July 09, 2020 • Madison Square Park Conservancy

As a managed green space, Madison Square Park is a vital source of food and shelter for native and migrating fauna throughout the year. This summer, we highlight a few flying fauna that utilize the Park for their essentials during the summer season.

Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica)
Xylocopa virginica poking its head into a blooming Carolina Silverbell flower.

At first glance, one might confuse the eastern carpenter bee for the more well-known bumble bee, but look again and notice Xylocopa virginica is slightly larger and boasts an almost completely black abdomen that is shinier and less fuzzy than a bumble bee. Eastern carpenter bees nest over during the winter months with their sisters, typically living for over two years. Starting in April, the eldest sisters take charge by foraging for food, mating, and maintaining the nest, while the youngest sisters and male bees protect the nest from intruders. The second generation bees will begin senescence in July. During this time, the older bees will more frequently rest on flowers and eventually die off. The following spring, it is believed that the younger sisters will assume the role left by their elders, and begin the cycle again.

Bar-Winged Skimmer (Libellula axilena)
An elusive bar-winged skimmer dragonfly resting by the reflecting pool.

Libellula axilena is a dragonfly species that belongs to the genus of chasers and skimmers, distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. They are well-known, large dragonflies, and can often be seen flying around the Reflecting Pool during the summer. The bar-winged skimmers, pictured above, are especially charismatic due to their stylistic wing and body patterns. Like other dragonflies, bar-winged skimmers play a vital predatorial role in the ecosystem. They will chase down and snatch many different types and sizes of prey including mosquitos with great efficiency. This is great for all of us that enjoy sitting by the Reflecting Pool!

Common Eastern Firefly (Photinus pyralis)
A female P. pyralis beetle seeking a suitor on the Oval Lawn

What’s a summer night without a light show? Photinus pyralis is the most common firefly in North America, and despite its common name, is actually a type of beetle. During the summer days, adult fireflies will find refuge in the plant beds and bushes, and like other fireflies, P. pyralis use their bioluminescent abdomens to attract mates during summer nights. If you are in the Park after sundown, keep an eye out for a hovering light show by Oval, Elm, Sol Lewitt, and Magnolia lawns.

July 18, 2020 • Madison Square Park Conservancy

As a managed green space, Madison Square Park is a vital source of food and shelter for native and migrating fauna throughout the year. This summer, we highlight a living light show that utilizes the Park in the pursuit of a suitable summer mate.

As the fireworks fade into the summer, another light show begins to take place in the heart of Madison Square Park. Adult Photinus pyralis beetles, also known as the common eastern firefly, begin to emerge from the cooler, more damp Park grounds and take to the sky with their flashy, aerial choreography.

A Photinus pyralis female looks for a better vantage point to scout out the hopeful males.

Although they seize our attention during the summer nights, P. Pyralis have been glowing since birth. Firefly eggs emit a slight glow that is visible to the naked eye––that’s if you can find them buried under the leaflitter and shrubbery in the Park. After about four weeks, they hatch into flightless larvae, where they will usually spend most of their lives living in the soil. The firefly larvae, also known as glow worms, are vicious predators. At night, they hunt slugs, snails, worms, and other insects, injecting its prey with digestive enzymes to immobilize it and liquefy its remains. After one to two years in the larval stage, the developing firefly moves into small pockets in the moist soil and pupates. While pupating, it undergoes metamorphosis, emerging from the pupa as an adult.

The P. pyralis female responds to a potential suitor.

During the early summer days, adult fireflies will find refuge in the plant beds and bushes. Around dusk, they begin to prepare for their main objective as adults. P. pyralis use their bioluminescent abdomens to attract mates during summer nights. Typically, the male flies low to the ground, flashing a mating signal. A female resting on vegetation will then respond to the male. By repeating this exchange, the male is able to home in on her, after which, they will mate. It is widely believed that P. pyralis fireflies refuse to feed as adults—they simply mate, produce offspring, and die.

If you are in the Park after sundown, keep an eye out for a hovering light show by Oval, Elm, Sol Lewitt, and Magnolia lawns. We ask that you avoid injuring our glowing friends, and if you happen to capture any of these creatures on camera, upload your images to iNaturalist to help us track biodiversity at Madison Square Park.

July 24, 2020 • Madison Square Park Conservancy

Over thousands of years, pollinators found in Madison Square Park have coevolved with regional plants to transfer pollen between male and female flower parts. In return, the pollinators feed on nectar for energy and pollen for protein, keeping them alive throughout their lifecycle.

Here are a few pollinators you can find in Madison Square Park:

Apis mellifera is a bit of a polarizing species within the bee community. Although western honey bees are vital pollinators for many wild plants and the global agricultural industry, they are non native to North America. Because of this, they will often out compete native species for resources, threatening their existence and the global ecosystem. Because they have a generalist diet, you can spot western honey bees around almost any nectar producing flower in the Park. In addition to honey bees, the Park is also a host for many native species of bees like mason bees, leafcutter bees, and carpenter bees.

When someone refers to a fly, most of us immediately conjure up images of the pesky house fly, but like us, flies come in all shapes and sizes. Many hoverflies and flowerflies like those in the genus Syrphus actually mimic the appearance of bees to avoid predators, and like bees they are also a very important pollinator in a healthy ecosystem. Like other pollinators, flies rely on a reliable food supply of nectar and pollen. These hoverflies can be found in the Park throughout the year but are more active during the spring to fall months.

Butterflies and moths are some of the most charismatic pollinators, and a keystone species for a happy and healthy ecosystem. The Papilio glaucus is an especially charismatic species due the radiant yellow wings and contrasting black tiger stripes that give it it’s common name. While both males and females come in this form, the female can also come in a mostly black variant. Eastern Tiger Swallowtails inhabit the region from May through September, where adults will nectar on plants like cherry laurel (photographed) and milkweed. Keep an eye for swallowtails, monarchs, and other butterflies and moths from summer through the fall.

Another natural predator of the aphid, Coccinella are some of the cutest pollinators at the Park. Their small frame allows them to feed on nectar and pollen from tightly constructed flowers that larger bees and butterflies cannot reach. Lady beetles also have a tremendous appetite for aphids, and consume up to 5,000 aphids in a lifetime! As they search for the tiny leaf suckers, lady beetles inadvertently carry pollen from flower to flower and protect many plants from an over infestation of aphids.

Local naturalists, birders, and online data collection platforms such as iNaturalist and eBird help us track biodiversity. To learn more about the insects and other flora and fauna throughout Madison Square Park, visit our iNaturalist and eBird pages, or read more about our ongoing initiative to support our local wildlife.

July 29, 2020 • Madison Square Park Conservancy

The lush green lawns found throughout Madison Square Park are a blend of various types of grasses that host a diverse collection of wildlife. Today, we take a closer look at the ground beneath us and highlight life on the Oval Lawn.

Alsike Clovers, Trifolium hybridum
Trifolium hybridum bursting from pink to white over the sea of green.

Did you know that one of the plants that blends into the surface of the Oval could bring you some fortune? Clovers consist of over 300 species and belong to the pea family. Clover is great for the lawn and actually helps fertilize the grass by fixing nitrogen—elements essential to lawn health. They can be found in patches across the lawn and tend to flower from late spring through summer. These delicate flowers become a rare source of food for pollinators foraging across the ocean of lawn grass, and are especially attractive to honey bees, bottle flies, and small hoverflies. Watch your step and you might even find a four leaf clover in the mix!

Milky Conecap, Conocybe apala
Conocybe apala near the end of their lifespans after a heavy rain period at Madison Square Park.

Emerging from the grassy surface, Milky Conecap mushrooms of the genus conocybe have found a brief home on the Oval Lawn. These fragile fungal friends are short lived—lasting only about 24 hours—and can be found on the lawns after heavy rains from June through October. They are also extremely fragile and will often crumble when handled, so we recommend avoiding them.

Groundsel Bush Beetle, Trirhabda bacharidis
A Trirhabda bacharidis beetle swinging from blade to blade through the Oval Lawn grasses.

Every day many beetles trek across the Oval Lawn in search for food and suitable nesting grounds. Some simply stop for rest and shelter along their extensive migration. Trirhabda bacharidis beetles are one of the many beetles on this journey. They look for specific tastes and will not stop to eat or nest until they find plants in the Baccharis genus (hence their latin name). The groundsel bush beetle's black and yellow pattern can often be confused with those of striped cucumber beetles and elm leaf beetles that are also found in the Park. Adults emerge from their larval state in April and can be spotted within the grassy surface through the Fall season.

Local naturalists, birders, and online data collection platforms such as iNaturalist and eBird help us track biodiversity. To learn more about the insects and other flora and fauna throughout Madison Square Park, visit our iNaturalist and eBird pages, or read more about our ongoing initiative to support our local wildlife.