It can be useful to periodically restate what it is we’re trying to do. The following are a few words that were shared at the 17 Dec. 2025 meeting of the Research Circle. In part, they’re meant to help newcomers understand what we’re up to and to answers some questions we have received.
The Research Circle is not the project of any one person or organization. While we are fortunate to get funding from the Farm Hub and the Circle includes staff from Hawthorne Valley, it really derives from a shared desire to work together on topics of mutual interest. Some of us have been at this (on-farm ecological research, farming) for a while, and we are searching for ways to build a community of like-minded individuals to design, execute and act upon ecological research of the community’s own design.
That means that the Circle has no other existence than all of you, all of us. It exists for as long as we want it to and in the shape we choose for it. It is very much a work in progress. Some of us have tried to establish an initial framework in order to get it off the ground but this is intended as a starting point, not an end point.
Reflecting on our own strengths and weaknesses, we as the ecologist did establish one set of boundaries on our own work: There are many, many relevant research questions around farming. We cannot hope to answer them all, nor do we have the capacity to do so. While, to a certain degree, we can bring in the expertise of others, for now what we can offer as researchers is a focus on the role of on-farm habitats in supporting nature for its own sake and for its interaction with production.
In this context, the reports presented in the Fall are the research feedback from projects we all designed together the previous Spring and that were carried out during the growing season. The hope is that, over the course of the Winter, we can all consider these results and what they might mean for management and continued research. These are your results, please ask questions, be (constructively) critical – groan loudly, whoop audibly, share thoughts!
The Intentional and the Accidental: The Role of Cultivated and Uncultivated Flowers in Supporting Plant Diversity and Insect Abundance on Farms.
One project whose results we shared on 17 Dec involved studying the support that on-farm flowers provide to pollinators and other flower visitors. How big a contribution to plant biodiversity is provided by the uncultivated (aka “weedy”) flowers found in fallows, lawns, edges and wilder areas relative to flowers seeded for cut flowers, vegetable crops, or intentional pollinator habitat? What role do these same flower play in supporting flower visitors?
We plan a data-rich blog or two exploring these data in more detail. In the meantime, in this talkand these slides, Claudia and Conrad provide a preliminary description of the distribution of such flowers across the seasons and the farms, and summarize how popular the different flowers were with an array of flower visitors. (These links are also available from the Resources page.)
Farming, Ecology and Landscape Recovery in the Brecklands of Eastern England.
This talk by visitors to the Farmer-Ecologist Research Circle was hosted by Bard College and supported by the Hudson Valley Farm Hub and Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program.
Richard Evans, co-founder and lead farmer in the Breckland Farmers Wildlife Network, described his experiences and motivations for protecting and enhancing the biodiversity of the Brecks, (a geographical region in eastern England). He also shared about his efforts to help shape future policy to benefit this area, and consider its current balance of food production and ecology. Chris Sharpe, an ornithologist who has helped gather avian data in the same region, provided an ecologist’s view of the interaction of bird life and agriculture in that landscape.
East Anglia, England—and Breckland in particular—is one of the most intensively managed regions of the UK for food production. Its landscape and environment are consequently highly modified. Although these changes have often reduced biodiversity, some historical human practices have created the very environments upon which now scarce, often threatened, local species depend. The last few decades have seen significant efforts to document and understand the region’s biodiversity with a view toward restoring nature on both agricultural and non-productive land. A growing number of contemporary farmers have enthusiastically adopted nature-friendly management practices.
Evans and Sharpe recounted more than two decades of farming and wildlife interactions in the Brecklands and shared lessons that they hope will shed light on how to organize a community around the values of conservation, both in England and beyond.
“Many of us here in the Hudson Valley are working to find our own balance between the need for our farms to succeed as profitable enterprises that feed our community, and as places that shelter and nurture native wildlife,” said Will Yandik, a member of the Farmer-Ecologist Research Circle. “I think our visitors from England have provided us the opportunity to evaluate our own lands with a fresh perspective.”
Looking northeast from around # 3 on the below aerial. We are standing within the main gardens on the site.
The new facilities of the Hudson Valley Seed Company are located on Airport Road in Kerhonkson, Ulster County, NY. This business mixes seed production (including of native wild flowers) and artwork in order to encourage and facilitate gardeners.
A 2022 image of the land of the Hudson Valley Seed Company, with numbered squares indicating the approximate locations from which the accompanying landscape shots were taken.
The semi-open area through the woods about 600′ due south of the #1 is the wetland that Claudia profiled in her earlier plant posting. In that same post, Claudia also describes the botany of other parts of the property. The earlier posting on creekside beetles was based on observations made just a short way southwest of #1.
A 1958 image of the same land. Portions of the forest in the southeast half of the property appear to still be growing in this era. Looking northeast from #1 across what was, at the time of the photograph, a relatively freshly ploughed field. Looking south-southeast into the clearing from #2.Looking southwest from #3. The building in the center left is the new shop and processing facility .OK, so it’s not an insect. A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird takes a nip at Klip Dagga (Leonotis nepetifolia), a cultivated species in the mint family.Ooops, not an insect either. These are the ornate seed heads of Shinleaf (Pyrola elliptica), a wild-growing plant found in a damp, wooded area just northeast of #2. I stumbled on it while looking for butterflies. The (blurry) dark green leaf with white veins hiding in the background also belongs to this species.
More plants, just an assortment of grasses. No, wait a second, there is an insect. Do you see it? It took me a while to figure out why I had taken this photograph. Coneheads, such as this appears to be, are among the singing insects of late-summer grasslands and edges.Another field singer was this female Short-winged Meadow Katydid. They reportedly have a relatively broad diet, eating not only plants but other insects such as aphids.The insects in this image are also not conspicuous, although video would have made them more apparent. Above the ploughed ground in front of the forest are clouds of small creatures whose dancing swarm was especially evident when seen in motion.Here, they appear as a light brown dappling in front of the foliage.Capturing one of these swarmers in a butterfly net, reveals a small fly, perhaps some sort of midge. The wavering clouds are thought to be part of their mating ritual.While we’re on flies, here’s an introduced species of drone fly; it is thought to be a mimic of Honey Bees. We’ve already seen it in at least one previous post.These fuzzy, long-legged flies are called bee flies.
As adults, bee flies seem to be avid nectar feeders, and, while they do not appear to intentionally collect pollen, pollen does sometimes gather on their furry bodies. They are parasitoids, laying their eggs near those of a variety of insect hosts. The bee fly larvae hatch and proceed to eat their host’s larvae. At least some species reportedly have an interesting pattern of coating their eggs in sand and then aerial dropping them into or near the burrows of their hosts. The young of ground-nesting beetles, wasps and bees seem to be the most common prey of bee fly larvae.Speaking of parasitoids…. this Tobacco Hornworm (Manduca sexta, the caterpillar of a sphinx moth) was found near the tomatoes seen in the garden shown in the first photo.
Tobacco Hornworms sometimes host a parasitoid wasp who, upon pupating, can cover a caterpillar with what looks like a coat of small rice grains. While none of those pupae are visible on this individual, the random dark points (not the ones along the white lines nor the bullseye spiracles) on its skin may be the work of a wasp. The closely related Tomato Hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata) also occurs in our area and both species eat tobacco and tomato; both are also affected by parasitoids.What appears to be a Familiar Bluet (a type of damselfly) was hanging out on this a poking through ground cloth. As shown by the bottom photo, moderately certain ID required live-capturing one for a closer look.Twelve-spotted Skimmers and some other dragonflies patrolled overhead. Why?A ground-cloth pond?
Such a cluster of dragonflies and damselflies would make sense were there swarms of their insect prey in the air but, so far as I could tell, such prey were not particularly abundant. Watching further, I saw some dragonflies periodically dive down as if trying to touch the ground cloth with the tips of their abdomens. This behaviour is similar to what females do when depositing their eggs in water, and I am guessing that these insects were actually mistaking the smooth, reflective ground cloth for open water. Have any of you ever noticed something like this on your own farms? If so, I would be curious to hear about it.
Turning finally to butterflies, I believe this is a Northern Broken Dash skipper, one of the three, hard-to-identify ‘witches’. It gets its name from the pattern formed by a dark band of pheromone-producing cells on the wings of the male. This, however, is a female. The caterpillars feed on an array of grasses. It is neither a particularly rare nor common species.Meadow Fritillaries are trim, middling-sized butterflies, who seem to be rarer than they ought to be given the prevalence of the violets that their caterpillars eat.
In general, probably because of the lateness of the season, butterflies were not particularly diverse during my visit. The rarest butterfly spotted was one of the so-called Emperors (either a Hackberry or Tawny Emperor); unfortunately for this post, it flew away before I could get a photo.
This is the last butterfly post of the season, and you should now be well-versed in our common butterflies. So, as your final exam, here are five relatively common butterflies photographed at the Hudson Valley Seed Company…
1) Who is this butterfly and, for extra points, is it male or female?2) And what about this one? And, again, extra points for male or female.3) And whose is this northern interloper?4) And this one (whose females are sometimes white and sometimes not)?5) This one gets its name from the lighter colored patch visible in the darker, underside field along the hind edge of the rear wing as seen in the right butterfly. Who is it?
I visited Treadlight Farm in Kerhonkson on 4th Sept. 2024 to survey the wild-growing plants inside the fenced area outlined in yellow on the aerial photo below. The sky blue line indicates the approximate route of my four-hour walk-around. Numbers refer to locations mentioned below.
Aerial photo of Treadlight Farm (surrounded by deer fence indicated in yellow); the sky blue line is the approximate route taken during the botany survey, numbers refer to locations mentioned below
As Conrad has already described in the last posting, Treadlight Farm mainly grows cut-flowers and also produces plugs (mostly of native wildflowers). The farm operates on leased land that has a long history of farming and few semi-wild habitats are found within the farm’s fence. Not surprisingly, the wild-growing plants in the flower beds were largely the usual cast of regionally-common, annual, tilled-field weeds, including Common Ragweed, Daisy Fleabane, Horseweed, Lamb’s-quarters, Crabgrass, and foxtails.
One of the cut-flower beds at Treadlight Farm (looking west from #6)
At the west and east end of the farmland are old fields, largely composed of perennial species, both native and non-native. Those old fields harbored at least five species of goldenrods and seven species or varieties of asters, all native. The “grassy” matrix at the west end (#1) was dominated in late summer by the non-native grass Hard Fescue (Festuca trachyphylla), but also included the native Path and Soft Rushes (Juncea tenuis and J. effusus).
Old field vegetation at the west end of the farm (#1)
At the time of my visit (4th Sept.), the asters were just starting to flower, but the goldenrods were already in full bloom. In the image below, the golden yellow flowers of Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima) contrast beautifully with the purple flowers of New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae). Tall Goldenrod (also often referred to as Canada Goldenrod) is one of four very common, rhizome-forming, old field goldenrods in our region. We know of 11 other goldenrod species in our area, all less common than the four old field species, and associated with other habitats, such as dry meadows, wetlands, and even forests. All our goldenrods are native species and—as a group—provide resources to a dazzling variety of insects, who visit the flowers for nectar and pollen, eat the leaves, bore in stems and roots, form galls, or wait for prey in the flowers.
Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima) and New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Nearby, Early Goldenrod (Solidago juncea) was still in bloom. This is a species that does not form rhizomes and does not grow in dense colonies. In fact, it does not compete well with the more aggressive goldenrods on fertile and moist soils. Therefore, it is usually found on somewhat dryer, less nutrient-rich soils. This is one of the earliest-flowering goldenrods, it usually has a basal rosette of leaves, as well as small clusters of leaves in the axils of the stem leaves.
Early Goldenrod (Solidago juncea)
A strip of herbaceous vegetation has been maintained along the outside of the deer fence (#2), forming the edge between farmland and wooded riparian corridor along the Roundout Creek. This strip harbors some of the same species as the old field, but also some species associated with the riparian corridor, such as Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis), Deer-tongue Rosette Grass (Dichanthelium clandestinum), and a species of native sunflowers described below. Unfortunately, invasive plant species, including abundant Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) and Japanese Stilt Grass (Microstegium vimineum) also thrive in this occasionally mowed strip.
Strip of herbaceous vegetation outside of the deer fence (#2)
I was excited to find several patches of Thin-leaved Sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus) on both sides of the deer fence along the southern edge of the farm fields (#3). This beautiful native wildflower tends to grow in semi-shaded riparian areas and occasionally along roadsides. I would think that it could also find its place in native plant gardens and seeded wildflower meadows, but its seeds are still hard to find in seed catalogues. Would this be a candidate for the production of eco-type seeds and plugs?
Thin-leaved Sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus)
The next image shows a flower head of a Thin-leaved Sunflower in its prime. Note how this flower head is composed of two types of flowers: the large, petal-like ray flowers visually attract pollinators, while the small, star-shaped disk flowers at the center focus their energy on pollen, nectar, and—eventually—seed production. Note how the disk flowers mature first around the outside of the disk. The dark columns emerging from the open disk flowers bear the pollen. The flowers at the center of the disk are still green flower buds.
Thin-leaved Sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus)
The following collage illustrates a sequence of flower heads at different stages of development (clockwise from top left): (1) the young flower head is mostly defined by its green bracts, the disk and ray flowers are still developing; (2) a flower head just coming into bloom, with some—but not all—disk flowers spreading and receiving pollen; (3) a flower head at or just past the peak of its blooming period seems to have spent all its pollen, but might still be receptive for pollen brought in from other plants; (4) this flower head has dropped its ray flowers and is now ripening its seeds, one per star-shaped disk flower.
Thin-leaved Sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus)
Returning from the riparian corridor back towards the center of the farm, a fallow field (#4) sports a riot of weeds, including the native Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus; white flowers), and the non-native grass Yellow Foxtail (Setaria pumila; orange, upright spikes) and an unusually large smartweed (probably Persicarialongiseta; drooping, pink spikes).
A weedy fallow (#4)
Nearby, I found another smartweed, the non-native Lady’s Thumb (Persicaria maculata), which also seemed particularly robust.
Lady’s Thumb (Persicaria maculata)
In these beds (#5), a variety of native wildflower species were cultivated. They included several mountain-mints (Pycnanthemum spp.), asters (incl. Symphyotrichum laeve), and Joe-Pye-weed (Eutrochium sp.). However, I did not attempt a complete inventory of these cultivated flowers.
Beds of cultivated native wildflowers (#5)
The following collage shows three different species of mountain-mints cultivated at Treadlight Farm (from left to right): Narrow-leaved Mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium), possibly Hairy Mountain-mint (P. cf. verticillatum), and possibly Blunt-leaved Mountain-mint (P. cf. muticum).
Examples of cultivated native mountain-mints
The native One-seeded Bur-cucumber (Sicyos angulatus), a wild cucurbit, was mingling with the Joe-Pye-weed.
One-seeded Bur-cucumber (Sicyos angulatus)
Not many native plans were thriving in the rows of dahlias (#6).
Rows of dahlias (#6)
At the northeastern corner of the farm fields, I found a small strip of old field/wet meadow (#7), which harbored some Purplestem Asters (Symphyotrichum puniceum), not seen anywhere else at TFreadlight Farm and possibly quite a few Willow-leaved Asters (S. praealtum). The latter species was not yet in bloom, so I am not 100% certain of its identity.
A strip of old field/wet meadow vegetation (#7; below) and Purplestem Aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum; above)
A pink (more typical would be lavender) flower head of Purplestem Aster in lovely contrast with the yellow flowers of Flat-topped (a.k.a. Grass-leaved) Goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia).
Three different native asters were common in the old field in the east corner of the farm (#8). These small-leaved, white-flowering species are notoriously hard to identify, but I suspect them to represent (from left to right): Calico Aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum), Pringle’s Aster (S. pilosum var. pringlei), and Awl Aster (S. pilosum var. pilosum).
Examples of three native asters, most likely (from left to right): Calico Aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum), Pringle’s Aster (S. pilosum var. pringlei), and Awl Aster (S. pilosum var. pilosum)
I did not find many unique native plants at Treadlight Farm—a fact easily explained by the relative homogeneity of habitats within the farm’s fences: there were no waterbodies, no substantial wetlands, no rock outcrops, and basically no woody vegetation. Therefore, the Farm supported mostly habitat generalists, which were also found at some of the other farms.
However, the old field patches at the west and east end of the farm, as well as the fence line did support more species of native asters than I had found at any of the other farms this summer. In addition to the species already mentioned above, Lance-leaved Aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum) was probably the most common of all asters in many places along the fence line and in unmowed interior areas, and Heart-leaved Aster (S. cordifolium) occurred mostly along the southern fence line.
The old field patch on the west side of the farm (#1)
Zinnias in a bed at Treadlight Farm, Kerhonkson, NY.Treadlight leases land from Arrowhead Farm. The yellow outline is not a property line – it is the deer-fenced, ca. 33.4 acre plot of land that contains Treadlight’s leased production fields, together with those of Long Season Farm. Numbers refer to the approximate locations of the landscape photographs below.These fields, located in the floodplain of Roundout Creek, have long been in production.Looking east-northeast from point #1, along some of Treadlight’s flower beds.Looking south-southwest from ca. point #1, across the fallow land at the west end of the fenced in parcel.Looking south from point #2 across some of Treadlight’s flower beds and, in the distance, some Long Season fields.Looking ca. east-northeast from near point #2, across the flower beds (whose posts are propping up a couple of King birds) towards fallow beyond that.This photo, taken from a point near the greenhouses, and looking west along the north fence, shows the lush edges found along the fencelines.
Treadlight Farm is an organic flower producer with a partial focus on raising native wildflowers for seed and retail. Its beds are located on leased land in the floodplain of the Roundout Creek. When I visited on 5 August, some beds were winding down. Most of the land is occupied by tilled flower and vegetable fields, the latter being worked by Long Season Farm; greenhouses are also present near the center of the area. The east and west tips of the parcel are fallow (or perhaps better, ‘old-field’) areas that appear to have been mowed occasionally.
The butterflies included many of the usual cast of characters you should have come to expect if you have been reading these blogs. This shaded Cabbage White is hanging out on Purple Loosestrife, in the fallows at the very western end of the parcel.
Cabbage Whites (a European species that took hold here in the 1860s) and the Clouded Sulphur (a native) were two of the most common farm-field butterflies in our surveys, together they accounted for roughly 44% of the ca. 1500 butterflies we noted across all nine participating farms. At Treadlight, they accounted for slightly less – around 36% of the butterflies we spotted.There are actually two species of butterflies in this shot, do you see them? The most obvious is a handsome Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. For open areas, we classify this species as, ecologically, a “Visitor”. Its caterpillars feed on a range of woody plants including cherries and ashes. However, it seems to happily visit field flowers to drink nectar. A Clouded Sulphur is flitting behind it. I have several pictures of this Sulphur ‘buzzing’ this Swallowtail. Maybe it wanted to share the flower?Monarchs were also present and nectaring at various flowers, including these Zinnias.
Treadlight accounted for about a quarter of all the Monarch sightings during our surveys. However, they were notably less common this year than during some past years – on 10 Sept. of 2021, on the same type of flower and on the very same farm, we had over 130 Monarch sightings in 30 minutes; our tally this year, during roughly four hours, was a relatively meager 16. Assuming Zinnia = Zinnia (not necessarily true), a variety of factors including migration patterns, weather, and fluctuations in the regional abundance of Monarchs might explain this. The Monarch look-alike, a Viceroy.
Viceroys are slightly smaller than most Monarchs, and their caterpillars feed on woody plants, such as Cottonwood. This individual is playing hard to ID – one key character to distinguish the two species is a black line which extends through the Viceroy’s hind wing parallel to the outer margin and about half way from the wing edge to the wing base. This is clear in the inset photo showing a rather battered Viceroy, photographed by our program at the Farm Hub. The subject of our main photo only has a faint suggestion of this line.In contrast, Variegated Fritillaries seemed to be having a banner year – after having gone through various years without seeing them, we found them on three different farms. This is one of the several southern butterfly species who wandered north this year.This American Lady looks like it may have had a brush with a bird.
The large eyespots on the hindwing (one of which is now missing on this individual) may lead some birds to make a quick grab at the ‘wrong’ (for the bird) end. The lucky butterfly then lives to nectar another day. American Ladies are, like Monarchs, migratory. They don’t usually survive our Winters, but regularly recolonize during Summer, with late season individuals heading back south. Some of the other interlopers, perhaps including the Variegated Fritillary, have no such return trip – they’re constantly knocking on our door ecologically but, at least so far, most of the new populations that establish here during Summer then perish during the Winter. This might change if climate warming continues.Pearl Crescents were found on all nine farms this year, Treadlight was no exception. Here, one nectars at a mountain mint.Common Ringlet is, indeed, relatively common; it was also found on two thirds of the farms visited this year. This one is also nectaring at a mountain mint. Unlike the southern butterfly species pushing north, this is a northern species who, over the last three decades or so, has come south. Prior to about 1970, in the Northeast, they were not known south of Canada. They moved south because … uhhmm…. err…. ? (There’s A LOT we don’t know about butterflies!)OK, here’s the quiz butterfly for this posting. This large skipper, whose caterpillars are legume feeders, was found on two thirds of the farms we surveyed this year. Who is it?Getting into the skipper motif, this is a Common Sootywing, another one of those slightly more southerly species who seemed to have a good year regionally. The bright white spots on the deep velvety black background make me think of stars on a dark night.
Common Sootywing, while native itself, now uses non-native ‘weeds’ as caterpillar host plants (esp., Lamb’s Quarters). As Cech & Tudor note in their Butterflies of the East Coast (still my all-around favorite East Coast butterfly book), this diet switch has allowed this little butterfly to range much more widely than it may have done prior to European colonization. While we tend to think of native organisms as helpless victims of human encroachment, it is also important to remember they are not passive actors. Genetically and behaviourally, some butterflies and other organisms (including birds, as Will has pointed out) can adapt and exploit the changes around them. Of course, some sadly cannot make the change and gradually disappear.Treadlight was a relatively skippery place. One of our most common ‘grass skippers’ (a group of small skippers whose caterpillars feed on grasses) is usually the Peck’s Skipper, however we noted it on only a pair of farms this year. This hapless Peck’s Skipper has actually fallen prey to an Ambush Bug, whose head is just visible near that of the butterfly.Ambush Bugs have confusing speckling and an odd shape, both of which probably help them avoid detection as they lay in wait in the heads of flowers, like this Joe-Pye Weed. Note those muscular forearms that let them grab the prey that they then subdue with a quick injection of poison.Here, in more uplifting circumstances, two Peck’s Skippers assess each other, perhaps as a prelude to mating.A Least Skipper arriving to Viper’s Bugloss on the wing.A Broadwinged Skipper inspects yet more Joe-Pye Weed (are you getting an idea of what one of the favorite flowers ‘in town’ was?). Broadwinged Skippers have probably benefited from the spread of a non-native variety of one of their favorite caterpillar host plants – Phragmites.A subtle Tawny-edged Skipper surveys the scene while a pair of bumble bees have a tête-à-tête. Treadlight was the only farm where we noted this species. My sense with this skipper is that it’s rarely common, but in some years it appears to be more widespread than in others. 2024 did not seem to be a particularly propitious year for it.This is the aptly named Fiery Skipper. This is another species who is wending its way north. During our surveys, we only saw it at Treadlight, although a colleague also spotted one at the Farm Hub this year.
The abundance of skippers provokes some management thoughts – two of the important habitat ingredients for butterflies are the flowers that the adults nectar at and the host plants that their herbivorous larvae (aka caterpillars) consume. Monarchs, for example, will nectar at a variety of different flowers, including the Zinnia pictured earlier, but their caterpillars specifically need milkweeds. Similarly, many of the skippers pictured above are grass feeders. Although not all of those skippers are confined to native grasses, there are a few native-grass specialists whom we have seen in the region and who might be tempted to visit were their caterpillar host plants available. Given the abundant flower resources that Treadlight provides, it might be fun to think about what additional caterpillar foods could be seeded in the fallows at either end of the fenced-in area. Maybe a native grass seed mix could attract some interesting species.
This is where I usually wrap up my insect accounts of the farms, perhaps ending with shots of one or two other insects I encountered, such as this seemingly inquisitive blister beetle. However, Treadlight’s abundance of various flowers prompted me to spend some thought-provoking time observing the bees. I saw too few of this particular species, the Golden Northern Bumble Bee (Bombus fervidus) to discern its preferences. But this globally Vulnerable species is nice to see wherever one finds it!
What I found so intriguing was how different the bee faunas of various flower types could be. Rather than getting the sense that there was one chaotic community of bees who were all visiting everything in bloom, the pattern seemed to be more one of specialization – with certain flowers hosting particular bees largely not see elsewhere. It’s likely that a variety of factors explain these patterns, including the relationship between bee and flower morphology, and bee preferences for certain pollen and/or nectar biochemistries.An Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) on a Zinnia. This is currently one of our most commonly spotted bumble bees.A Honey Bee forages on a thistle flower while a smaller bee explores the unfocused foreground.The mountain mint in particular was bubbling with Honey Bees.A Honey Bee hive amidst the fallow.
Honey Bees and native bee conservation is a fraught interface. Prompted in part by concern about colony collapse disorder, many members of the public probably equate Honey Bee protection with bee conservation overall. However, as mentioned in a previous post, Honey Bees are not native to North American – they were originally imported to our area from eastern and southern Europe. Increasingly, researchers are warning about the impacts of Honey Bees on native bees (e.g., see this paper and this Xerces web page). This can come about by competition for resources (there’s only so much pollen and nectar out there!), direct interaction (‘hey, that’s my flower!’), and the spread of disease. Of course, there are reasons why Honey Bees are popular. Aside from the honey, they can be diligent, early-season crop pollinators. However, in many cases, where ample natural habitat is available, native bees (which include bumble bees) are as good as or better at the job of pollination. Honey Bees are here to stay and there are now numerous feral colonies living on their own in the wild, so, even were it desired (which I doubt it would be!), removing Honey Bees from the landscape would not be possible. However if native bee conservation is one of your goals on a particular property, then avoiding Honey Bee hives on that land might be appropriate.
While that might look like a large bumble bee joining Honey Bees on the mountain mint, it’s an Eastern Carpenter Bee, as indicated by the generally bare and shiny abdomen, together with tinted wings.This Ceratina is also considered to be a type of carpenter bee. However, unlike the Eastern Carpenter Bee (who, as many of us know, excavates its solitary nests in exposed wood), Ceratina excavates its nest holes in the soft pith of annuals, herbaceous perennials, and shrubs.A native green sweat bee (a male Agapostemon) visits Joe-Pye.A chunky, native Megachile bee, part of the group known as leaf cutters, shares a thistle with a small native bee. This Megachile is conspicuously gathering thistle pollen on the collecting hairs underneath its abdomen. Most of our female bees collect pollen on their legs. Pollen is used by mother bees to provision their young, so male bees generally lack pollen-collecting hairs. In solitary ground or cavity nesting bees like Megachile, the egg is deposited together with a pollen packet, which the larva then devours upon hatching.A female sweat bee loads up her hind legs with pollen. This tiny sweat bee (looks like a Lasioglossum species to me) demonstrates the source of its common name by looking for salts on my sweaty skin.
Anthidium manicatum at the flowers of a cultivated member of the mint family.
I only found this Anthidium bee in this one patch of flowers, where it was conspicuous. Not only were these bees relatively numerous, they were interacting ardently with each other, with bees boffing each other as they perched on flowers and occasionally coupling. Males are reportedly territorial, fending off newcomers except for the females they seek. Before one runs out and plants more of this flower in order to support native bees, it should be noted that, like the Honey Bee, this is not a native species, as its common name, the European Wool Carder Bee, reveals. The males reportedly use spines at the tip of their abdomens to attack and even kill other bees, and so are thought to sometimes prevent native bees from using certain flowers. There are, however, a couple of native Wool Carders, so be careful with your IDs. They are called “Wool Carders”, because they line their solitary nest cavities with a ‘woolly’ mat of plant hairs.
Appropriately enough given its perch, this is, according to a kindly helper on iNaturalist, Melissodes desponsa or the Eastern Thistle Longhorn Bee. Not surprisingly, it is said to prefer thistles.A bumble bee about to enter a tubular flower. This is surely what the flower, evolutionarily speaking, ‘wants’. The bee will enter the flower, encounter the anthers, intentionally or unintentionally pick up some pollen , and then depart to passively pollinate the next flower it visits. So far, so good.…But that long trip up a fuzzy tunnel can be inconvenient and slow; it’s probably not the most efficient way to gather nectar, if that’s all you’re after. What’s a wise bee to do? Cheat. This Honey Bee is feeding on nectar through some basal slits that it or an earlier bee made. These slits are clearly visible on the neighboring flower. I say ‘cheat’ because such slits let the bees take the nectar without encountering the pollen whose transport the flower was investing in.Even ants, like these Winter Ants, get in on the game.This is a bee, not a wasp.
Aside from the wasp-like coloration, the insect above is not particularly fuzzy, another waspish trait. Notice too that, as in wasps, there are no pollen-collecting hairs on the legs nor (although perhaps hard to see from this angle) on the underside of the abdomen. So, assuming this is a female bee, which is certainly possible, how is she collecting pollen?
Like our other bees, she does indeed feed pollen to her young, but it’s not pollen that she collects herself. Instead, she seeks out the nests of other solitary ground-nesting bees, most commonly those of the Eastern Squash Bee, a type of longhorn bee who is our primary squash pollinator. There she lays her egg, and, upon hatching, the new-born larva kills the host bee’s larva and feeds on the pollen hoard originally intended for the host’s young. If you’ve been following the story, then the common name, Squash Longhorn Cuckoo Bee, shouldn’t be completely surprising. (If the “cuckoo” part of the name confuses you, then look up how that bird raises its young.)
This sighting is a ‘two-fer’ – the Squash Longhorn Cuckoo Bee is only likely to be present if its host is too. It thus wouldn’t be surprising if, perhaps somewhere in a nearby cucurbit field of Long Season farm, Squash Bees were also active.Aside from butterflies, ground beetles are really ‘my thing’, but this one took an embarrassingly long time to ID, because I see this species so infrequently. I’m now pretty sure it’s Chaleanius tomentosus. This is not a species I know from Columbia County, although we have collected a couple of these beetles at the Farm Hub over the past decade.
Aside from being a nod to my entomological home-sweet-home, i.e., the ground beetles, I mention this beetle in order to bring up a small management tip. I found this beetle in the deeply sunken cavity around an irrigation spigot. Such cavities can serve as pit traps, not just for beetles but also potentially for small rodents and amphibians (think Heffalump traps in miniature). Once they have fallen in, exiting can be nearly impossible for small creatures. I don’t bring this up to ‘tsk tsk’ anybody, but rather because open holes are understandably a widespread type of occurrence on farms, when post holes go unfilled or other pits are left open. By capping the hole or simply putting in a few long sticks or stalks that rest on the cavity bottom and lean against the top lip, trapped creatures can be provided with an escape route. Elsewhere, I have even seen a similar thing occur, on a bigger scale, at abandoned silos, where a basal entry door was just high enough and the walls just smooth enough to capture passing Raccoons and other scavengers. As in the above example, a simple plank or log boardwalk could provide an easy way out.
A Hydrangea in full, if somewhat lonely, flower.
One of the most intriguing parts of doing this survey was, as I alluded to earlier, the wide variety of side-by-side flower options and so the opportunity to ask which insects liked which flowers. Scrolling through the preceding photos the variation in taste is evident – mountain mints, thistles, Zinnias, etc. But what you haven’t yet seen are the flowers to which bees were not coming. The Hydrangea above was an example – I saw little insect life on these blossoms. Why would a flower invest energy in creating showy flowers that don’t attract pollinators? Because we have asked it to. While some Hydrangea varieties are good pollinator plants, others have been bred in ways that mean pollinators are being attracted to an empty soda fountain. Breeding for beauty to the human eye can mean pollinators get short changed. This can seem like little more than an inconvenience for pollinators, but when showy flowers prompt passersby to stop for a look, then those aspiring pollinators are wasting precious energy that could be better devoted to visiting flowers that actually provide a reward and need the pollination.
If providing for pollinators is one goal of your garden, then next season think of spending some time noting which flowers are consistently attracting bees and butterflies who then actually settle to nectar or to assemble a pollen meal for their future young. Over time, you could encourage those busy buffets and perhaps think of editing out some of the less-appreciated flowers.
Two words of caution: first, before thinking of removing a flower, google its name and “pollinators” – some flowers are primarily pollinated by moths, whose visits likely go largely unseen; second, some flowers keep their petals well past their ‘sell-by date’, in other words, some flowers that were, when fresh, magnates for pollinators, lose their offerings later in the season while still looking appealing to our eye. Take it slow, watch, keep notes & don’t jump to conclusions, but see if any actionable patterns pop out.
An Ailanthus Webworm Moth shelters below a Honey Bee. Originally, this native species was probably confined to the Neotropics and some tropical host, but it has followed its adopted host, the non-native Tree of Heaven, northwards.
P.S. The quiz butterfly was a Silver-spotted Skipper.
This blog shares some of the botanical observations from Churchtown Dairy on 19 July 2024. Will had visited the farm separately and written about the “Birds of the prairie” at this farm in his blog posted on 13 October 2024.
The following map shows the approximate route walked for the botany survey. The numbers (referenced throughout this blog) indicate places where botanical observations were made or pictures were taken.
Map of the approximate plant survey route (in sky blue). The numbers (referenced throughout this blog) indicate places where botanical observations were made or pictures were taken.
Let us begin by sharing some habitat images from the farm:
By far the largest amount of the farmland north of Route 12 is currently dedicated to pasture (view from #7 looking west).On the east, the pastures border mostly young forest and have a shrubby edge (#3).There are also pockets of wetlands along the eastern boundary (#4).Throughout the farm there are some long-established hedgerows dividing the fields (this is the view from #16). More recently planted hedges flank the main farm road.
The northern part of the farm is hilly (view north from #13)
There are also a couple of ponds. This smaller one (#15) is surrounded by a recent tree planting for silvopasture.
After this brief visual introduction to the farmland at Churchtown Dairy, we’ll go into more botanical detail.
Most of the pastures were closely-grazed at this point. As typical for pastures and hayfields in our region, most of the plants in the pastures themselves were European species of grasses, legumes, and other common plants of perennial agricultural meadows. One exception stuck out immediately: many of the pastures had patches of Common Milkweed, a wildflower native to North America and one of the host species for Monarch caterpillars, as well as a number of other native milkweed-specialists. It was nice to see that the milkweed plants across the farm were at different stages of development, some going to seed, some in mid-bloom, and some just beginning to put out new leaves after having been grazed or clipped. Maintaining such diversity of developmental stages throughout the growing season is beneficial for the insect community, because it ensures the availability of a variety of resources (ranging from tender leaves for young caterpillars to nectar for adult butterflies and many other insects) for an extended time period (compared to the scenario were all plants of a species mature and go to seed at the same time).
Common Milkweed plants in a pasture (#2)
The hedgerows and forest edges bordering the pastures were composed of a variety of native and non-native woody plants. The hedgerows bordering the central laneway and separating some pastures had been planted relatively recently (10-20 years ago) with a small selection of species, including Osage Orange and Honey-locust (both considered native to areas south of here), and hawthorn and hazel (species and native status uncertain). However, the longer-established hedges and field edges supported wild-growing, native Staghorn Sumac…
One of the long-established hedgerows, including Staghorn Sumac
… Red Cedar …
Another one of the long-established hedgerows, including Red Cedar
… and even an occasional stately oak (pictured here is a Red Oak, whose leaves were partly eaten by Spongy Moth caterpillars)…
A field edge with a big Red Oak
… and a willow, probably the native Black Willow (Salix nigra).
A long-established hedgerow with a big willow tree
Non-native, invasive shrubs, such as Eurasian shrub honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii or L. x bella), Multiflora Rose, Common Buckthorn, Autumn Olive, and Oriental Bittersweet were also quite common in many of the hedges and field edges.
A field edge with a variety of invasive shrubs
There were a few small wet meadow areas at Churchtown Dairy, such as the one in the next picture at the east end of D6 (#4 on the aerial photograph). These wet meadows support vegetation very different from that in the adjacent upland pastures. European species are also a component of these wet meadows and some, such as the invasive Reed Canary Grass, seen on the left in this image, can be quite common. However, these wet meadows are also important reservoirs of native biodiversity, because they harbor a number of native wildflowers, grasses, sedges, and ferns, which are not found anywhere else on the farm.
Wet meadow (#4)
Rough-leaved Goldenrod (Solidago patula) is one example of a regionally uncommon native species I stumbled across in the wet meadow east of D6. This goldenrod, which typically occurs in calcium-rich wetlands, does not grow in dense, rhizomatous colonies like its more common cousins typical of old fields. Instead, a few (eventually) flowering stalks emerge from a cluster of large basal leaves that have the texture of sandpaper.
Rough-leaved Goldenrod (Solidago patula)
One part of the wet meadow east of D6 supported a colony of Sensitive Fern and cattails (both native species), in addition to a patch of the invasive Reed Canary Grass visible in the front right of the image.
Wet meadow (#4)
The Black-and-Yellow Gardenspider (Argiope aurantia) builds its net in tall, undisturbed vegetation, and the wet meadow provided ideal habitat for this gorgeous hunter.
Black-and-Yellow Gardenspider (Argiope aurantia)
Another beautiful small example of a species-rich wet meadow was found in the drainage southwest of the Bobolink Field (#11). Note the diverse textures and colors in this habitat!
A small wet meadow (#11)
A closer look reveals the native species Woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus; in front left), Smooth Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea; yellow flowers), Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum; white flowers), Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata; purple flowers), and Tussock Sedge (Carex stricta; in front right).
A closer look at a small wet meadow (#11)
Back at the east edge of D6-11, I entered the forest and found small areas of swamp forest (#5) where the canopy was dominated by Red Maple trees.
Swamp forest (#5)
Rough-leaved Goldenrod grew here and there in the understory.
Rough-leaved Goldenrod (Solidago patula)
Unfortunately, the invasive Japanese Stiltgrass had also established itself in this forest (as well as in the “grove”). This grass is currently one of the most rapidly spreading non-native species in our region and there don’t seem to be any “silver bullets” for its control. It is an annual grass with wiry stems and relatively broad (and short!) leaves, which often have a broad white line along their midrib.
Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum)
Black Swallowwort (Vincetoxicum nigrum) is an invasive vine with opposite, shiny oval leaves, small, dark purple flowers, and seed pods reminiscent of milkweeds. It was found only in small numbers at Churchtown Dairy. Scattered plants were spotted in the swamp forest and wet meadow east of D6-11, as well as in the “grove.” This might be an invasive species still rare enough on the farm that its spread could be curtailed by systematically pulling it out, whenever it is encountered.
Black Swallowwort (Vincetoxicum nigrum)
Another potentially troublesome species is this pretty ornamental shrub, Jetbead (Rhodotypos scandens), which probably had jumped the fence onto the young forest on the farm’s land from one of the neighboring yards. I had never seen it growing wild in Columbia County, but was told that it had spread throughout Central Park and might become more assertive in our region, in the future… This might be another species to discourage early on wherever it shows up on the farm.
Jetbead (Rhodotypos scandens)
Tree-of-Heaven is the last invasive species I want to mention. It currently occurs at a low enough density at Churchtown Dairy, that its further spread might be avoided by removing the seed-producing trees, like this one next to the “grove.” Unfortunately, if a Tree-of-Heaven is felled, its roots tend to produce sprouts which—if unchecked—can result in an entire colony of new trees. Therefore, it is important to continue to annually monitor and—if needed—manage the site where an adult tree has been felled or girdled.
Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima); this specimen was found between #12 and #13
Returning to the east edge of D6-11, after emerging from the swamp forest, I entered a small stand of Red Cedar trees (#6), which seemed to serve as an occasional forest pasture. I made no exciting native plant discoveries in this habitat.
Red Cedar forest (#6)
Emerging out of the Red Cedar forest, I found myself on the hilly, eastern section of pasture D11 (#7). Although dry pastures like this sometimes harbor uncommon native plants, I did not observe any noteworthy native species here, either.
Dry pasture (#7)
Eventually, I found myself in the “Bobolink Field,” (#12) a hay meadow cut late in the season to give ground-nesting Bobolinks enough time to raise their young. Like in the pastures, the vegetation in this field was mostly composed of European grasses and—to a lesser extent—legumes.
Late-cut hayfield (#12) which is managed to accommodate ground-nesting birds.
Another wetland, this one dominated by shrubs and trees, including Swamp White Oak, Green Ash (many dying), and Red Maples, borders the “Bobolink Field” on the east. Native shrubs, such as Winterberry, Arrowwood, Silky Dogwood, and Wild Raisin, occur side-by-side with the common invasive shrubs that dominate the understory.
Wetland (#11E)
Spotted Joe-Pye-weed grew along the herbaceous edge of this wetland and also in some of the other wet meadows along the eastern edge of the farm.
Spotted Joe-Pye-weed (Eutrochium maculatum)
The “grove” (#13) is the only forest at Churchtown Dairy (at least north of County Route 12) that grows on land that seems to have never been completely cleared. It harbors some exceptionally large specimens of Hop-hornbeam trees and some beautiful White Oaks. At the north end, there are several Common Pear trees and Pignut Hickories. Although hardly an “old-growth” forest, this woodland fits our definition of an “ancient forest,” whose soils have not been homogenized by the plow. Therefore, they might have the potential to support soil life and understory plants that are slow to recolonize post-agricultural forests. However, its current understory vegetation is mostly composed of invasive species and European plants typical of nutrient-enriched barn yards. This is likely due to the recent use of this woodland as a pig pasture.
The “grove” (#13) might be an example of an ancient forest.
On the way back to the barns, I took a quick detour to this small, marshy pond (#15), which had very little open water. Cattails (tall green vegetation at the center) were growing in a wide band around the shore and were flanked by patches of Reed Canary Grass (tall tan vegetation left and right of the cattails). Closer inspection revealed several native wetland plants we had not noted in the other areas surveyed for plants at Churchtown Dairy that day. They included the regionally common: Water Purslane, Nodding Bur-marigold, and Soft Bulrush.
A small, marshy pond (#15) harboring some unique wetland plants
Transgenerational Farm is a very small market garden on approximately three leased acres adjacent to the hop yard of Arrowwood Farm. It is surrounded on three sides by forest. We were able to only visit briefly (2 hours) on 30 August 2024, and it was an overcast morning—hardly the ideal conditions to see many insects.
The following aerial photo traces the approximate route taken for the plant surveys and letters indicate locations of the habitat photos we share below.
Aerial photo of Transgenerational Farm with the approximate route taken for the botany survey in sky blue; capital letters reference locations from which the following habitat photos were taken.The core of the farm is an area of approximately one acre of mixed vegetable beds, supplemented by some greenhouses (looking west from Point A on the map)There were also some cut flower beds (looking southeast from Point B on the map)The area west of the greenhouses is home to a small flock of chickens and the vegetation is a savanna-like patchwork of mowed lawn, unmowed weeds, and widely-spaced small trees (looking north from Point C on the map)Further west are rows of berries (looking west from Point D on the map)A low fence separates the leased land from the neighboring hop yard (looking north from Point E on the map)A deer fence surrounds the leased land on the three other sides (looking west from Point F on the map) and includes the hop yard.
The closely-mowed lawn had its share of typical European lawn weeds, such as the two species of plantains, Red and White Clover, Dandelion, two species of crabgrass, and the usual set of European cold season grasses (Timothy, Tall Fescue, Kenntucky Bluegrass, and Smooth Brome Grass). However, it also had the native Common Blue Violet and Indian-tobacco, in addition to many of the native and non-native weeds also found in the tilled beds. I was surprised that in some areas, the most abundant grass (at least late in the summer) seemed to be the native Nimblewill Muhly (Muhlenbergia schreberi).
Closely-mowed lawn
The weeds in the tilled beds were the usual cohort of familiar annual warm-season weeds (Common Ragweed, Horseweed, Lamb’s-quarters, pigweeds, crabgrasses, foxtails, etc.), at least 25 different species in total.
Tilled beds
I did meet one new weed, which I had not seen on any other farm before: Clammy Glandular-goosefoot (Dysphania pumilio; since then also seen at the Hudson Valley Seed Company). Originally from Australia, it is suspected to have been introduced to North America as a contaminant in sheep’s wool and seems to have spread throughout southern New England and obviously into the southern Hudson Valley. It is also documented from a few isolated counties in other parts of New York.
Clammy Glandular-goosefoot (Dysphania pumilio)
Near one of the sheds, I spotted another (to me) unfamiliar weed, which I was able to key out as Urban Goosefoot (Chenopodium urbicum). Originally from Europe, it reportedly has established itself in scattered locations throughout Eastern North America and the Midwest. However, I have never noticed it in the Hudson Valley before.
Urban Goosefoot (Chenopodium urbicum)
Finally, the third new weed was Indian Strawberry (Potentilla indica). It grew under the blueberry bushes and its watery berry tasted of absolutely nothing! This species, which was introduced from India, still seems to be quite rare in our region, but is a common weed further south.
Indian Strawberry (Potentilla indica)
Two nightshades were growing as weeds near the compost pile, probably both wild-growing plants of cultivars. I suspect the one on the left with the larger flowers and rather smooth leaves to be a variety of tomatillo (possibly Physalis philadelphicus or P. ixocarpa). The one on the right, with the smaller flowers and hairy leaves is probably a variety of ground cherry (possibly Physalis peruviana). I don’t usually see these species growing in the wild, so don’t feel completely confident with their identification. If anybody has any alternative suggestions, I’d be happy to hear them!
Tomatillo (possibly Physalis philadelphicus or P. ixocarpa; left) and ground cherry (possibly Physalis peruviana; right)
Finally, let’s have a closer look at the unmowed herbaceous vegetation along the deer fences and the adjacent band of shrubs at the edge of the forest (this image shows the southeast corner of the deer fence). Along the fences, we have some of the usual edge suspects, such as the invasive Tree-of-Heaven, Multiflora Rose, and Oriental Bittersweet.
Vegetation along the perimeter deer fencein the southeast corner
However, along the south fence, we also spotted a small group of the native Early Goldenrod (Solidago juncea) growing out of some pallets. While not exactly a rare species, this goldenrod is not common, either. It does not compete well with the four rhizome-forming old field goldenrods that are generally very common in our landscape (though not at Transgenerational Farm). Note how the Early Goldenrod in the image is surrounded by the invasive Japanese Stiltgrass and adjacent to a patch of the almost ubiquitous invasive Mugwort.
Mugwort, Early Goldenrod, and Japanese Stiltgrass
Possibly the most common native wildflower along the south fence was the light-blue flowering Heart-leaved Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium). It can be recognized by its large, heart-shaped stem leaves with sharply serrated margins. However, note the tiny leaves on the flowering branches!
Heart-leaved Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium)
There were also a few plant of the native white-flowering Lance-leaved Aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum).
Lance-leaved Aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum)
The shrub layer along the forest edge certainly had its share of invasive species. Pictured here from left to right are Autumn Olive, Privet, and Multiflora Rose, but we also observed quite a few Japanese Barberry and Eurasian shrub honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii or L. bella).
Shrubs along the deer fence on the northern boundary line
However, native shrubs and young trees from native species in the adjacent forest were also common along the edge, and we observed Staghorn Sumac, Sassafras, Black Walnut, American Elm, Sugar Maple, Red and Black Oak, Black Cherry, Hackberry, Red Cedar, White Pine, and even Hemlock. In fact, this was the only one of the nine farms visited this season, where we observed Hemlock.
Shrubs and trees along the deer fence on the northern boundary
Not surprising, given the very small size of Transgenerational Farm, we observed the least overall number of plant species here compared to the other eight farms we visited this season. Much of the native plant diversity we did observe occurred in the narrow, unmowed herbaceous and shrubby vegetation along the deer fence and in the adjacent forest.
Some Insect Notes.
by Conrad.
It was spitting rain on the 30th of August when we visited Transgenerational Farm. Neither the lateness of our visit nor the weather were propitious for seeing abundant butterfly life and, in fact, we only noted a quartet of butterflies – Pearl Crescent, Eastern Tailed-blue, Least Skipper, and Monarch. Nonetheless, the abundant ‘edge habitat’ that Claudia noted early makes me think that a sunny July visit would have resulted in substantially more sightings. And, besides, butterflies aren’t the only game in town…
Pearl Crescents can be one of our most common and long-flying butterflies.
In our own regional surveys, we have records from 21 April to 7 October (and they probably fly earlier and later, but we’re just not out surveying butterflies!). That doesn’t mean that there’s a constant Pearl Crescent spigot, instead there appear to be multiple broods, i.e., distinct batches who appear across the season. As I alluded to in an earlier post, Crescent taxonomy seems to be something of a mess, and multiple, sometimes overlapping, generations raise the possibility of ‘cryptic species’ – previously undetected species who, because of high similarity (at least in our eyes) to named species, go unnoticed. The Northern Crescent, a very similar looking butterfly, also seems to occur regionally. We also used to have a third species of Crescent – the Tawny Crescent, but that species has apparently nearly disappeared from the Northeast. Mind you, post a Crecent photo on iNaturalist, and few people are willing to go out on a limb and provide a species ID, plus genetics papers have detected some evidence of interbreeding, so who know what’s happening! (A paper published just this year, does suggest that these three species are more or less distinct, at least in the West.) Who thought such a ‘simple’, common butterfly could be so confusing?
Note the rain water… Alright, this butterfly has shown up in many of our previous blogs, so it’s time for a quiz – who is this little nipper?The blue iridescence of an Eastern Tailed-blue.
The Eastern Tailed-blue is another common butterfly, but why the tail? That little wisp looks like something of an afterthought and it’s hard to imagine its potential function, at least from this angle. But think of what it looks like with the wings closed…
An Eastern Tailed-blue (affectionately, we call these ETBs) with its wings closed. This is a photo from another farm, but it shows the species’ side view well.
If you were a bird dashing by in search of meal, mightn’t you sometimes mistake that tail and associated wing dots for eyes and antennae? Maybe you only make that mistake once in four times, but, from the perspective of the species, that’s a huge plus and pretty strong evolutionary selection. Indeed, not infrequently we see tailed butterflies whose tails have been replaced by beak-shaped gaps.
A dashing male Monarch.Feeling as if you’re seeing fewer Monarchs? Here’s a butterfly abundance chart from webutterfly.org, this is for Monarchs in NY (webutterfly.org reports the nationwide 4th of July butterfly counts organized by the North American Butterfly Association). Don’t worry about the small print. Each column is a year, abundance is on the vertical axis, and the time span is 1990 to 2022. It almost looks as if Monarch populations might be somewhat cyclical, but it will be interesting to see what the 2023 and 2024 data look like, not to mention what happens next year. We saw a few this year, but it didn’t feel like as many as in some previous years.Switching to bees… Honey Bees were out and about. I like this photo, taken on Knapweed, because it shows the hairy eyeballs of Honey Bees. Study a pollen-covered Honey Bee, and you’re likely to see that its vision is probably a little clouded by pollen sticking to its eye hairs.
Honey Bees are not native, they were brought from Eastern/Southern Europe by early European settlers because of their honey-making talents. (I do wonder how many sea-sick colonies survived the trans-Atlantic voyage; presumably the voyage would be made during Winter, using a hive stocked with Honey.) However, aside from honey, Honey Bees have another advantage – at least in part because of their honey-making and social skills, they can ‘get up early’ in the Spring and start pollinating while conditions are still relatively cold. Some native bees, such as bumble bees, mining bees, and mason bees, also get going early, and, in healthy ecosystems, they can usually handle the pollination demands of early fruit flowers, but Honey Bees are sometimes considered a safety net for Spring pollination. Aside from Spring, Honey Bees are usually pretty dogged in foraging during cool and rainy weather, as these images suggest. Unfortunately for the native bees, there’s some evidence that high Honey Bee populations can hamper native bee foraging.
Those Sunflowers certainly provide an appealing bull’s eye.Here, another Honey Bee is checking out the target.Another Sunflower fan, but this time probably a native mining bee.With their fuzzy thoraxes (the body part the wings attach to), carpenter bees can look a lot like large bumble bees, but their shiny abdomens (tail ends) distinguish them; bumble bees usually have fuzzy derrieres. This wasp (a Four-toothed Mason Wasp) looks a bit daunting, but it’s generally mild-mannered and solitary (i.e., you won’t need to face a swarm of them).
While adult Four-toothed Mason Wasps primarily feed on nectar and, perhaps, pollen, they prepare their young for the World by supplying the burrow-nursery of each cossetted egg with a live, but paralyzed caterpillar. When the egg hatches, the larva devours the caterpillar. Given that those caterpillars can sometimes be agricultural pests, such wasps have generally been classed as beneficials. Clearly, agronomists, not moths, are making that call.These elegant wasps, Blue-winged Scoliids, were very common during our visit. Indeed, whether it was season, weather, and/or ecological ambience, Transgenerational was where I saw the most of them.
Blue-winged Scoliid Wasps follow a slightly modified version of the Four-toothed Mason Wasp’s game plan. Like the previous wasp, the adults feed on nectar and pollen, hence the first image of them on flowers. But their time on the ground, as in the above photo, is spent looking for beetle grubs, specifically those of Japanese Rose Beetle and the Green June Bug. Once found, the grub is again paralyzed and an egg is laid upon it. On hatching the wasp larvae feeds on the adjacent grub. Again, since white grubs and Rose Beetles in particular are often considered pests, seeing a bunch of these likewise mild-mannered solitary wasps is an indication that biocontrol is in action.
A ground beetle (probably an Anisodactylus of some flavor). In the photo above, this beetle appears to be feeding on the pollen of Common Ragweed.
Many of our so-called “beneficials” are generalists. Spiders, for example, will seemingly eat a bee or prey mantis (both considered “beneficials” in their own right) with as much gusto as they will consume some hapless, pestiferous herbivore. Likewise, many of our ground beetles will happily eat seeds and/or pollen of an array of plants, whether those happen to be your crops or your weeds. Life is complicated and the net effects of these creatures on production will depend on your particular agroecosystem. Certainly, some generalization are possible, but nothing can completely substitute for keeping an eye out for the creatures you see in action in your own fields.
On 6 September 2024, we spent ~ 4.5 hours documenting the wild-growing plants of a cross-section of habitats at the new site of the Hudson Valley Seed Company on Airport Road in Accord. The following image highlights the approximate route taken and numbers observation points we will refer to throughout the blog.
We began our survey along the west and north edges (#1 & #2) of a large tilled field. We found the usual field edge/hedgerow mix of common native and non-native plants. Half of the 20 invasive species recorded on the property were also represented in this area: Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), Eurasian shrub honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii or L. bella), autumn-olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii), privet (Ligustrum sp.), Winged Burningbush (Euonymus alatus), Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), and Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense).
Hedgerow and unmowed field along northern boundary (#2 on map)
We also found an abundance of the native (but sometimes over-enthusiastic) spiny vine, Common Greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia). Its fruits ripen in the autumn and somewhat resemble grapes, and some people consider them edible (I have never tried them). However, there are amply references on the internet of people eating the tender shoots in spring, and also using the dried roots to make a starchy powder used in a variety of ways.
Common Greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia)
These fuzzy little seed heads belong to another native vine, Virgin’s Bower (Clematis virginiana). It is related to buttercups and, like many plants in that family, has secondary compounds that are poisonous/medicinal (depending on dosage).
Virgin’s Bower (Clematis virginiana)
Several tall Bitternut Hickory (Carya cordiformis) trees could easily be identified by their thin-husked fruit with four “seams.” The related Shagbark Hickory (C. ovata) has a much thicker husk and Pignut Hickory (C. glabra) does not have the pronounced “seams.”
Bitternut Hickory (Carya cordiformis)
Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) was also present in the field margin (#3) and down near the stream. In the southern field margin (#8a), we also found Butternut (Juglans cinerea). These two, closely-related native species of walnuts are easily distinguished when fruits are present: the fruits of Black Walnut are almost round, while those of Butternut are more elongated (think of a stick of butter!).
Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
At the west end of the big field, we found an unmowed meadow sloping down to the stream. The dry part of this meadow (#4) was dominated by two invasive species, Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) and Brown Knapweed (Centaurea jacea; purple, thistle-like flowers visible on the bottom right in the image).
Unmowed meadow (#4 on map) on west end of farm, above stream
However, there was also a nice clump of the Fragrant Rabbit-tobacco (Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium), as well as a smattering of other native species, including Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) and one of the common oldfield asters, possibly Pringle’s Aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pringlei).
On the dry slope leading down to the stream, we also discovered a turtle egg that had been dug out of its underground nest and been preyed upon. We don’t know which turtle species had made the nest here, but the stream and adjacent floodplain forest might be home to the rare Wood Turtle.
Remnants of a turtle egg that had been preyed upon
Further down the slope and closer to the stream, the vegetation was taller and indicative of a wet meadow (#5), including Broad-leaved Cattail (Typha latifolia), Woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus), and Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima). There were also large patches of the invasive Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris),visible in the foreground of this image.
Wet meadow (#5 on map) near stream
The stream had small gravel bars with a mix of native and non-native plants, including Japanese Knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), visible in the background of this image.
Stream with gravel bars
This wetland (#7), which had a mosaic of shrub swamp and wet meadow, was a bit difficult to move through, but harbored some botanical treats, including many plants of Rough-leaved Goldenrod (Solidago patula), visible in the foreground, one of our less-common goldenrods, which seems to be a good indicator for calcium-rich wetlands.
Wetland (#7 on map)
We also stumbled across the Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) in full bloom. The leaves of this species are the preferred caterpillar food of Baltimore Checkerspot butterflies.
Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)
Another exciting find in the wetland was this Groundnut (Apios americana) with fruits. While we occasionally see flowers of this uncommon wetland plant in the Hudson Valley (see blog about the plants at Rose Hill Farm posted on 17 November 2024) it seems to rarely produce seeds in our region. According to Wikipedia, this species has diploid and triploid plants, with seemingly no big difference in their appearance. Only diploid plants (which tend to be more common south of our region) can produce viable seeds, while triploid plants (more common in our region and north of here) rely on vegetative reproduction.
The potato-like tubers of Groundnut are edible and have a long history of use (and likely cultivation) by native Americans.
Groundnut (Apios americana)
This is a more shrubby part of the wetland with a Common Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) in the foreground.
Common Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
Quite common among the shrubs was Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron vernix), which is an upright-growing plant closely related to Poison Ivy (T. radicans) and has the same rash-inducing urushiol resin. In contrast to our other sumacs (Rhus spp.), which have red berries, the berries of Poison Sumac are white like those of Poison Ivy.
Like the Rough-leaved Goldenrod mentioned earlier, Poison Sumac is considered a good indicator for calcium-rich wetlands.
Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron vernix)
The northern edge of the wetland supported patches of Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum), seen here as yellowish clumps, mixed with a tall, rhizomatous (non-clumping!) native sedge, Lake Sedge (Carex lacustris), and the ubiquitous, invasive Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria).
Northern edge of wetland (#7 on map)
The edge between the upland forest (#8) and the wetland (#7) is not a straight line. In this picture, a “finger” of low ground with wetland vegetation reaches between two areas of upland forest on higher ground.
Edge between the upland forest (#8 on map) and the wetland (#7 on map)
In the edge to the field (#8a) we found the before-mentioned Butternut tree.
Field edge (# 8a on map)
This field edge also had a small patch of an interesting native plant not seen anywhere else at the Hudson Valley Seed Company, nor at any of the other farms we have surveyed this summer. Flat-topped White Aster (Doellingeria umbellata) is a northern species, common in the Adirondacks and in northern New England, but we rarely see it in the Hudson Valley south of Troy.
Flat-topped White Aster (Doellingeria umbellata)
Near the buildings (#9), we noticed a small “island” of native plants in the vegetation that was otherwise dominated by common European plants.
Small “island” of native plants near buildings (#9 on map)
Early Goldenrod (Solidago juncea), Gray Goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis), and Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) might have been seeded here or might have come in on their own. These three species often are found growing together on dry soil.
Early Goldenrod (Solidago juncea), Gray Goldenrod (S. nemoralis), and Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Yellow and Giant Foxtail (Setaria pumila and S. faberi) were very common in the recently disturbed soil around the new building. Yellow Foxtail has upright, yellow-brown spikes of seeds; Giant Foxtail has light green, nodding spikes.
Yellow and Giant Foxtail (Setaria pumila and S. faberi)The seed production garden (# 10) of the Hudson Valley Seed Company.
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca; big leaves in picture below) and Indian-hemp (Apocynum cannabinum; small leaves in picture below) were two native plants growing between the cultivated rows (#10). They both belong to the same plant family and have white latex. Both produce flowers that are visited by many pollinators.
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and Indian-hemp (Apocynum cannabinum)
The strip of meadow along the north edge of the driveway (#11) had a lot of the native warm-season grass Purple-top (Tridens flavus), while the large hayfield (#13) beyond was dominated by the European cold-season grass Orchard Grass (Dactylis glomerata).
Meadows of different plant composition north of the driveway (#11 and #13 on the map)
It was nice to see that the Orchard Grass-dominated meadow (#13) had some Common Milkweed mixed in. The fields A, B, and C were all recently-tilled and bare ground during our visit. Field D was an unmowed old field dominated by goldenrods, interspersed by Purple Loosestrife.
Plenty of Common Milkweed was found in one of the meadows (#13 on the map)
This blog shares some of the botanical observations made at Rose Hill Farm on 23 August 2024 during a 4 hour survey along the route indicated in sky blue in the aerial image below. The numbers indicate locations referenced throughout this blog posting. (Note that we shared habitat images from Rose Hill Farm in a blog posted 21 June 2024; Conrad posted about insects on 12 July 2024 and Will about birds on 16 November 2024.
Route of botanical survey on 23 August 2024
I started my walk-around from the parking area along the driveway back towards the entry gate.
Entry ally to Rose Hill Farm with a weeping willow (Salix cf. babylonica x alba) and Red and Sugar Maples (Acer rubrum and A. saccharum) beyond (seen from #1).
Along the driveway is a shrubland that contains both Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima; left on both images below) and Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina; right on both images below). Both have pinnate, “feather-like” leaves, composed of a midrib with leaflets arranged opposite each other along both sides. However, the margin of the leaflets is toothed like a saw blade in the Sumac, while the margin of the Tree-of-Heaven leaflets is almost smooth, with just a couple of blunt teeth at the very base. Furthermore, the two species have very different smells: the Sumac has a (to me) very agreeable, aromatic, resinous smell, while the smell of Tree-of-Heaven reminds many people of rancid peanut butter.
Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima; left on both images) and Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina; right on both images)
South of the driveway is a small wet meadow (#2) that supports a diverse plant community, composed of native and non-native species, such as Smooth Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea; yellow flowers) and Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria; deep pink flowers), respectively. I quickly tallied a total of 40 (!) species in this very small meadow.
Species-rich wet meadow south of the driveway (#2)
Just west of this wet meadow, I found a very small patch of forest on and surrounding a rock outcrop (#3). At the forest edge, there were several individuals of two native shrub species not seen anywhere else during my survey at Rose Hill (or any of the other eight farms surveyed this summer). This image shows Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), which has pinnate leaves and thorny branches. Prickly Ash is one of the host plants for the caterpillars of Giant Swallowtail butterflies. Conrad shared a picture of a Giant Swallowtail he had seen at Rose Hill in his blog from 12 July 2024, but we don’t know yet, if they are actually successfully reproducing here or if an occasional individual flies in from further south.
Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum americanum; #3)
Bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia), which grew right next to the Prickly Ash, has leaves composed of three leaflets (similar to clovers) and unique, three-chambered, bladder-like fruits. Both of these species tend to occur in calcium-rich soils.
Bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia; #3)
I am no geologist, but the outcrop (#3) might well be some sort of limestone or related rock that is rich in calcium.
Suspected limestone (or other calcium-rich rock) outcrop (#3)
False Solomon’s-seal (Maianthemum racemosum) also grew at the base of the rock, which was surrounded by large trees, including Sugar Maple, American Basswood, Red Oak, and American Elm.
False Solomon’s-seal (Maianthemum racemosum; #3)
I found a very different, much younger forest north of the wood chip piles (#7). It still had the remnants of Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana), which are early-successional trees that often grow on abandoned farm fields or pastures. As the historical aerial photo in Conrad’s blog from 12 July 2024 shows, this area used to be orchard 80 years ago.
Red Cedars tend to die naturally as they get shaded out by taller trees. However, the Red Cedars in this forest might have been intentionally cut, presumably to avoid serving as hosts for the Cedar-Apple Rust (Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae), a fungal pathogen of apples, that needs two hosts to complete its life cycle, a Red Cedar and an apple or hawthorn.
Fallen or felled Red Cedar in young forest (#7)
Lower down in the forest along a small stream, ferns such as Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis; bottom right in the image) and Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum; center of image) grew lush in the moist soil.
Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis) and Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum) in young forest (#7) by stream
Back up along the forest edge (# 6), Virgin’s-bower (Clematis virginiana), which is a native vine whose stems are not woody and die back each winter, were in full bloom.
Virgin’s-bower (Clematis virginiana; #6)
The pond by the farm house (#8) had a narrow band of unmowed vegetation, which harbored some native plant species not seen anywhere else on the farm during our survey.
Pond (#8) with narrow band of unmowed vegetation
During my walk around Rose Hill Farm, I noticed New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) only at the shore of this pond. It was visited by a native bee.
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae; #8)
The damselflies were mating and laying their eggs in the pond. These little guys greatly benefit from the emergent vegetation which provides perches. They also benefit from aquatic vegetation in the pond, because it provides habitat for their aquatic larvae. Aquatic vegetation is especially important for dragonfly and damselfly larvae, when predatory fish or amphibians also live in the pond.
Mating damselflies (#8)
A big patch of the invasive Common Reed (Phragmites australis) grew in a swale (#9) draining into the pond.
Common Reed (Phragmites australis) in a swale (#9)
Another swale (#10) near the solar panels had unmowed wet meadow vegetation composed of many native species, including Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum; white flowers) and Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis; orange flowers), which were buzzing with insects.
Unmowed wet meadow in swale (#10)
The upper end of the same swale (#10) had a more diverse plant community, including native cattails (Typha sp.), Early Goldenrod (Solidago juncea), Awl Aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pilosum), and Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta).
Upper part of wet meadow in swale (#10)
Near the fenceline, I encountered a shrub thicket (#11) with two different species of willow, Heart-leaved Willow (Salix eriocephala; left) and Bebb’s Willow (Salix bebbiana; right). Both of these willows have catkins that serve as important early season pollen sources for bees.
Heart-leaved Willow (Salix eriocephala; left) and Bebb’s Willow (Salix bebbiana; right) in shrub swamp (#11)
The thicket also had a Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum), with its metallic-blue fruits displayed on reddish branches.
Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum; #11)
Circling back towards the buildings, I passed by a dry hillside which had been left unmowed (#12). The vegetation was a mix of common native species, including several goldenrods (Smooth, Tall, and Early) and Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), with non-native species, including Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea jacea) and Wild Carrot (Daucus carota).
Unmowed dry hillside (#12)with a mix of common native and non-native wildflowers
Another unmowed, dry slope east of the parking lot (#15) had several less common native plants, including Purpletop (Tridens flavus), Purple Love Grass (Eragrostis spectabilis), and Whorled Milkwort (Polygala verticillata). I did not see any of these species anywhere else at Rose Hill Farm.
Another unmowed dry hillside (#15)with some unusual native plant species
The shore of the pond (# 16) south of the driveway had a broad band of unmowed, diverse vegetation including the uncommon native Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris), which we didn’t observe anywhere else on Rose Hill or at any of the other farms surveyed this season. Note also some “blonde” clumps of the native warm-season grass Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), usually found in dry soils.
Band of unmowed shoreline of a pond (#16)
Along the south fence, south of the Blueberries, I was excited to find a beautiful and diverse wet meadow (# 18). Here, you see the native Spotted Joe-Pye-weed (Eutrochium maculatum; light pink) mix with the invasive Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria; dark pink). However, a closer look revealed many less conspicuous native wetland plants that we did not see anywhere else at Rose Hill. For example, Conrad included images of Yellow Stargrass (Hypoxis hirsuta) and Square-stemmed Monkeyflower (Mimulus ringens) from this wet meadow in his insect post on 12 July 2024
Diverse, unmowed wet meadow (# 18)
Another plant unique to this area was Groundnut (Apios americana), a native vine in the pea family which is occasionally found in wet, open areas. It has pinnate leaves with five leaflets and dense conical clusters of pea-shaped flowers of a very unusual, pink/purple/red-brown color. Most plants of this species in our region never produce fruits (but see our blog on the Hudson Valley Seed Company for an exception and explanation). The tubers of this species are edible and Native Americans seem to have sometimes cultivated Groundnut.
Groundnut (Apios americana; #18)
Another was Virginia Mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum), which is an uncommon native mint much visited by a large variety of pollinators.
Virginia Mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum; #18)
Finally, New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) was also unique to this wet meadow. It is a member of the aster family, which seems to be more common further south in the Hudson Valley and is rarely found growing wild in our region.
New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis; #18)
East of the Blueberries was another dry slope (# 19) with unmowed vegetation. It was fun to see how each of these unmowed slopes supported a slightly different vegetation. This one had a lot of Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Early Goldenrod (Solidago juncea), but also a variety of other native and non-native plant species.
Another example of an unmowed dry slope (#19) with its own unique plant composition
The apples nearby (# 20) were getting ripe and the unmowed strips of vegetation in the tree rows were still alive with flowers, here mostly Wild Carrot (Daucus carota).
Unmowed and flower-rich strips of vegetation within the rows of orchard trees(#20)
Finally, another unmowed slope with plenty of native goldenrods and European weeds in bloom, next to a field of seeded Sunflowers. With several large areas throughout the orchard left unmowed and some annual flower plantings, floral resources for pollinators (the Honey Bees kept on site, as well as wild native bees), as well as other insects, should be available throughout the season. And Will reminds us in his post on the birds of Rose Hill Farm (16 November 2024) just how important these scruffy-looking, “feral” areas throughout the farm are for our feathered friends.
A last example of a flower-rich, unmowed dry slope (#21)
Yellow Foxtail and a vetch mix in a Carpenter Road field.
These Hawthorne Valley Farm-managed fields are comprised of hay field, pasture and ploughed ground and are leased from three nonfarmer land owners. They are interspersed with a few hedgerows and wood patches. The parcels are located along Carpenter Road, just north of Philmont, Columbia County. The eastern property belongs to Arthur’s Point Farm, a native plant nursery with ongoing reforestation/orchard establishment on some of its fields. The western property has a small apple orchard managed by the owner, but that was outside of our survey area.
A 2021 image of the fields surveyed. The lettered squares refer to the sites of the landscape photographs shown below.A 1948 aerial of the same area. Other than the pond and the southwest forest block, little has changed.Looking north-northeast from near point A. The far hill (where Black Swallowtails were later observed hilltopping) has been planted with tree-tube-protected young trees by the landowner.Looking ca. due west from point B.Looking west-southwest from point C.Looking more or less west from point D. Carpenter Road is just out of view to the right.
As we did in our Harrier Fields post, this one is a multi-organismal extravaganza, what follows is Claudia describing plants, Conrad describing mainly butterflies, and Will describing birds. You can use the below anchor points to navigate to your favorite section:
The botanical survey only included agricultural areas managed by Hawthorne Valley Farm and some adjacent non-agricultural habitats. The following map shows the approximate routes walked during the survey. Numbers indicate points/areas where botanical observations were made. I will refer to them throughout this blog.
Most of the field north of the entrance of Eagle Rock Road (#1 on the map) was dominated by Yellow Foxtail, an annual, warm-season grass originally from Europe, which seemed to be doing particularly well on tilled ground on several farms we visited this year. The area of greener, lower vegetation visible here is a wet spot in the field (#2), which supports sedges and Sensitive Fern. The yellow strip of vegetation along the edge of the field (#3) is a wet meadow that is fenced off and does not get tilled.
Field north of entrance to Eagle Rock Road (#1, 2, 3 on map)
These delightful flowers of an unusual color belong to an uncommon European annual with a fun name: Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), which is also referred to as “Poor-man’s Weatherglass,” because it supposedly closes its flowers when the sky becomes cloudy, “Red Chickweed,” for obvious reasons, or “Poison Chickweed,” because it contains toxins. We find this small plant occasionally along roadsides and in tilled fields (#1), but in our region, it never seems to become common enough to consider it a serious agricultural weed.
Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)
Another uncommon European weed spotted in the same field (#1) is Flower-of-an-hour (Hibiscus trionum), which has a flower of typical Hibiscus-shape, but unusual color combination.
Flower-of-an-hour (Hibiscus trionum)
The unmowed wet meadow at the field edge (#3) was composed of mostly native wildflowers, including four kinds of goldenrods, Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata), Pilewort (Erechtites hieraciifolius), Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), Spotted Joe-Pye-weed (Eutrochium maculatum). It also harbored some invasive species, such as Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) and Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense), which is a European species that might better be referred to as “Creeping Thistle,” to avoid the common misconception that this species is native to this continent.
Wet meadow (#3)
The pastures and hayfields (#11) appeared mostly green from a distance.
Pasture/hayfield (#11)
Looking closer, they were composed of quite a variety of plant species: European cold-season grasses mixed with European clovers: White Clover (Trifolium repens), Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), and Bird’s-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). One can also see the European Common Bedstraw or “Wild Madder” (Galium mollugo) and Wild Carrot (Daucus carota), as well as the ubiquitous Yellow Foxtail (Setaria pumila).
Two native species that were quite common in these perennial pastures/hayfields, were Horse-nettle (Solanum carolinense) and Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca).
A closer look at the plant community of a perennial pasture/hayfield (#11)
This shrub swamp (#18) is part of a small wetland complex that also includes an ancient swamp forest (#15), which seems to have never been completely cleared for agriculture. The center of the shrub swamp is dominated by the native Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), which tolerates year-round “wet feet.” Some of the edges of the shrub swamp are dominated by the invasive Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea; seen in the foreground).
Buttonbush shrub swamp (#18)
A closer look at the Buttonbush reveals its tell-tale spherical seed heads. In mid summer, each of these spheres was covered with small, white, tubular flowers that are very attractive to a variety of pollinators.
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
This curious-looking vine is Burr-cucumber (Sicyos angulatus), a native member of the cucurbit family.
Burr-cucumber (Sicyos angulatus)
It was enthusiastically growing on Eurasian honeysuckle shrubs (Lonicera morrowii or. L. bella) around the edge of the Buttonbush swamp. This is one of the North American species considered invasive in parts of Europa and Asia.
Edge of buttonbush shrub swamp (#18)
There were several unmowed, herbaceous field edges (e.g., this east edge of #19), which support a vegetation composed of typical pasture/hayfield plants and native species, such as asters and goldenrods, which don’t tolerate mowing/grazing very well. These margins serve as sanctuaries for insects, as pantry for seed-eating birds, and provide shelter for all sorts of wildlife.
Unmowed field edge (#19)
A small rocky knoll (#20) drew my attention because of its potential for unique plants.
Rocky knoll (#20)
On the rocks themselves I found a number of mosses and lichens not seen elsewhere on the Carpenter Road Farmland (but not uncommon in the larger region). There was also a small patch of Ebony Spleenwort (Aspleniumplatyneuron) a native fern tolerant of dry conditions. The plants in the foreground are Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea jacea), a European meadow species with thistle-like flowers that often invades dry pastures in our area.
Some of the plants, including the fern Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron) on the rock outcrop.
While an interesting scenic feature, the rock outcrop and surrounding dry pasture proved to be not as botanically-rich as hoped. One reason might be that this area has the only shade trees in this pasture, which might result in heavy use and associated trampling of the vegetation by grazing animals. (A snag on the knoll did seem to be a nesting site for American Kestrels.)
View west from the rock outcrop and shade trees (#20) across a hayfield (#21)
In contrast, the unmowed shore of this nearby pond was one of the few places on the land where native wetland plants abounded. These included two species of cat-tails (Typha latifolia and T. angustifolia), several species of sedges (Carex spp.) and bulrushes (Scirpus spp.), a nutsedge (Cyperus sp.) and a spikerush (Eleocharis cf. obtusa).
Pond (#23) with unmowed shoreline and a diverse plant community
The tall vegetation next to the pond also supported the elaborate nets (with their characteristic zig-zag pattern) of several large Garden Spiders (Argiope aurantia).
Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia)
The pond itself had some patches of floating duckweeds, which are often mistaken for algae. Instead, they are miniscule plants (which actually have microscopic flowers that grow directly on the floating leaves). This floating carpet seemed to be composed of at least three different species: the largest leaves belong to Common Duckmeal (Spirodela polyrhiza), the medium-sized ones to Common Duckweed (Lemna minor), and the really tiny ones to one or several species of watermeal (Wolffia spp.).
Several species of duckweeds floating in the pond (#23)
On an old compost pile near the silos south of the pond (#24), I discovered a big patch of the invasive Japanese Hops (Lupulus japonicas).
Japanese Hops (Lupulus japonicas)
On the south side of Carpenter Road, there are three big fields (#27-29) with different plant compositions.
Three fields south of Carpenter Road (#27-29)
The unmowed, untilled field margin between #27 and #28 harbored a mix of native and non-native plants, including some tall thistles.
Unmowed, untilled field margin between fields #27 and #28
Closer inspection helped identify them as the native Field Thistle (Cirsium discolor), identifiable by their large flower heads and the characteristic white stripes on their spiny bracts (the otherwise green, little leaves that surround the flower head in a tile-like arrangement).
Field Thistle (Cirsium discolor)
The tilled field (#28) had a cover crop of Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) and an abundance of annual agricultural weeds, including the native Common Yellow Nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus; in the foreground) and three species of introduced foxtails (Setaria spp.).
A field (#28) with a cover crop of Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum)
Three seed heads of foxtails growing side-by-side in the Buckwheat cover crop: Green, Giant, and Yellow Foxtail (Setaria viridis, S. faberi, and S. pumila; from bottom to top, respectively).
Green, Giant, and Yellow Foxtail (Setaria viridis, S. faberi, and S. pumila; from bottom to top, respectively)
Another pond (#32) also supported a diverse wetland vegetation along its unmowed margins.
Another pond (#32) with diverse wetland vegetation
American Bur-reed (Sparganium americanum) was one of ten native species not noticed anywhere else during this inventory.
American Bur-reed (Sparganium americanum)
The herbaceous/shrubby field margin (south edge of #29) harbored a mix of invasive (note the ample Japanese Stiltgrass, Microstegium vimineum, in the bottom left corner of the image), native (Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, and goldenrods, Solidago spp.), and European (Wild Carrot, Daucus carota) species. The structural diversity of such “soft edges” attracts certain songbirds and the diversity of plant species provides floral resources for pollinators.
Herbaceous/shrubby field margin (south edge of #29)
Finally, a wet meadow (#37) along a small stream was exceptional in its density of native, late-summer flowers, including those of several species of goldenrods, Spotted Joe-Pye-weed (Eutrochium maculatum), Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), and Purple-stemmed Aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum). The latter was not seen anywhere else during this survey.
It was a generally warm and sunny 27th of August when I made my way around the Carpenter Road fields. I more or less followed the route shown below, winding through the open farm fields.
My approximate path chasing butterflies on 27 Aug.For much of my outing, I encountered the standard set of farm-field butterflies, such as this Clouded Sulphur.While this looks a lot like a Clouded Sulphur, note the slightly more orangish tinge.When it takes to the wing, that egg-yolk orange becomes strikingly more apparent.Orange Sulphurs are considered dietary “Switchers” (a term coined by Boston butterflier, Sharon Stichter). That means that, while they are a native butterfly and their caterpillars doubtless can feed on native legumes, they’ve been able to add widespread non-native legumes, such as Alfalfa, to their diets. Life doesn’t stand still!Another example, although not a butterfly I saw on this day, is the Wild Indigo Duskywing – its original food was Wild Indigo (when was the last time you saw that plant?), but it has grown to like Crown Vetch, and so is a regular in our landscape.A male Eastern Tailed-blue, top, and a female, bottom. Females are grey; males are blue.These are widespread little butterflies who feed on a range of legumes.Another of our more common butterflies (as you’ll know if you have been following our earlier posts!): the Least Skipper.A fresh looking male Monarch.This Monarch caterpillar was probably getting close to pupating. For me, the easiest way to find a caterpillar on milkweed is by looking for the frass (aka caterpillar poop). Those are the little brown pellets visible on the leaf below the caterpillar. Notice that even in late August, this caterpillar had been able to find a moderately young milkweed plant (those leave still look nice and fresh). This emphasizes a point made in an earlier post – having a range of milkweed ages on a farm is probably your best bet for supporting Monarchs, especially if you try to make sure that there’s a good stock of youngish plants come mid-Summer, when Monarchs generally seem to be most common in our neighborhood (see below).This graph shows the average number of Monarchs we have seen during butterfly surveys here in Columbia County and nearby areas. It’s a ‘napkin’ sketch, in that I didn’t try to correct for survey length, etc., but it does show that we don’t really have a Monarch turn out until July, so making sure they have fresh milkweed available then could be good. Milkweed will usually resprout if clipped, and so cutting back portions of a May or early June milkweed patch could result in nice, tender shoot for those late Summer arrivals. (The October peak shown above may well reflect passing migrants.)The Silver-spotted Skipper is relatively big and common, ergo one of the most frequently seen of our skippers.A Great Spangled Fritillary. This was not a particularly good year for this species, and we only saw them occasionally.We did, however, see relatively large numbers of their southern kin (more to come below).Not a great shot, but it does document the presence of Pearl Crescent. Some people think this “species” might actually contain two or more cryptic species.A red meadowhawk. Yes, I know, that’s not a species, but if I said it were a White-faced Meadowhawk or a Ruby Meadowhawk, then I would be whistling in the wind.As I was writing this blog post on 13 November at the nearby Hawthorne Valley home farm, this individual flew in. Air temperature was at or below 40F, albeit with a clear sun. This is likely a male Yellow-legged (aka Autumn) Meadowhawk, a relative of the above species, and just serves to indicate the fortitude of some of these late-season species. I can imagine he was finding rather slim pickings in terms of other flying insects to eat.A male Black Swallowtail.
As I’ve tried to illustrate with this photograph, Black Swallowtails seem to be especially dedicated “hilltoppers”, often gathering atop hills. Perhaps this facilitates mating, a sort of innate “I’ll meet you at the top of the hill” social club.
We’ve seen the Common Buckeye in a previous post, but it’s hard to pass up this exotic-looking creature. This is primarily a southern species, only edging it way north during some years. In fact, looking at i-naturalist, our Columbia County observations mark their northernmost forays in the Hudson Valley during 2024. Although they also extended into New Hampshire and Maine this year.
Here’s another southerner who pushed north this year – the Common Checkered Skipper. Again, this is i-naturalist’s northernmost Hudson Valley sighting this year. There were apparently no New England records in 2024, however, it’s admittedly not as eye-catching as the Common Buckeye.
Another southerner and, to me, the most surprising – a Variegated Fritillary, a relative of the Great Spangled shown earlier. We only had one or two previous records from Columbia County (where Carpenter Road is located). All of those were of single individuals. And then, lo and behold, there was not just one, but several of these cavorting in a Buckwheat field.
Clearly, ‘spider web on pumpkin’ camouflage.
And even more surprising, they were mating!
It’s a blurry picture, but it is an action shot – a pair of mated Variegateds in flight. As is understandable, only one of the mated pair tries to fly while the other forms a hanging keel of sorts. As I recall, a given species is fairly consistent in terms of which sex flies and which goes along for the ride, but I don’t think it’s the same pattern holds across all species. Something to look up when I get a chance…
As we were preparing this, Will asked me why we observed so many southern butterflies this year. Aside from the species mentioned above, elsewhere in the region we or colleagues saw Giant Swallowtail, Cloudless Sulphur, Fiery Skipper, and Little Yellow – all of whom are also southern species. It’s hard to know for sure why this was the case. These are all southern species who have been recorded to occasionally make northern forays. For some of these species there are even 19th century records of such movements. One can imagine that such species are always probing the northern margins of their distribution, and when populations are particularly high farther south and/or conditions are particularly amenable farther north, they then appear in our area. Is their local appearance due to climate change? Could well be, but I don’t think we know enough about their ecologies to really pinpoint the cause of their appearances this past year. Time will tell whether this was a fluke year or, instead, the start of a trend. An interesting management question is, should we ‘plant ahead’? For example, should we seed more Partridge Pea or Prickly Ash (also southern species) so that the Cloudless Sulphur, Little Yellow and Giant Swallowtail find welcoming host plants for their caterpillars when they show up?
What appears to be Bombus vagans, the Half-black Bumble Bee.Here we have what looks to be Bombus impatiens, the Eastern Bumble Bee, but what is most interesting to me about this picture is comparing where these two bees are carrying their collected pollen. The Bumble Bee sports leg panniers, officially known as ‘corbicula’. These are widened, largely bare portions of their hind legs that are surrounded by long, pollen-retaining hairs. The bee on the right, in the family Megachilidae (Leaf cutter bees and their kin), is taking a different approach – it sticks the pollen to the fuzz on the bottom of its abdomen. Evidently, for thistle pollen at least, both approaches work.Hey Mom, there’s some guy over here stalking butterflies…
The three Hawthorne-managed properties owned by three different households that we will simply refer to as “Carpenter Road” contains a broad range of habitats and with it, a broad diversity of birds to match. I visited these properties on June 24.
A common theme throughout my blog posts has been an investigation of unmanaged or lightly-managed edges, which can be productive foraging areas for birds seeking seeds and insects. These areas need not be designed and planted as wildlife strips, but rather through willful neglect can host a higher plant diversity than closely mowed lanes. That plant diversity often leads to structural diversity which provides cover for birds and insect diversity which provides food.
The Savannah Sparrow, a species of concern in NYS is quick to make use of unmowed edges around farm fields. Photo credit: Mike Birmingham
The diversity of native and naturalized vegetation provides many opportunities for a variety of bird to nest and feed
Barn Swallows and Red-winged Blackbirds foraged over the fields of grain on Carpenter Road and as one moved south of the road, a mature hedgerow of native trees and lightly managed meadow hosted an entirely different set of forest and shrub-loving species of birds.
American Robin, Carolina Wren, Downy Woodpecker, Field Sparrow, Gray Catbird, House Wren, Northern Cardinal, Northern Flicker, Orchard Oriole, and Yellow-throated Vireo could be found in the hedgerow. Another guild of water-loving species could be found near the small pond there including Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, Warbling Vireo, and Yellow Warbler.
Because of the ephemeral nature of their preferred habitat, Chestnut-sided Warblers rarely stay in the same place for more than a decade or so. Photo: Mike Birmingham.
The song of the Chestnut-sided Warbler ‘Pleased Pleased Pleased to MEETcha!‘ rang from a group of young Red Maples. This bird can nest in a very small patch of suitable habitat, but they prefer young trees and thickets. Historically, this was a bird that followed natural disturbance or even logging, taking advantage of rapidly regrowing trees and shrubs. Once forests mature, this species moves on to other young patches. It’s likely that some part of the farm south of Carpenter Road was abandoned a few decades ago (see the 1940s aerial photo on Conrad’s post!) and the trees are in that habitat ‘sweet spot’ for this warbler.
We’ve lost about half the number of Chestnut-sided Warblers in North America since the 1960s as much of their suitable early successional forest has matured since the peak of agricultural abandonment a century ago. They likely colonized forests after fire and storm damage and in the wake of abandoned beaver meadows before European settlement. It’s possible that they were even rarer than today in the North America centuries ago of mature forest punctuated with Native American fields and encampments. This warbler has also suffered from severe habitat depletion on its wintering grounds in Central America as tropical foothills have been cleared to raise coffee. It is well documented that reputable “shade grown” coffee, from plantations that retain an intact canopy of native tropical tree species, greatly benefit this species. Something to ponder as we make our caffeine purchasing choices.
Chestnut-sided Warblers forage in leaves, searching for caterpillars, fly larvae, spiders, and leaf hoppers. They nest fairly close the the ground in shrubs, rarely more than six feet off the ground. They form monogamous pair bonds and actively defend their small nesting territories from neighboring species of warblers and other songbirds. It usually requires a good pair of binoculars to see them well, but once you track down this fast flitting species the spring males in particular can be a stunning reward of color.
To the north of Carpenter Road, Hawthorne Valley farmers have interplanted cereal grains in a matrix of clover and other cover crops.
A quick drive by and this field of wheat looks like any other…
A closer look shows that these cereal grains are not conventionally grown in a no-till regime with glyphosate herbicide because the edges and understory still host other photosynthesizing plants…
This understructure of clover and other forbs provides an essential understory for insects, the primary summer food for all North American songbirds
Conventionally grown row crops can be fairly unbirdy places since there is limited cover and very little to eat. Historic records, however, suggest that early American fields of rye and wheat were once suitable nesting sites for a variety of grassland birds and Carpenter Road fields may illustrate one reason for the difference. So-called Round-Up Ready cereal crops that are drilled and then sprayed with broad-scale herbicides create fields that are so clean, so devoid of weeds, that they are entirely new agricultural landscapes. No 19th-Century farmer, no matter how fertile their soil, or however many times they cultivated, could match the ‘cleanliness’ of even the most average conventionally grown cereal crop today. Combine that with our ability to use heavy equipment to push out and even landforms to enable farmers to plant hedgerow to hedgerow explains why grassland birds are among the fastest declining guild of birds in North America. There simply isn’t enough habitat left in the Upper Midwest (or here in the Northeast where cereal crops are declining but still a valuable crop in some areas) to provide critical shelter and food.
As I walked through these wheat fields I wondered if this land would support grassland birds and I soon noticed Eastern Meadowlarks flushing from the field. A short distance later Savannah Sparrows foraged and I heard the insect zzzzzzz of a Grasshopper Sparrow.
The striking yellow breast and black chevron on the chest make the Eastern Meadowlark unmistakable. Photo: Mike Birmingham.
We still have a lot of upland meadows in the Hudson Valley, but the vast majority of those fields are intensively hayed with multiple cuttings. As we discussed in the Churchtown blog, this recent intensification of land use presents a level of disturbance that is incompatible with the needs of many grassland breeding birds. The Carpenter Road fields consisting of grains without herbicide and lightly used pastures do provide suitable levels of land use intensity and grassland birds are likewise present.
We must always be careful in ornithology to distinguish between the positive presence of birds and positive breeding outcomes. Grassland birds have an innate biological attraction to open fields regardless of the land use intensity and their mere presence does not guarantee that they are maintaining sustainable populations at that site since they could be attracted to large open areas that ultimately serve as traps where breeding fails. That said, in only a few moments of searching I was able to locate a few nests with eggs.
This Savannah Sparrow nest with eggs was located in the exact tussock of pasture grasses shown to the right. This nest existed in a field recently grazed by cows but the stocking rate was low enough to leave a few uneaten patches of vegetation used by this sparrow.
The Arthur’s Point silvopastures and tree nursery are unique habitats, with grass species similar to adjacent pastures but with greater structural diversity and the obvious hunting perches the young saplings provide. Early successional species such as Field Sparrow, Brown Thrasher, Common Yellowthroat, and Chipping Sparrow were common. Tree and Barn Swallows foraged over the meadow and Eastern Kingbird hunted from fence posts and trees.
Landscape structures like this are inherently ephemeral in the Northeast. Somedisturbance — be it from mower or cattle — is needed to keep mature trees in check. This tension between field and forest can create a transitional habitat that is very productive for birds.
A Grasshopper Sparrow nested at the base of the white plastic electric fence post
In the short 20 minute walk up and around this hill, I counted two Grasshopper Sparrow nests and counted at least 8 birds, some possibly so-called hatching year birds that fledged at this location. This was a high-quality site for this species as several paired adults were preparing second clutches.
The Carpenter Road complex hosted about a dozen or so Grasshopper Sparrows in total which is likely the highest density for this species in Columbia County and among the highest I’ve ever found in the Hudson Valley!
Many of the farms I visited for this project have made some deliberate attempt to manage lands lightly or to leave some habitat unmanaged. In many ways these practices have led to higher-than-expected avian richness. Are there models contained in these farms that can be shared? Improved? Better studied? Will these models be enough to shelter and support birdlife as climate change mounts challenges even on protected land? Can conventional high-production farms be encouraged to leave more room for ecology as they are squeezed by market forces to become more efficient to survive? What does a farm of the 21st Century look like and who are the new stewards?
As many have written before, birds are a wonderful group of organisms for measuring, and educating others about ecological states. They are of a scale easily observed by amateurs, with memorable colors and sounds, and their populations in many instances wax and wane in rapid response to our actions. How can we coexist– or better, thrive — in same world?
Conrad captured this American Goldfinch during his end-of-summer visit to Carpenter Road
Farmer-Ecologist Research Circle 