Category: Urban Life

Here’s a fine late summer friend I found hanging outside my door.

Chirpy-looking beauty, no?

All hail the humble coneflower, one of the unsung heroes of the urban landscape.

When I first began growing native plants, I was attracted to the rare, hyperlocal ones with appealing origin stories: plants that are only found on a creek bank 10 miles away or some such silliness.

The problem with those specimens is that they are inevitably ill-suited for the harsh realities of city life: compacted soils, pissing dogs, pissing humans, careless drivers, overzealous mowers, etc.

Over time, I’ve come to appreciate the native plants that consistently prove their resilience, endurance, and dependability — the ones I can plant in any location under any conditions with the assurance that they will thrive.

One of those is the coneflower, which grows practically anywhere in the eastern half of North America. Butterflies and bees love it, humans find the blooms attractive, and I can easily grow it in a container outside my apartment door.

Beautiful!

On early summer mornings at the local botanical garden, you can find all sorts of fine flowers and flying friends. Here’s a lovely pair I spotted last Saturday.

This fine specimen of Eastern white pine is a little south of its native range, but the species is a popular choice in urban landscapes throughout the United States for its fast growth, resilience in tough conditions, and year-round greenery. Hey, it’s better than another crape myrtle.

I spent 6 hours yesterday lying on a bench in Piedmont Park, overlooking Lake Clara Meer. The water was full of honking geese, but I was disappointed by the lack of turtles.

I thought about my visit to Prospect Park last July, when I spotted this log full of painted turtles catching flies. New York, how I miss you.

It was a freezing day in Philly when I snapped this pic of a pigeon shivering on a fire hydrant — I believe it was on 15th Street in Center City, across from City Hall.

Snow was on the way, and the winter wind whipping between the buildings packed a nasty bite. I hope the bird is enjoying the warmer weather.