Ilex

Top Photo: The red fruit and evergreen leaves of Ilex. Ilex is a genus of largely evergreen flowering plants which are very familiar to most people. Some Ilex have spiked leaves but, surprisingly, most varieties do not. After spring and summer pollination of their tiny white flowers, the plants produce red berries, more correctly called drupes, which persist throughout the fall and winter. The plants in the genus Ilex are more commonly known as hollies. The native holly, American hollyRead more

A Few Migrants and a Snake Reappears

If you know what the bird in the photo is, good for you! It’s a migrant. I only see this species over the Museum in the spring and fall, and there’s usually only ONE that I do see each season. They typically circle the Wetlands once or twice and move on. It’s an Osprey. On Saturday (4/2/11) I saw the first swallow of the season, a Northern Rough-winged Swallow. There have been many other swallow sightings in our area, butRead more