, enjoy the hunt!

Birding Resources Part IV: Five Great Quiz Programs to Help You Learn More Bird Songs

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth) — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 20:21:00 +0000

Every spring I think I've finally learned some new bird songs, then I forget most of them over the fall and winter. Birds sing more in the spring than at any other time of year. And during the rest of the year, I guess I fill up that part of my brain with other things.

Why do I want to learn the songs? Birds are small, and don't hang out at eye level waiting for you to see them. But when you hear their songs, you know to look for them.

Even if I never find the bird, the forest seems fuller. "Cool, there's that here," I can say. I inevitably picture the individual birds in my mind's eye, in all their diversity -- not just generic "birds."

By far the best way to learn bird songs is in the field -- hearing the song and then seeing the bird. But, this winter, I'm going to try to get a head start and start listening before the birds start singing. I've been having fun exploring several quizzes as a way to practice.

Beginner: Quizzes at Into the air and The nature of hiking each include 10 very common birds. Once you get these bird calls down you'll be amazed how often you hear them when you're outside.

Advanced Beginner:

Virtual birder presents a bird quiz in a matrix: match five songs to four pictures of birds, leaving one unused. The program cycles through six habitats, and pulls from about 10 birds per habitat. There's a fair amount of overlap between the birds included each time, meaning lots of repetition, but that can be good practice, too.

Intermediate:

eNature's quiz plays a bird song and gives you three choices (with both pictures and names) for which bird it is. They draw from the library of about 550 North American birds, narrowed down for your zipcode. The large selection of birds makes this quiz more challenging, as you're more likely to run into birds you don't know.

Advanced:

Dendroica plays a song, and gives you a text list of 6 or 18 birds to choose from. After you answer (whether correctly or incorrectly), it shows you a large picture of the bird you guessed and plays its song. You can't limit birds to your area; there are an awful lot of shorebirds and western birds in here that we never see. But you can easily skip to the next song if you don't feel like puzzling through.

Paid:

Larkwire has two modes. Both keep track of which songs you've missed and comes back to them more often. For that alone this program might be worth paying for. In "Gallery" mode, you click on the bird picture that matches a song (shown here); in "Field" mode you don't have the benefit of multiple choice. Larkwire is very attractive, with clear pictures and high-quality recordings. Check out the free demo, which includes about 8 birds. Pricing for a fuller collection varies by how many birds you want included in your package, from $3.95 for 25 backyard birds, to $44.95 for 600 land and shore birds, and many levels in between. It's available both as an iPad/iPhone app and a web program that you can access from computers as well as mobile devices.

iKnow Bird Songs is available only as an iOS app, so I haven't tried it. It looks like it plays a song, then gives you four names to choose from; after you answer, it shows a picture of the bird (you can also ask for the picture as a hint). The app comes with 370 birds, which can be narrowed by region and season. You can set your own "decks" of songs you want to learn.

Have you used any of these programs, or any others, to learn bird songs? Leave us a comment!