Wild Dedham

[urbpan]

A few weeks ago hop clover was featured here as 100 species #53. It was secretly a quite tentative identification, but this developing fruit at least eliminates black medic as a competing rule out.


This goose was swimming in Mother Brook with a group of Canada geese, and at least one other similar goose. If you look closely, the shape of the bill is more like that of a graylag goose than of a Canada, and there is a ring of light colored feathers around the bill. Also the color of the feet is rather lighter than those of a typical Canada goose. I suspect that this is a hybrid Branta x Anser, between Canada and domestic geese.


This mushroom popped up in our compost container. It looks like it's in the Coprinus lagopus group.

Comments

[elizaeffect.livejournal.com]

Interesting - I've seen hybrid ducks before (though not necessarily wild/domestic hybrids, the mallards and black ducks apparently hybridize wherever their ranges overlap) but not hybrid geese. I wonder if it's half'n'half or if the intermingling occurred farther back in its parentage.