There are a few things that, to me, that really epitomize the countryside on a summer evening. And two of them are fireflies and cicadas. And, yes, you can find these in the parks of New York City. This one was photographed on the arm of a friend in Washington Square Park. Many nights this month, we were witness to a wonderful light show. I attempted unsuccessfully to capture one glowing. I was reassured, however, by my photographer friend Bill Shatto, who is an expert at insect photography, that capturing this was not an easy feat . You can see his work here on his flickr site.

There are many fascinating facts about fireflies, such as the light efficiency of bio luminescence – 90% of the energy used is actually converted to light (as contrasted with an incandescent bulb, which is only 10% efficient). The production of light is primarily a tool for mating – males exhibit courting behavior in the form of flashing patterns while flying. Females generally do not fly but respond with flashes. You can read more about them here.

I like the gentle flashing of fireflies – it is so emblematic of a warm summer’s eve. I immediately enter into a comfort zone, transported back to my boyhood in New England…

On an excursion downtown, I ran across this sign proclaiming the reemergence of the peregrine falcon in NYC. Until the middle of the 20th century, peregrines ranged from Alaska to Georgia. But in the 1950s and ‘60s, the pesticide DDT found its way up the food chain. The birds that peregrines hunted fed on insects contaminated with DDT. Due to biomagnification, DDT accumulated in the peregrines, causing their eggs to become too weak to even support the weight of the mother incubating her eggs. The eggs shattered before fledglings could hatch. By the time DDT was finally banned in 1972, there was not a single peregrine falcon left east of the Mississippi. The reemergence of the peregrine is considered an environmental success story.

I became interested in birds of prey in NYC several years ago, when, like many other New Yorkers, I learned of the red-tailed hawk Pale Male (and his family), who had nested on a prime building on Fifth Avenue. I made frequent trips to the Boat Basin area of Central Park to spend afternoons, along with many others, watching the antics of the Pale Male. But problems ensued, and the situation became a huge international story for the city. If you missed it, click here for links and a posting with a photo of my own sighting of a red-tailed hawk at my bedroom window, a real lucky photo op which got quite a response from birders and local residents.

I was surprised to find this tiny patch of green (in the photo) at the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge and learn that it was a prime spot for sighting falcons. I also was not aware that this is a Greenstreet property, part of a huge $391 million, ten-year initiative to plant street trees in all possible locations, creating 800 new Greenstreets, and reforesting 2,000 acres of parkland. The initiative is part of PlaNYC, “a blueprint for New York City to attain sustainable growth and improve the quality of life in the face of escalating population projections. The Mayor’s plan—shaped by input from environmental, business, community, and legislative leaders as well as thousands of New Yorkers—details 127 initiatives within five key areas of the city’s environment: land, air, water, energy, and transportation. Components of the plan include increasing access to open space, cleaning up contaminated lands, improving water quality through natural solutions, achieving the cleanest air quality of any big city in America, and reducing global warming emissions by 30%.” It sounds great. Let’s hope it’s not just hot air 🙂

Regular readers of this site are aware of the spots of country I have featured, particularly the numerous community gardens. I, like many other New Yorkers, look for pieces and reminders of the country for any number of reasons, and evidence of seasonal change is one of them.

It is easy to go through seasons in the city with little to mark them except temperature and changing light. But to witness the other changes nature has to offer – leaves turning color, migratory birds, etc. – requires more work and looking in special places such as gardens and parks.

In seeking out the natural in the city, one frequently discovers surprises like grapes growing on vines in the center of the Village, red-tailed hawks eating their prey, butterflies, waterfalls, spectacular sunsets (such as Manhattanhenge), a Time Landscape, a microclimate in the Garden at Saint Lukes, turtles, squirrels, and birds.

New York City is actually one of the most important bird areas on the East Coast. It lies along the Atlantic Flyway and draws numerous species from places as far away as Patagonia and Greenland each spring and fall, which is why Central Park is a great area for bird watching. This birdhouse was in the LaGuardia Corner Gardens in a tree laden with apples (I have picked many here when it is open). I can see a new city festival – New York Is Bird Country…