Someone ate crow near Heinz Chapel, 22 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

23 August 2025

This week someone ate crow near the Cathedral of Learning. I usually find pigeon feathers but yesterday I found a pile of crow feathers under a tree near Heinz Chapel. Who would have perched in a tree to eat crow? My guess is a red-tailed hawk. The peregrines prefer to eat high up on the Cathedral when they’re this close to home.

In other news, late summer flowers are blooming and late summer bugs are busy.

These gorgeous flowers are the reason why Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) was imported as an ornamental plant. (Hmmm, the scientific name has changed?)

Japanese knotweed in bloom, 17 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

Up close Indian tobacco (Lobelia inflata) shows tiny dots on the edges of its leaves, below.

Wikipedia explains: The plant is called Indian tobacco because Native Americans chewed and smoked the leaves and used it for respiratory and muscle disorders, as a purgative, and as a ceremonial medicine. Its purgative property gave it a second name: puke weed. “Consuming lobelia causes adverse effects, which may include sweating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, rapid heartbeat, mental confusion, convulsions, hypothermia, coma, or possibly death. The root is toxic and can be fatal if eaten.”

Indian tobacco, Frick Park, 18 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

Ragweed (Ambrosia sp) was getting ready to bloom this week. Soon it will open and scatter its copious pollen on the wind. Maybe it has already but my nose never tells me. I am not allergic to ragweed, but don’t get me near hay.

Ragweed almost ready to bloom, 17 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

Spittle bugs are very busy lately. Why was this yellow jacket sipping from the spittle? Or was she sipping plant juices? Or was she eating the bugs?

Yellow jacket ?sipping? at a spittlebug site, 17 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

In summer 2023 when Pittsburgh had a spotted lanternfly plague, this building was one of the best places to find an infestation. Back then it was creepy how many lanternflies crawled up the foundation. This year the number is low. Only 8 in this photo. Click here to see them circled.

Spotted lanternflies climbing a building near Herrs Island, 17 August 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)