wildlife – SIDEWALK NATURE

Today’s Sidewalk Nature: tree debris at curb + breeding season = bad news for birds.

At first, I worried that the post-storm piles of tree trash would vanish before I could steal what I needed for backyard habitat. But this was a big storm – too big to tidy in a hurry – and many, many piles still await pick-up weeks later.
From day one, each stack was a bird magnet, but now that we’re hot and heavy into nesting season, birds think these streetside heaps are a safe place to raise a family. They don’t know that the piles are doomed. Cleanup crews are collecting storm debris every day, along with nests, eggs or baby birds that may be hidden inside.

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Our kid is sick, I’m stuck at home, and it’s too cold and wet to sit in the yard. But, I have been able to get out for two neighborhood walks.
Here is my report for Earth Day:

Saw confirmation the Osage Orange tree we drive past every day is a boy. I’m still learning the gender spectrum of tree species: some are male, some are female, some are both. Some have “perfect” flowers with male and female bits, and some trees can surprise you with twigs that morph into one or the other. Osage Orange trees are dioecious: either male or female (usually), and now I know not to expect fruit from this particular specimen. These flowers are male: