Experts - What is going on here? This male American Kestrel sure did seem to have the hots for this female Merlin. He kept trying to get close to her and even brought her a few treats (insects?) from the grass beneath the fence. She accepted the treats but didn't seem thrilled with the attention. However, when he flew off, she followed him...
I've been perplexed by this field of distinctive goldenrod for a number of years and I'm hoping a Solidago expert can chime in on this. They form a dense and distinct colony in a former rail/shipping yard along the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio and I can't recall seeing them anywhere else. The closest match I can find here on iNat is Southern Seaside Goldenrod (S. mexicanus), but of course this would be way out of range. Please help! 9/18/22
Kept carrying the leaf around. It would drop occasionally and the gull would pick it back up again.
This oddly pigmented American Copper was observed in the restoration field at the Francis Carter Preserve in Charlestown, RI on June 2, 2019.
S of Alto Pass, just north of Clear Creek, hand collected on flowers