📜 EwA Week Highlights: A Different Dead Man's Finger and some Rewards for Looking Closer
Mike McGlathery
Hello everyone!
Mike here with the August 13th edition of EwA’s weekly highlights.
📸 You may remember me sharing an observation of the fungus (Xylaria polymorpha) with the common name “dead man’s fingers” a couple months back. Well, this week we have an observation of the seaweed (Codium fragile) bearing the exact same common name! Codium fragile is an introduced species to the New England area, and has become a not uncommon sight on our beaches.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Joe Macindewar · Rye, NH · Aug. 12, 2022)
I’m always an advocate for looking closer, and this next observation is one of my favorite rewards for doing so. This eastern calligrapher fly (Toxomerus geminatus) is so small it might not even catch your attention, but the beautiful patterns on this species's abdomen are always a delight to observe. It looks especially good zoomed in!
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Bill Macindewar · Stoneham, MA · Aug. 10, 2022)
Last, a look forward: a wonderfully close-up observation of some individual goldenrod (genus Solidago) flowers from iNat user aussies2. As the peak of summer turns into late summer and inklings of fall begin to appear, the bright yellow inflorescences of these plants will become almost ubiquitous. Goldenrods are important late foraging sites for many pollinators.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© aussies2 · Woburn, MA · Aug. 8, 2022)
📊 Thanks to everyone for your great biodiversity records this past week, totaling 710 observations of 357 distinct species. If you’re curious about the records from this week that have been validated by the iNat community so far, you can find them » here.
🏆 Running tally: To date, we have recorded 119,456 observations of 8,450 distinct species! Check out our EwA umbrella project, see the details per site/observer, and more » here.
📅 EwA Upcoming Public Events
Ewa Field Events » Check the EwA Summer Program [ Event details and registration » ] Don’t miss some great opportunities to follow the rhythm of the season in our local habitats and in the local wildlife! Space is limited for all our field events. Wildlife ethics is important to us and we seek to avoid putting the pressure on natural habitats which large gatherings unavoidably do. We are asking our audience to register-and-commit (or cancel when you know you can’t come) to avoid no-shows.
EwA Fieldwork (and Resources)
Peak schedule: Our monitoring programs are in full swing, and are occurring every week this time of year. Check EwA’s Volunteer Program Calendar 📅 to know when things happen. And if a session is of interest to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to get the rendezvous location.
📅 EwA Sites Map | 🌱 Site Protocols and Guides · Field Rosters · Field Notes » All here! | ℹ️ More about EwA’s Citizen Science Program » Here
❓ Do you have any questions? Don’t be shy. Just email me or reply to this thread.
That’s all for this week—enjoy the beautiful weather out there!
-Mike