What moth? Frick, 28 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
30 August 2025
This was certainly the week for insects, especially on Thursday when cold temperatures made them sluggish. Here are a few that I’ve seen this week, some of which I cannot identify.
At top, what moth is this at Frick Park on Thursday? Google Lens gives so many answers that I am not sure which one to pick.
Below, not-a-moth this is an end-banded netwing beetle (Calopteron terminale). Most, but not all photos, show a black band in the middle too.
End-banded netwing beetle, Frick, 28 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
An old spider web is draped like a curtain on a twig and stinging nettle in Frick Park.
Spiderweb on stinging nettle, Frick, 28 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
When I got back to my car there was a weevil on the window (yes, my car is dirty). I don’t know what species.
A weevil but which one? Frick, 28 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Aphids have been sucking the juices out of Schenley Park’s false sunflowers for about a month now. Our abnormally dry weather makes the plants less juicy.
Aphids on false sunflower, Schenley, 29 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Reminder! I’ll be leading an outing at Schenley Park tomorrow, 31 August, starting from the Schenley Park Visitors Center at 8:30am. More info here.
Can you see the hawk? We’ll look for him tomorrow. He was watching near Panther Hollow Lake yesterday.
Ironweed at Frick Park, 14 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
16 August 2025
There were so many things to see this week that it was hard to choose my favorites.
Tall ironweed, above, was halfway gone to seed at Frick Park but was gorgeous despite the spent flowers.
Two rare-to-Pittsburgh bird species showed up at the mouth of Flaugherty Run. I stopped by to see the sanderling (Calidris alba) on Sunday but missed 15 avocets (Recurvirostra americana) on Tuesday because I did not go see them immediately. Avocets in Pittsburgh are a One Day Wonder; they never stay more than a few hours.
Sanderling at Flaugherty Run along the Ohio River, 10 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
At Schenley Park on Wednesday I encountered six deer: one buck, 3 does and 2 “teenage” fawns. One of the does was closely associated with the buck and stayed with him when he crossed the valley. Here they are eating.
Buck at Schenley Park, 13 Aug 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Doe at Schenley Park paired with the buck, 13 Aug 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
On Thursday at Frick Park the field of wild senna was humming with at least 100 bumblebees. It was awesome to see so many in one place. (I counted!)
Three bumblebees on wild senna, Frick Park, 14 Aug 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Venus and Jupiter spent the week in conjunction and trading places. The process began with Venus on the right, then Jupiter ultimately moved above her as seen in this day-by-day slideshow.
Jupiter, Venus, 10 Aug 2025
Jupiter, Venus, 11 Aug 2025
Jupiter, Venus, 12 Aug 2025
Jupiter, Venus, 13 Aug 2025
Jupiter, Venus, 14 Aug 2025
Jupiter, Venus, 15 Aug 2025
It’s unusual to have clear skies night after night in Pittsburgh but we’re in an almost-drought so we have no clouds and no rain — except for a thunderstorm on Wednesday. Despite that precipitation, dry conditions continue in the city.
Drooping poison ivy in our abnormally dry weather, Schenley Park, 13 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
The U.S. Drought Monitor now acknowledges we are Abnormally Dry as of 12 August.
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.
Western goatsbeard (Tragopogon dubius) at SGL 117, 1 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
9 June 2025
While this blog has been All Peregrines All The Time for the past couple of weeks, I’ve neglected flowers and phenology. Today I’m catching up with a few June blooms.
On a visit to State Game Lands 117 (SGL 117) on 1 June we saw many flowers blooming by the gravel road. The most striking was a biennial Eurasian plant called western goatsbeard or yellow salsify (Tragopogon dubius). A related species in the U.K., Tragopogon pratensis, is nicknamed Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon because it opens in the morning and closes by late afternoon. So does this one.
Western goatsbeard (Tragopogon dubius) at SGL 117, 1 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
This deep blue flower, Virginia spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana), has a long blooming season. I saw it at Frick Park on 19 May and yesterday at Schenley.
Virginia spiderwort, Frick and Schenley, 19 May & 8 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Common nipplewort (Lapsana communis) is a Eurasian member of the aster family that’s become naturalized in North America. Its flowers look like hawkweed but not its leaves.
Common nipplewort, Frick Park, 7 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Also seen at SGL 117 on 1 June, a sometimes invasive plant called bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) or “eggs and bacon.” The first name describes its leaves, the second name its flowers.
Bird’s-foot trefoil, SGL 117, 1 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Topping off the invasive plants in Schenley Park is this Eurasian plant, goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria) or ground elder. It was blooming yesterday in heavy rain.
Goutweed in bloom, Schenley, 8 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
