Common Mallard (not so common behavior)

The common mallard, or green-headed duck, is the type of duck we see on ponds and lakes, especially in urban parks.  The ducks near my apartment live in the Back Bay Fens where there is water and marshland and plenty of people to throw them some bread crumbs.

January in Boston, Massachusetts

I was so impressed with the color of these ducks’ heads, I had to take some pictures.  How bright and radiant the color green!  And how orange the bill and feet!

Common Mallard, Boston, MA in January

Male Common Mallards, January

You can tell he is in his mating plumage because of the green head. When not in mating season, the males look similar to the females with drab brown heads but still have the bright orange beaks.

The female ducks were nearby as well, brown with a blue stripe on the wings.

Male and Female Common Mallards, January in Boston

Common Mallards, Male and Female, January in Boston

I just learned about this new site, Encyclopedia of Life (EOL), and I think I’ll be using it much more from now on.  EOL has a good description of the common mallard and has several links to other sites with good information.

I also came across an interesting and different way of learning about ducks recently, specifically learning about their mating habits which were not what I imagined… I was listening to Science Friday on NPR, and the guest, Isabella Rossellini (an actress and film maker), was discussing her new show on the Sundance Channel (www.sundancechannel.com).  The series, called Seduce Me, describes the mating habits of several animals in a kind of funny way, acting them out with puppets and people.  After watching the duck episode I will never think of ducks the same again…(a little rated R, just to warn you!).  Check it out here.  In a nutshell: Male ducks have corkscrew penises and force copulation. The vaginal canals of female ducks have evolved to be like a maze – the male duck that the female would like to mate with will have a higher chance of successfully mating with her.  Pretty interesting!

Well it snowed here again today… not very much but enough to make my hopes of spring dampened a bit.  Snowdrops and crocuses are out, though, so spring is starting!  I can’t wait to post more about flowers.

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Hooded Merganser, a diving duck

There hasn’t been a lot of nature to photograph and blog about lately here in Boston. We’ve been hit with so many snow storms it’s hard to keep track. One thing that I’ve enjoyed throughout this winter, though, is walking along the Fens and watching the ducks in the water. Although the common ducks (mallards) can be interesting and beautiful, especially in their winter mating plumage (I will post about them later), one duck stood out.

Smaller than the rest, swimming fast with a little waddle and a oddly shaped white head, this little duck was all by himself searching for something.

Male Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus), February 2011, Boston, MA

For some reason I find diving ducks so fascinating!  I like to watch them dive and wait for them to return to the surface.  I caught this merganser taking a dive:

And then I caught him coming back to the surface:

This diving duck is called a Hooded Merganser. This one is male, you can tell because his head is white (females have brown heads, not white). It is also in its breeding plumage because his head was quite white (non-breeding, males have “dusky”-colored heads).  It looked to me like this duck’s head was a funny shape, but actually that is its crest, like a mohawk, which can be expanded or contracted.

A few facts about the hooded merganser:

• The only merganser restricted to North America naturally
• The smallest species of merganser in North America
• Mergansers form pairs in early winter
• They are short distance migrants and stick around as long as the ponds, lakes or rivers aren’t iced over
• They dive for small fish, crustaceans and insects
• They have their own genus, the Lophodytes

I love to learn the meanings of names, so I looked up the roots of the hooded merganser’s latin name.  Loph- means “crest”, which makes sense because of this bird’s quite unmistakable crest!

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Henry David Thoreau – A Traveling Naturalist

This weekend, the sun was out and the smell of fall was in the air.  The leaves are starting to turn here in Massachusetts and I’ve been soaking up every moment of good weather to be outside.  Last week it rained all week, but right in time for the three day Columbus Day weekend we got sunshine and temperatures in the 60’s.  Perfect for a walk outside in the woods!  I keep thinking about Stockholm at this time, and I heard they got their first frost the other day, the light is fading quickly these days.  I am more thankful for the sun here now.

 

Walden Pond, Concord, MA

 

I walked around Walden Pond with a friend of mine, the lake was quiet with a few brave swimmers, some kayakers and some fishermen.  Walden Pond State Reservation is at 915 Walden St. (Rte. 126), Concord, MA.  If you follow the path around the pond, you will come across the site where Henry David Thoreau lived for 2 years in ‘an experiment in simple living’.

 

Site of Thoreau's House, Walden Pond, Concord, MA

 

In 1894 he published a book about his experiences there called Walden, or Life in the Woods.  Thoreau was interested in natural history and botany and traveled quite a bit to explore nature.  He chronicled the changing of the seasons and noted in his journals about the ecological patterns of the woods around him.  I find that I am also trying to use this blog as a journal to write down all the things in nature I see around me.  I love taking these excursions and re-discovering beautiful places like Walden Pond.  It helps me take a moment and think about the world around me and appreciate the world around me and really live in the moment.

 

H.D.Thoreau Quote, Walden Pond, Concord, MA

 

 

Walden Pond, Concord, MA

 

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Yellow Wood Sorrel

Growing up we called these plants ‘sweet and sours’.  We were taught early on that we could eat the leaves, they were easy to spot and not easily mistaken for something that could be harmful.  Wood sorrels grow everywhere and their season is long – May through October.  These ones I found in the yard are Oxalis europaea.  A similar species, Oxalis stricta, has pods that are bent at the stalks at a sharp angle, which is absent in these sorrels.

Yellow Wood Sorrel, Massachusetts, USA

Notice the heart-shaped leaves, 5 yellow petals and the seed pods. Other species have pink or red flowers and pods are angled differently.

My ‘Edible Wild Plants’ Peterson Field Guide says that these plants can be used in salads to give a bit of a sour taste.  You can also make a drink by steeping the leaves for 10 minutes in hot water, chill it and add sugar or honey.  Sorrels provide a lot of vitamin C.  But the book warns that you shouldn’t consume too much because it may inhibit the absorption of calcium by the body.  These plants contain a lot of oxalic acid.

Yellow Wood Sorrel, Massachusetts, USA

I went for a walk in the yard after the sun went down and noticed that the wood sorrel’s flowers closed at night.  Although these pictures aren’t much to see, I was happy to capture how the flowers change at night.

Yellow Wood Sorrel, Massachusetts, USA

Like dandelions, these wild flowers are considered weeds and are just as common.  I am especially attached to them because it reminds me of exploring nature as a young child and feeling like my knowledge of this tasty ‘sweet and sour’ plant was special.

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North Carolina – Flowering Quinces

Flowering Quince, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

After quite a bit of flipping through photos, I finally identified what this beautiful flowering shrub was by the side of the highway in Chapel Hill, NC.  Thanks to the North Carolina Botanical Garden’s website (http://www.ncbg.unc.edu) I found what was in bloom and matched it to my photograph.

These bright red blossoms with a showy yellow center are flowers growing from a Flowering Quince, or Chaenomeles speciosa.  Originally from Eastern Asia, they are members of the rose (Rosaceae) family.  This may be what is commonly known as the Texas Scarlet variety.  Apparently I caught it at the right time, because this plant only blooms for about 2 weeks and then spends the rest of the year as a thorny mess.

It turns out that C. Speciosa is also, like the magnolia tree, used in traditional Chinese medicine.  The fruit has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties that have been used for treating rheumatoid arthritis, among other ailments.  One source from Wikipedia claims that the plant’s glucosides also serve as a potent selective dopamine reuptake inhibitor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaenomeles_speciosa).

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North Carolina – Magnolia Trees

I visited Chapel Hill, North Carolina last week.  The day before I left Sweden, it snowed.  North Carolina, on the other hand, was warm, sunny and spring was in full swing.

There is something about flowering trees.  I’m not sure what it is, perhaps that there are so many flowers all in one place, or perhaps that the flowers hang down above you all the better to enjoy at eye level.  When I lived in Boston, I fell in love with Magnolia trees.  I was so pleased to see that I caught them in bloom in Chapel Hill!

Magnolia, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

A little about the Magnolia from the subfamily Magnolioideae, family Magnoliaceae.

• Magnolias are from a primitive genus; fossils have been found from 20 to 95 million years ago.  They do not have any sepals or petals.
• There are 210 species, and more is being learned about their relationships through DNA sequencing.
• They are so ancient that they evolved before bees, so they rely on beetles to pollinate them.
• The bark of the magnolia has been shown to inhibit the growth of bacteria that cause caries and periodontal disease and the formation of dental plaque.  A traditional Chinese medicine, hou po, is made from the bark and is believed to have anti-anxiety and anti-angiogenic properties.

Magnolia Flower, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Magnolia Flower, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

September 14, 2010 –

I’m surprised how many people are interested in magnolias!  I have included some information below on the different kinds of magnolia trees in northeastern and north-central U.S.

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