The fatal trunk split on a prominent, unusually shaped tree on the parkway side of Jamaica Pond continues to spread, but the tree is trying so hard to hold on - its branches, seemingly rising from the pond itself, are now sprouting in green.
Meanwhile, written battles have broken out in the pages of the small notebooks somebody keeping tying to the tree - along with a pen - to let its fans say their goodbyes. Read more.
Yesterday afternoon, a bright orange koi lazily did circles in the water off the northern shore of Jamaica Pond, tailed by a couple of drabber koi that more closely matched the color of the water. Read more.
Every winter, the Boston Fire Department cuts a hole or two in the frozen surface of Jamaica Pond so its divers can practice some cold-weather rescuing. The pond never really froze up this winter, except thinly during that brief weekend freeze, but divers were out in the cold water today anyway.
Despite the lack of ice it is important to maintain efficiency .
There are always mallards at Jamaica Pond, sometimes supplemented in the spring and summer by a family or two of wood ducks (and one black Muscovy duck in love with a mallard), but the pond now is home, even if temporarily, to all sorts of other ducks. Read more.
Last November, somebody noticed a problem with the "elbow tree," a distinctive birch tree near the Jamaica Pond boathouse with a prominent limb pointing downward at the water, rather than up - its trunk had begun to split open. That's a sign of impending death and the person attached a couple of small notebooks and a pencil to the tree both so that people could measure the crack as it spread and to say goodbye to the longtime pondside attraction. Read more.
The Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council's Public Service Committee says the neighborhood needs more trash receptacle along Centre Street and the north side of Jamaica Pond because of slobs who can't hold onto their trash until they find one or get home, the Jamaica Plain Gazette reports.
About to walk down from Perkins Street to the path around this pond this afternoon when I spotted this guy alighting on some of the scrub between the road and the path.
The other day, a mother duck and her ducklings were at the northernmost end of Jamaica Pond, slowly paddling through the muck there, stopping from time to time for a bite to eat. Read more.
A muskrat swam through a yucky Jamaica Pond on May 27.
Visitors to Jamaica Pond in recent days have noticed that the water along the edges of the pond has cleared remarkably when compared to just a couple weeks ago, but the water's not yet clear enough of toxic blue-green algae to allow boating and other recreational activities, such as letting dogs go for a swim, the Boston Public Health Commission said today. Read more.
A family of wood ducks glided along the surface of Jamaica Pond yesterday.
Male bluegills have been busy of late building communal nests at several locations along the Jamaica Pond shoreline, such as this collection on the southern edge of the pond, to the left of the boathouse. Read more.
One of the larger turtles in Jamaica Pond took in some sun yesterday at the pond's main turtle haven.
Only some of that green is due to reflections off the trees.
The Boston Public Health Commission announced yesterday that a bloom of toxic blue-green algae means Jamaica Pond's water is no longer safe to go in or fish in. Read more.
The Mayor's Mural Crew's usual medium is paint on cement, but to honor Frederick Law Olmsted's 200th birthday, it turned to a material he probably knew well: Moss.
The crew outfitted the gazebo at Jamaica Pond with something he wrote: Read more.
The turtles were out in force at Jamaica Pond today. In addition to the premium location on the branches near the northern end of the pond, like the guys above, there were turtles along the parkway and even on a bunch of downed branches along Parkman Drive that geese had made their own - until today, at least.
John Magee walked along Jamaica Pond this morning, before the fog burned off.
All the equipment parked at the northern end of Jamaica Pond is so Boston firefighters can do their annual training on how to rescue people who don't listen to them and go out on the ice anyway and then fall in: Read more.
One of the five swans at Jamaica Pond took a moment to ponder life shortly before sundown yesterday.
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