Seen Around Town
Some recent photos. I’ll be at third thursday this week on State Street with my paintings 5:30-7:30 pm.
Latest
Nature
This Week at Nixon Park - May 3-9
A seasonably warm week with plenty of sun, and enough rain to break the back of the drought.
Birds
Spotted Sandpiper
A quick disclaimer - these photos are from the past couple of years, I've seen the Sanpdpiper this spring several times but have yet to get a good picture. Sandpipers are usually associated with the shore, but the Spotted Sandpiper is a frequent sight around the ponds and
Nature
White Eastern Redbud
The purplish pink buds of Eastern Redbud trees have been putting on their annual show this past month or so. I came across what looked like a redbud growing near one of the picnic pavilions at the park, but was confused because it had white flowers. I've learned
This Week At Nixon Park 2025
This Week at the Park - April 25-May 2, 2025
May has arrived, a little warmer and drier than you'd expect. The NOAA drought information system information for Kennett Square predicts the drought we've been in since last September will be lifted this month. As I noted perviously the Green Herons have returned. This morning I
Nature
At the Foot of the Mountains
The Red Clay Creek has carved a gently rolling landscape out of the remains of ancient mountains.
Birds
Green Heron
Our Green Herons (Butorides virescens) have returned. They are roughly the size of a crow. At rest they are hunched and stocky, when extended their surprisingly long neck dramatically changes their silhouette. Green Herons are not very green at all. In the right light their crest, back, wings and tail
Flowers
This Week at the Park
There's so much to see in April! Here's some of the observations from this week.
Mayapples
I've been watching the Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) emerge and open their umbrella-like leaves over the past few weeks. Colonies of mayapples blanket much of the beech grove having emerged just after the trout lilies to join the parade of spring ephemerals. I'll post pictures of the
The History of Anson B. Nixon Park
Landfill to Park
This is a chapter in an occasional series about the history of Anson B. Nixon Park. Other entries At the Foot of the Mountains Waterworks Somehow just over thirty years have passed since the idea of a park became an actual park. There were times it wasn't clear
Which Crow?
I heard this fish crow before I saw it. It was one of a pair having a fairly long distance conversation, probably something spring related, like getting on with building their nest. The American crow (what most of us think of when we think of a crow) is a bit
Nature
The Yellow Trout Lily
Trout Lily Growth Stages Year 1 (June-December): Seed stage. Year 2 (April): The seed sprouts, a single embryonic leaf (the cotyledon) grows down into the soil first, then the tip pops up above ground. At the bottom, underground, the very first tiny bulb starts to form. Notice it's