Like most invasive species, Japanese knotweed has its moments of beauty.

Despite the dry conditions, there was a bloom of reishi mushrooms coming from subterranean roots

Urban Nature Walk returns to the Riverway, on a quest to reach Ward's Pond, the spring that gives it water. I quickly got over doing an UNW on a Saturday (I have a mushroom class tomorrow) and met up with the group by the Longwood T stop. The first three to show up all brought gigantic cameras, so I will look forward to seeing their pictures, and linking you to them as well.

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I took Charlie to Ward's Pond for the first time in ages. It isn't frozen over, but it isn't warm. I played in the stream, moving leaves and sticks around, and my hand was aching afterward.

Olmsted Woods. One of the things I will miss when we move is this patch of forest, walking distance from our home. Our new house has other woods in walking distance, and I will grow to love them as well, but Olmsted Woods will always be special.

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This was one of maybe a dozen winged insects, of different sizes and apparent stages of development, adhered to a rock in Babbling Brook (the stream that leaves Ward's Pond and becomes the Muddy River). I thought maybe they were very slowly emerging imagos (adult insects) and pupae. I sent this picture to an insect id community and mostly they were stumped too. The best explanation I got was that these were female caddisflies which had died shortly after laying eggs in the water. The white growth (someone supposed) was a fungus consuming the dead insects' bodies. It seems plausible to me.

I tried to figure out if this was a normal part of the caddisfly life cycle, but I couldn't tell. Interestingly, there's a lot of information about caddisflies online from the perspective of people who make pretend insects with which to catch fish. They had some good things to say, but I didn't get my questions answered. The log cabin caddsfly entry I did for the 365 project (click above link) included pictures of caddisfly larvae collected a short distance downstream from the mystery insects.

Anyone else have any bright ideas?

Black-crowned night-heron* in the Muddy.


Turtle in Ward's Pond. I'm uncertain if this is a painted turtle or a pond slider. Seems a bit big for a painted.


*The BCNH is one of my top 8 "what the hell is that?" urban animals.

Japanese knotweed erupts through the asphalt at Dane Park.


Damselfly and exuviae at Ward's Pond.

Babbling Brook leaves Ward's Pond.

A sunfish (perhaps a pumpkinseed or a bluegill) guards his nest.
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