Shore Parkway Greenway (eastern section), Brooklyn, Kings County, New York

Having previously hiked the western section of the Shore Parkway Greenway, we decided to hike half of the eastern section, from Brigham Street to the Canarsie Pier. (We had intended to take this route on our last walk, but had mistakenly turned right on Flatbush Avenue, leading us to walk across the Marine Parkway Bridge to the Rockaway Peninsula.)

The blue flowers are common chicory (Cichorium intybus), which we had also seen on the eastern section of the Shore Parkway Greenway. The white flowers are likely wild carrot, also called Queen’s Anne Lace (Daucus carota).

Common chicory and wild carrot

Mill Basin, from the Mill Basin Bridge:

Mill Basin

One never knows what he will see in New York City. Here, an angel gets her wings:

Angel gets her wings

That is, as we walked past the Jamaica Bay Riding Academy, we saw the reality t.v. show Dare Me for Charity in action, with participants jumping from a platform as high as 32′ to an inflatable bag. At least two different non-profit organizations were participating that day. The jumper with the wings is affiliated with the group CHERUBS (Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Awareness and Support). Here is a different jumper, without wings:

Dare Me for Charity participant

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), a highly invasive species:

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

Part of the greenway had beautiful and very sturdy (and very expensive) wooden handrails, with 12″ x 12″ posts spaced 8′ apart, each post pierced by three 4″ x 8″ rails. Here, a Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii) proudly displays its heart-shaped pattern as it poses on the top rail on the fence:

Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii)

We arrived at our destination, the Canarsie Pier, which includes a huge parking lot surrounded by benches and tables. We enjoyed a late lunch on the pier.

Canarsie Pier

Here’s something else one doesn’t see every day: a 1931 Ford Model A roadster. We didn’t understand why instead of being in a parking space, it was parked outside the lines and perpendicular to the space.

1931 Ford Model A roadster

We returned the way we came, noting riders and their mounts as we neared the Jamaica Bay Riding Academy:

Riders at Jamaica Bay Riding Academy, Brooklyn, New York

A young herring gull (Larus smithsonianus) rests on the crumbling Mill Basin Bridge. The bridge is the only movable bridge on the Belt Parkway, and is slated to be replaced with a fixed bridge.

Herring gull (Larus smithsonianus)

A number of times I have seen red berries in winter (when there are no leaves), and the fact that the berries weren’t being eaten by animals suggested to me that they were poisonous. Maybe that’s not always the case. Here I have two photographs of wild black cherry (prunus serotina), which is suitable for jams: