Insect(s) ate holes in this morning glory, Hays Woods, 31 July 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
2 August 2025
This week every flower had a bug on it. Even when I didn’t see insects I heard the drone of cicadas and found evidence of bugs munching on plants and flowers.
The symmetrical holes on the morning glory, above, probably indicate that a bug ate it at night when the petals were closed.
Butterflies were everywhere on Thursday along the trail of black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia hirta) at Hays Woods, but they were difficult to photograph with a cellphone. I spent a lot of time trying to get a good photo of this silver-spotted skipper.
Silver spotted skipper on black-eyed susan, Hays Woods, 31 July 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
… and even longer trying for this butterfly who would not show to good advantage. Jeff Cieslak suggests it’s a hackberry emperor. You can see the “bug” looking at me.
Butterfly on black-eyed susan (Which one?) Hays Woods, 31 July 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
A true bug — a leaf-footed bug — rested on my window for several hours on 28 July.
Leaf-footed bug outside my window, 28 July 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Deer and Deer Damage in Schenley Park:
Alas there are still too many deer in Schenley Park for they’ve browsed these yews down to woody stems outside Phipps Conservatory.
Deer damage on yews, Schenley Park, 1 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Inside the park they’ve eaten all their favorite native plants and are now trying “novel” foods. It took them years to discover that the young shoots of Japanese knotweed are acceptable forage.
Deer damage on Japanese knotweed(!), Schenley Park, 1 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
As expected, Schenley’s deer have come out of hiding this month as they wait for the rut to begin. In this photo I’ve circled four does resting in dappled shade along the Upper Trail.
One fawn in dappled shade along Schenley’s Upper Trail, 1 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Nearby a single fawn rested alone. Can you see the fawn near the center of the photo?
One fawn in dappled shade along Schenley’s Upper Trail, 1 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Panther Hollow Lake covered in duckweed, 4 July 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
6 July 2025
If you’ve been to Schenley Park’s Panther Hollow Lake on any hot summer day in the past decade you’ve seen its surface covered in bright green soup and lumpy, slimy pond scum.
Look closely at the green soup and you’ll see that it’s duckweed (Lemnoideae), a floating plant made up of tiny leaf-like structures, each dangling a tiny root.
Duckweed closeup from Panther Hollow lake, Schenley Park, 22 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
The lumpy scum is filamentous algae made up of single cells in long threads. It grows on the bottom of the pond, eventually clumps together and floats to the surface. It smells bad in the heat. Yes, it’s nickname is “pond scum.”
Filamentous algae partially covers Panther Hollow Lake, 4 July 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
In small amounts native duckweed and algae are beneficial. Duckweed is food for ducks and wildlife. Algae, when it decomposes, is food for invertebrates. Both provide hiding habitat for underwater wildlife.
But in sunny heat these two organisms grow enormously, cover the surface and then …
Algae and duckweed produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis. This is vital for aquatic creatures. At night or when sunlight is not available, however, the plants consume oxygen. In certain cases, the amount of oxygen being used can exceed the amount being produced, and thus results in oxygen depletion and fish kills. This often happens during hot summer months, when the water is warmer and unable to hold greater amounts of oxygen, or on cloudy days, when there is minimal sun.
In late June’s excessive heat Panther Hollow Lake suffered the cost. I was out of town when Andy Georgeson sent me this message and two photos of a fish kill in progress.
[At Panther Hollow Lake on 25 June 2025] I noticed a difference, even from Monday, when I was last there to today. The fish look like they’re really struggling and close to dying. They were all crowded near the shore that was closer to the train tracks and seemed to be gasping for air with very little movement.
— email from Dr. Andy Georgeson, 25 June 2025
Fish kill at Panther Hollow Lake, 25 June 2025 (photo by Andy Georgeson)Fish kill at Panther Hollow Lake, 25 June 2025 (photo by Andy Georgeson) Fish appear to be bluegill, pumpkinseed and 1 catfish (black)
By the time I visited on Wednesday 2 July, the Department of Public Works had removed the dead fish. I found many live fish — more than usual — in the inflow near the cattails.
Lots of fish near the cattails, 2 July 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
In addition, in this photo I counted 9 circles on the bottom of the pond. Were they made by fish for egg laying? Spawning?
Fish and fish circles near the cattails, 2 July 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Children played by Panther Hollow Lake on Wednesday using long sticks to pull the filamentous algae out of the water and set it on the concrete edge.
Children at Panther Hollow Lake using long sticks to remove the algae clumps, 2 July 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
The Underlying Cause: Panther Hollow Lake has summer algae blooms because it is shallow and has an unnatural concrete edge that allows lots of runoff. Brandywine Conservancy’s #1 solution is to stop nutrients and sediment from running into the lake by:
Limiting fertilizer use. (Fertilizer is not happening near Panther Hollow Lake anyway.)
Establishing healthy vegetative buffers especially, shrubs, native grasses and wildflowers, to catch and filter runoff. i.e. Remove the concrete edge.
Meanwhile Panther Hollow Lake is eutrophic because it is “old” in the normal life cycle of a lake. Read more at NHLakes:The Life of a Lake.
Chickory with an insect at “2 o’clock”, Schenley Park, 22 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
28 June 2025
This week was so hot that I barely went outside.
On 22 June the temperature was still pleasant before 10am when I lead an outing in Schenley Park. There were just two of us to see …
Chicory with an insect flying in (at 2 o’clock on flower face).
Fleabane with a lady beetle.
Duckweed in Panther Hollow lake.
Fleabane with a lady beetle, Schenley Park, 22 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Duckweed from Panther Hollow lake, Schenley Park, 22 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
We visited my mother in Virginia Beach this week. On Thursday I went to look at the water and only stayed half an hour. It was SO HOT!!
At was high tide on the bayside beach at First Landing State Park the news said the air was over 94° and the water 80°. Few people were out.
High tide at the bayside, First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach, 26 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
I found some crab tracks. And then I went back indoors.
Crab tracks on the bayside sand, First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach, 26 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Before my outing on Sunday 22 June I saw orange cones waiting to line the road near the Schenley Park Visitor Center. “No Parking June 24 – June 25” and “No Parking June 26.” No reason given.
Yesterday I found out why. There’s going to be a movie shoot in Schenley and Frick Parks that will close a lot of trails today through Thursday, 24-26 June.
Except for the golf course and Oval, most of Schenley will be closed.
Part of Frick will be closed, too, primarily the Nine Mile Run area. Does the 25-26 June closure of “Lower Frick Park parking lot” mean the Hutchinson entrance? I can’t tell.
News from the Sunday 22 June outing: There were just two of us on Sunday but Julie and I saw some interesting stuff including this close look at duckweed from the surface of Panther Hollow Lake.
Duckweed from the surface of Panther Hollow Lake, 22 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
We also had good looks at fledgling blue jays and learned that their head plumage is gray while their parent’s is blue. Here’s what we saw.
Schenley Park–Lower Hollow Run Trail, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, US Jun 22, 2025 8:25 AM – 9:50 AM, 24 species
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 2 Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) 1 Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 5 Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 1 Seen in profile perched on CL 32WNW spout Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 1 Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 9 2 fledglings flying well but still begging Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) 2 White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 1 Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 2 Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 2 Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 4 Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) 2 Heard American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 17 House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 4 House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 1 American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 1 Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) 2 Agitated by the presence of a female cowbird Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 7 Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 6 Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 1 Female Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 6 Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 6 Caught a huge caterpillar on n mulberry tree and carried it off to kill it
Wild basil with insect visitor, Schenley Park, 15 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
22 June 2025
This week I saw flowers, fruiting fungi, and insects in Schenley and Frick Parks. The flowers are urban pioneers, the fungi are native, and the insects are mostly mysteries. Here’s the story in photos:
Urban pioneer plants: When in doubt I used the Picture This app to identify them.
Oak bracket fungus a.k.a. weeping polypore (Inonotus dryadeus) growing at the base of an oak on Circuit Drive
Insects:
Spotted lanternfly nymphs on Devil’s walking stick/Japanese aralia
Galls on shagbark hickory leaves. This tree was infested in Frick Park.
Spittlebugs on wingstem in Frick Park.
Common nipplewort, Frick Park, 18 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Galinsoga, Schenley Park, 15 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Flowers of oriental bittersweet, Schenley Park, 15 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Oriental lady’s thumb, Schenley Park, 15 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Google Lens says this is Blushing amanita (Amanita rubescens), Schenley Park, 15 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Oak bracket fungus or weeping polypore, at base of oak in Schenley Park, 15 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Spotted lanternfly nymphs on Japanese aralia, Schenley Park, 15 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Shagbark hickory leaf galls, an infested tree in Frick Park, 18 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Spittlebugs on wingstem, Frick Park, 18 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Panther Hollow Lake in Schenley Park after a hot spell, 5 July 2023
19 June 2025
Despite the summer heat scum on Schenley Park’s Panther Hollow Lake, I’ve known for a long time there are fish in there.
The pond-sized “lake” with concrete edges attracts fish-eating birds on migration including belted kingfishers, great blue herons and the famous American bittern of April 2023. The birds don’t stay long because the habitat is not suitable for their nests.
American bittern at Schenley Park Panther Hollow Lake, 28 April 2023 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
Birds aren’t the only ones who know about the fish. On a walk in late May I found a family with three little kids enjoying the morning at Panther Hollow Lake. Dad, with gear and fishing license, was teaching the kids to fish. When he caught a little fish he called to one of the kids to come reel it in. Each child had a turn. Catch and release.
What are birds and people catching? Small fish of three species, as found during the 2024 Phipps BioBlitz. All of them are native to North America.
All the fish I’ve seen are small, though a large catfish (I think) broke the surface one day. In 2017 they found goldfish and catfish too. Read more about it here: My Heavens! We Have Fish.
CORRECTION on 19 June at 11:13am: If you saw this blog in the few hours after it was published, you saw a photo near the end of Dr. Brady Porter, the Phipps BioBlitz fish expert, holding a large-mouth bass. No, that fish did NOT come out of Panther Hollow Lake. A big thank you to Stephen Tirone for identifying the fish and pointing out my error!
Foxglove beardtongue at Aspinwall Riverfront Park, 12 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
14 June 2025
It was a good week for flowers and insects though some of the species are unwelcome.
In Schenley Park, three plants that do well in poor or disturbed soil were in full bloom.
The single flowers of mouse-ear hawkweed (Pilosella officinarum) brightened the top of the tufa bridge at Bartlett.
Mouse-eared hawkweed, Schenley Park, 13 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
In April a DPW backhoe scraped the north side of Panther Hollow Lake in Schenley Park and produced lots of disturbed soil. Soon the area was covered in plants that love this habitat including:
Black medick or hop clover (Medicago lupulina) was brought to North America as forage for livestock and escaped into the urban wild.
Black medick a.k.a. hop clover, Schenley Park, 13 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
English plantain, also known as ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata), was brought from Europe to North America for its medicinal use.
Ribwort plantain a.k.a. English plantain, Schenley Park, 13 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
On Thursday I visited Aspinwall Riverfront Park which now has two names — at least in my head. In 2021 it was renamed “Allegheny River Trail Park” but signs at the entrance did not change until fairly recently. The eBird hotspot is still called Aspinwall Riverfront Park.
The meadow by the river is filled with foxglove beardtongue, shown at top. St. Johnswort is attracting bees along the bike trail.
Bumblebee on St. Johnswort, Allegheny River Trail at Aspinwall, 12 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Speaking of insects, I saw little black and white ones running on a retaining wall behind the Carnegie Museum of Natural History on Tuesday. Uh oh!
Spotted lanternfly nymphs behind Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 10 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
I should not have been surprised to see spotted lanternfly nymphs (Lycorma delicatula), but I was.
Spotted lanternfly nymph behind Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 10 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
If you want to see a spotted lanternfly, visit one of these infested counties. Welcome to [most of] Pennsylvania.
Fallen red oak from 29 April storm, Falloon Trail Schenley Park, 20 May 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
27 May 2025
On my walks through Schenley Park I am often curious about the demise of sturdy trees. Why did this intact red oak fall?
The simple answer is that it blew over during the 29 April wind storm as did so many other trees in Pittsburgh. But a closer look reveals a weakness that contributed to its demise.
Looking at the root ball, there are no obviously broken big roots that would have anchored the tree to the ground and it appears that the trunk is hollow. Something “ate” the tap and anchor roots. When a big wind came the tree fell over. My guess at the culprit is the fungus armillaria or honey mushrooms.
Weakness that made it fall: No long roots on root ball, 20 May 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Along the same trail I found this structurally compromised tree still standing. Only the bark, cambium and sapwood are holding it up.
Disintegrating red oak, Schenley Park, 20 May 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Inside, the trunk is hollowed out by major insect damage. Now that the exterior is cracked it won’t take much wind to knock the tree over.
Weakness causing disintegration: Hollowed from major insect damage, 20 May 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
I’m always amazed when a tree snaps in the middle of the trunk. This black cherry fell over in May 2014 to reveal white sheets — armillaria — that weakened the tree.
Black cherry snapped in the middle, 30 May 2014 (photo by Kate St. John)
Read more about it in this Quiz+Answer from June 2014.
Our Best Bird was a very cooperative pileated woodpecker who happened to be female. We were amazed that she probed an old telephone pole.
Female pileated woodpecker uses her tongue to pull insects from a crack, Schenley Park, 25 May 2025 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
Red-winged blackbirds were busy nesting and socializing in the cattails at Panther Hollow Lake. The females often walked along poking at the water’s edge, then zipped back into the cattails. Food for their young? We couldn’t see the nests but we know they’re in the cattails.
Female red-winged blackbird, Schenley Park, 25 May 2025 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
Eastern phoebes were present and photogenic yesterday. I hoped to find a phoebe nest, but we did not.
Eastern phoebe looks for an insect, Schenley Park, 25 May 2025 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
And, yes, we had fun.
Schenley Park outing, 25 May 2025 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
Fringetree in bloom, Schenley Park, 14 May 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
17 May 2025
This week I went birding in three western Pennsylvania parks: Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Moraine State Park in Butler County (halfway north) and Presque Isle State Park on the northern edge of PA. While there I noticed how plants showed the progress of spring from south to north.
Schenley Park has been at Full Leaf since 5 May so it’s hard to see the birds there. In the understory white fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) hsa just gone past its blooming peak. Two “weedy” plants caught my attention, identified in the PictureThis app as slender woodsorrel (Oxalis dillenii a native species) and mouse ear chickweed (Cerastium fontanum) introduced from Europe.
Slender woodsorrel, Schenley Park, 14 May 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Mouse ear chickweed, Schenley Park, 14 May 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
For comparison, PictureThis identified this one found at Presque Isle as sticky mouse-ear chickweed (Cerastium glomeratum), also European.
Sticky chickweed, Presque Isle State Park, 15 May 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Though Schenley Park had already been at Full Leaf for six days on 11 May, oak leaves were just coming out at Moraine State Park.
New oak leaves, Moraine State Park, 11 May 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
I found poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii) leaves in all three parks. At Presque Isle the leaves were smaller and newer but still able to cause an itch. Poison ivy is getting big in Schenley Park on 14 May. Watch out!
Poison Ivy in Schenley Park, 14 May 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
One week after Full Leaf, I saw this year’s first yellow poplar weevil* (Odontopus calceatus) clinging to my window. They usually swarm in June but last week was unusually hot.
Outside my window: First billbug of the year, 12 May 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
(* Despite knowing better I can’t help but call these insects “billbugs” even though I know the name is wrong. Oy!)
