March 5, 2026
The Sky’s the Limit for This Birder
Fewer than 500 people worldwide have reported seeing this African bird – a blue-moustached bee-eater. Photo by Marc Chelemer By…
Found these guys on a hike along the Palisades yesterday.
One still had a stem. What are they — seed pods? If so, what kind? (The quarter is mine, for scale.)
Turns out that I am a. nature nerd. Who knew? (Don't answer that.)
The answer is that these gumball-sized spheres are smoke balls, including one that hadn't been lit.
You can apparently buy them on line.
I cut one of the previously lit ones in half to see what was inside, and I lived to tell the tale. See below.
Congrats to all who answered correctly.