Inky cap mushrooms in mulch at Cathedral of Learning, 30 Sep 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

4 October 2025

This week started with two signs of fall in Pittsburgh: Inky cap mushrooms melting into “ink” and a spider web beaded with fog.

Spider web in fog, Schenley Park, 28 Sep 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

On Wednesday my husband and I traveled to Cape Cod for a family visit and a day-trip yesterday to Nantucket. The weather is gorgeous but has recently kept migrating birds away from the coast. Birding is quiet here compared to reports from friends in Pittsburgh.

View of Nantucket harbor, 3 Oct 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

Cape Cod’s sandy soil and saltwater attracts plants we don’t have in western PA. My Picture This app said this is coastal sweetpepperbush (Clethra alnifolia). The shape of the fruits gives the plant its name though there is nothing peppery about it.

Costal sweetpepperbush, Bell’s Neck, Cape Cod, 2 Oct 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

Yesterday a two-headed bee flew by and landed on the gravel where it was easy to figure out it was two bees conjoined: a future queen and a male. The queen is so large and strong that she can fly while he’s attached. The second photo looks fuzzy because they are vibrating.

Bumblebees mating, Nantucket town, 3 Oct 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

Bumblebees mating, Nantucket town, 3 Oct 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

At home in Pittsburgh it feels like summer. Here on the Cape, surrounded by water, all the buildings have the heat on because the nights are cold.