Native maple (orange) and alien plants (green) along the trail at Hays Woods, 2 Nov 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
7 November 2024
This brilliant orange maple stood out at Hays Woods last weekend but when I examined the photo I realized there’s a lesson in this picture.
The native trees are either bare or, like the maple, on their last hurrah. Meanwhile, there are leafy green plants in the understory whose seasonal cycles do not match Pittsburgh’s. The green ones are aliens.
Notice the difference in the slideshow below. Natives are outlined in white, aliens in pink. The easy-to-see aliens are bush honeysuckle and porcelainberry.
Native trees are bare or peak color
Alien plants are still leafy and green
Alien plants often leaf out early and drop leaves late. As our climate warms up they have an advantage over cautious native plants whose seasonal cycles expect frost.
In the days ahead most native plants will lose their leaves(*) and the only green left will be the aliens.
Honeysuckle still green beneath bare trees at Hays Woods, 6 Nov 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
In November, alien plants really stand out.
(*) p.s. Though oaks and beeches lose most of their leaves, they retain some leaves through the winter.
Frost in the valley at Duck Hollow, 28 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
3 November 2024
Last week began with light morning frost but rose to 80°F on Halloween.
The colors were gorgeous at Duck Hollow on Monday …
Fall color and blue sky at Duck Hollow, 28 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
… while tendrils of fog chased each other across the river.
Fog tendrils blow slowly across the Monongahela River at Duck Hollow, 28 Oct 2024 (video by Kate St. John)
These wisps were formed at the rivers edge as clear cold air passed over warm water. Sunbeams make this a poor quality video, below, but you can see the wisps starting near shore. (You might also hear a song sparrow chipping in the background.)
Fog forms at Duck Hollow, 28 Oct 2024 (video by Kate St. John)
Slanting light illuminated the trees at Schenley Park.
Fall color and slanting light in Schenley Park, 29 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
A leaf-hidden cocoon reminded me why clearing out leaves is bad for insects. This insect will overwinter on a leaf in Frick Park and emerge as — perhaps — a butterfly or month next spring. Or it may become food for a bird this winter. The insect chain is broken where don’t leave the leaves.
Insect cocoon on a leaf at Frick Park, 30 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Yesterday’s outing at Duck Hollow, 27 Oct 2024 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
28 October 2024
Six of us went birding yesterday at Duck Hollow and we didn’t just stand around. Here we are on the move to look in the thickets.
Before the rest of us arrived, Claire Staples captured this image of sky, sun and fog on the Monongahela River at 7:55am.
Sky, sun, fog at Duck Hollow, 27 Oct 2024 (photo by Claire Staples)
As 8:36am the sky cleared a bit. Two contrails make dogleg turns to the north.
Sky and fog at Duck Hollow, 27 October 2024 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
Our Best Bird skulked in a thicket, of course, but kept making noise. He soon became the most photographed bird of the day: a winter wren in shadow and then in the open.
Winter wren in shadow, Duck Hollow, 27 Oct 224 (photo by Jeff Cieslak)Winter wren in the open periodically scolding, Duck Hollow, 27 Oct 2024 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
Duck Hollow’s northern mockingbird is still present and noisy.
Northern mockingbird, Duck Hollow, 27 October 2024 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)
We found a bumper crop of honeysuckle fruit along the Lower Nine Mile Run Trail.
Bush honeysuckle fruit, Lower Nine Mile Run Trail, 27 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Unfortunately …
Invasive honeysuckle berries aren’t strictly bad for birds. They’re an easy food source when birds are in a pinch, but they’re kind of like junk food: Compared to native berries, they have less fat and nutrients that birds need to fuel their long-distance flights.
Our “rare” bird of the day was a flock of 16 fish crows vocalizing as they flew. eBird didn’t believe we could find that many but eBird’s “rare” filter doesn’t know about, or cannot pointpoint, the fish crow phenomenon in Pittsburgh’s East End.
Fall color of pawpaw leaves, Schenley, 25 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
26 October 2024
Fall color is so spectacular in Pittsburgh this week that many of us have been snapping pictures everywhere we go. Here are just a few of the colorful leaves and trees I’ve seen in town.
Pawpaw leaves are turning bright yellow in Schenley Park while Virginia creeper is red along the Three Rivers Heritage bike trail at Herrs Island.
Virginia creeper at Herrs Island back channel, 22 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Sunlight reflecting on the water made rippling lights in the trees on 22 October. It was so warm you can hear crickets.
Ripples in the trees, 22 Oct 2024 (video by Kate St. John)
Yesterday in Schenley Park the trees were yellow or red depending on species.
Scene on the Upper Trail, 25 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)Scene on the Serpentine, 25 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Not to be outdone by autumn leaves, the sky turned orange at sunrise on Saturday.
Sunrise, 25 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Sunrise is after 7am now. We’ll “fix” that next weekend when we turn the clocks back.
Insect on New York aster, Toms Run, 16 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
19 October 2024
This week brought:
Fall colors and the first piles of fallen leaves
Late flowers and insects
“See Your Breath” cold mornings
The first juncos … and …
Several thousand crows in Oakland.
In photos, late asters attracted an insect at Toms Run and morning sun slanted through the trees in Schenley Park.
Fall colors and fallen leaves, Schenley Park, 18 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Many trees are changing color. The oaks aren’t there yet but they have dropped their acorns leaving empty acorn cups on the branches. It’s a big mast year for red oaks in Pittsburgh.
Red oak leaves and acorn cups, 13 October 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
A rhododendron in Shadyside is confused. Is it spring?
Confused rhododendron blooming in Pittsburgh, 13 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
This week crows were absent from Oakland during the day but arrived in huge flocks at dusk, staging on rooftops before flying to the roost. I fumbled to photograph them on the RAND Building last Sunday. This is only a fraction of the flock that flew away.
Crows make a stop on the RAND building before sunset, 13 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Obviously they’ve been roosting on Pitt’s campus. I found evidence below trees at the Pitt Panther statue. The Crows Slept Here Last Night.
Evidence at Pitt that The Crows Slept Here Last Night, 17 October 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Sun rays through the mist, Schenley Park, 4 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
12 October 2024
This week’s biggest Seen event was the aurora borealis which I wrote about yesterday (Northern Lights Last Night in Pittsburgh), but there were also subtle changes in the landscape that prompted a few photos.
Cold weather brought foggy mornings and sun rays burning through the mist in Schenley Park, at top.
It’s a big mast year for Schenley’s red oaks. These shallow, tightly scaled cups are the easiest way to identify red oak versus white oak.
Closeup of two red oak acorns with caps, 8 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
It was hard to find two acorns that still had their cups. These two are intact because a worm drilled into the nuts. I searched through lots of cup-less acorns to find them.
Big mast year for red oaks in Schenley Park, 8 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
For decades I’ve walked past these trees without thinking about their odd looking trunks. The trunks have hips because …
Grafted cherry trees, Schenley Park near Westinghouse Memorial, 8 October 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
… these ornamental cherry trees were grafted onto healthy trunks of (probably) native trees. This is usually done because the non-native tree roots are likely to fail in North America.
Grafted cherry trunk, Schenley Park, 8 October 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Bumblebee at grape leaf anemone; honey bee arriving, 1 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
6 October 2024
With fewer flowers, nectar and pollen available, bees are quickly eating what they can in early October. Though it looks like the honey bees and bumblebees are doing the same thing they have different strategies for dealing with winter.
Honey bee and bumblebee at grape leaf anemone, 1 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Bumblebees, on the other hand, are very busy but their lives are short. Only their queen will survive the winter. After she mates with the available males she will retreat underground to wait for spring.
Bumblebee alone at grape leaf anemone, 1 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
The flowers they love are grape leaf anemone in a garden near Carnegie Library and Museum.
Bumblebees coming and going at grape leaf anemone, 1 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)Bumblebees at grape leaf anemone, 1 Oct 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
On Tuesday I saw a monarch butterfly fly past my 6th floor window on its journey south. Every night that butterfly it will rest in sheltering vegetation and feed on flowers the next day. But what if those amenities aren’t available?
On Wednesday I noticed landscaping staff clearing a garden in front of an Oakland office building. Monthly gardening schedules, sometimes based on pre-climate change temperatures, call for clearing the garden or changing the plants in October. Salvia looks “leggy” now. Perhaps they were going to plant chrysanthemums.
Fortunately Saving Monarchs sends this helpful Facebook reminder for all gardeners. Take a break and let your garden sleep in!
Some have messaged me asking if they can buy the sign, yes, they’re available for purchase. The large aluminum signs measure 18”x 12” are 50 plus shipping. I also make them in pvc size 9” x 11.5” and are 25 plus shipping. No extra shipping if you purchase more than 1. Obviously, due to shipping costs no posts are included, just the signs. Message [Saving Monarchs on Facebook] if you’re interested.
Read more about the benefits of leaving the leaves for insects, pollinators, birds, and even salamanders.
Wingstem in bloom, curled pistils and a tiny ant, 30 August 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
1 September 2024
Welcome to September! Here are a few things seen last week when it was still August.
At top, a tiny ant explores for curling pistils on blooming wingstem in Schenley Park. Below, a funnel spider web awaits an unwary flying insect. I could not see the spider in the hole but I’m sure he’s there.
Funnel spider web on a shrub, 29 Aug 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Wilted leaves in the drought, Schenley Park, 30 Aug 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
On Friday evening there was a double rainbow though I did not notice the faint second rainbow (upper left corner) until I looked at my photo.
Faint double rainbow in Pittsburgh, 30 August 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
In late August and early September, hundreds of migrating chimney swifts pour into this chimney at dusk. Our local crows find it fascinating so on Tuesday 27 August they perched around the top of the chimney and waited for the swifts to pour in. (They look like pegs on top of the chimney.) The swifts refused to go through that gauntlet. The crows had to leave before the show began.
American crows staking out the chimney swift chimney , waiting for the swifts to drop in, 27 Aug 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
There are certainly fewer spotted lanternflies this year than last in my city neighborhood. These two photos give a look at the many in 2023 versus few in 2024 on a South Craig Street sidewalk. Some of you missed this excitement last year and are experiencing it now. 😮
Spotted lanternflies at RAND Bldg, 11 Sep 2023
Spotted lanternflies at RAND Bldg, 29 Aug 2024
And finally, on the night of August 27-28 an unusual wind gust toppled the potted plants on our roof. No harm done. They were just sleeping.
A strong gust of wind on the night of August 27-28 knocked over the potted plants, 28 Aug 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Pawpaws (Asimina triloba) are the quintessential wild fruit for browsing animals that eat the only ripe fruit on the branch and then move on. The fruit tastes like mango and has the consistency of banana. But don’t eat the seeds. They are poisonous.
The skin is thin and bruises easily so they cannot be shipped.
Pawpaws don’t ripen all at once. You must come back later for the next batch because …
If you pull a hard, unripe fruit from the tree it will never ripen.
Pawpaw fruits lose their flavor if you heat them.
The bark, leaves, fruit and seeds of pawpaw trees contain the disabling and potentially lethal neurotoxin annonacin so …
Do not dry or cook down the fruit because that concentrates the compound that — fortunately — makes you vomit. (see more in the WESA article).
However, the neurotoxin is a benefit for zebra swallowtails (Eurytides marcellus) whose only host plant is the pawpaw tree. Zebra swallowtail caterpillars eat pawpaw leaves, become toxic themselves and are protected from predators.
If you want to eat a pawpaw and learn more about them, your best bet is at an upcoming Pawpaw Festival. The complete schedule of 12 festivals plus additional events are at Heppy.org: 2024 Pawpaw Festivals and Events. Here are a few close to Pittsburgh on the Heppy.org list in order of occurrence.
Ohio Pawpaw Festival in Albany, Ohio, 13-15 Sept
Paw Paw Festival in Duncansville, PA, 22 Sept, 9a-4p
West Virginia Pawpaw Festival, Core Arboretum, Morgantown, WV, 28 September
Gabrielle Marsden is restoring zebra swallowtail butterflies to southwestern PA by planting pawpaw trees and encouraging others to do the same. Her YouTube channel is here. She also has two upcoming events:
Native trees are bare or peak color
