Month: October 2016

A few weeks back I set up a few trail cameras around points of interest in South Texas. I was curious to see what all was coming to this water tank and if, finger’s crossed, there’d be a new alligator in there. Alligators will come and go from this tank with the seasonal rains and this year South Texas received a ton of rain. Sure enough, the camera caught this huge guy. My best guess is that he is at least 10 feet long. Very excited!

Alligators in Texas were once considered endangered mostly due to hunting and loss of habitat, however, in 1969 Texas provided complete protection of the species. It took them until 1984 to completely recover and are no longer on the Endangered Species list. Trade is still regulated but the species are once again thriving.

iNaturalist Link: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4471210

This curious wasp hung around us the other day while we were enjoying time outside before class. It didn’t leave until we did. The curious wasp, also known as the common paper wasp or Polistes exclamans, was quite striking due to its distinguished stripes and slender body. Paper wasps contain 22 different species and they are very common throughout Texas. They feed on nectar and pollen, but they also hunt for catepillars and other insects to nourish their colonies’ larvae.

Paper wasps are semi-social insects and have three castes within the colony: workers, males, and queens. Sterile worker wasps spend their lives building the nest, feeding young, and defending the nest. A mature nest may have 20 to 30 adults. In late summer, queens stop laying eggs and the colony begins to decline. In the fall, the mated female offspring of the queen seek overwintering sites and the remainder of the colony does not survive the winter. 

You can find my iNaturalist post here.

References

http://texasinsects.tamu.edu/cimg348.html

There are two species of anoles found in Texas, the Green Anole and the Brown Anole (also known as the Cuban Anole or Anolis sagrei). The Brown Anole came to the United States via Key West in the 1900s and since then have established a presence in much of the Southern United States. The Brown Anole is crowding out the Green Anole in many habitats, but some believe this is causing the Green Anole to move higher up in plants and trees leaving the ground and lower plants areas for the Brown.

Anoles, both Brown and Green, eat live insects and have a life span of 18 to 36 months on average. They grow up to eight inches in length.

Update: According to several observers on iNaturalist the lizard in the picture is actually a Green Anole, which can sometimes be brown in color.

iNaturalist observation: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4468567

Reference

Brown Anoles

This Giant Swallowtail, or Papilio cresphontes, was found in my hometown of Mason flying around my mom’s garden. Giant Swallowtail butterflies are one of the largest species in the US. They are found in states east of the Continental Divide as well as in the southern part of the western US. Both males and females have dark brown wings with yellow markings, including a large horizontal yellow strip across the wings. The underside and body are mostly yellow. Their habitat includes citrus orchards, wooded areas, and gardens.

Giant swallowtails fly from Late May to August, but in some areas of the southern United States, such as Texas and Louisiana, they may be seen as late as October. All giant swallowtails have a distinctive flight pattern which generally looks as if they are “hopping” through the air. Females tend to beat their wings slowly but move quickly. Because females have such large wings, each wing beat will carry it a long way. Males however, tend to have more of a darty flight and beat their wings rapidly but move slower than females because their wings are smaller and each beat doesn’t carry them far. Giant swallowtails in general fly fast and high and can be difficult to capture.

You can find my iNaturalist observation here.

This little critter down below is a Mediterranean House Gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus, and I see them often at night outside on my porch or on walks with my dog.  They like to eat insects near buildings with lights.  They are nocturnal and have spread all along the southern United States.   They are clearly native to southern Europe and northern Africa.  The first one spotted in the United States was in Key West, Florida in 1915.  It’s unclear how they made it over here, but it is assumed to have been a stowaway on a ship.  Some facts are that they are pretty small (4-5 inches).  They also have sticky toe pads and no eyelids.

My iNaturalist post can be found here.

This lizard was observed while volunteering by putting up trail markers at Inks Lake State Park outside of Burnet. At the time, I had no idea what kind of lizard it was. With the help of the internet and the iNaturalist community, it was identified as an Eastern Collared Lizard.

Like other collared lizards, the Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) is known for its high speed running on its hind legs. It also is diurnal, basking in the sunlight during daylight hours. These lizards are highly territorial, and in captivity, males will fight to the death if placed together. They are found primarily in the dry, open regions of Mexico and south-central United States.

My iNaturalist post can be found here.

Sources: http://www.reptilesofaz.org/Lizards-Subpages/h-c-collaris.html; http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/33135-Crotaphytus-collaris

This little guy is a member of the jumping spider family (Salticidae), I’m not sure on the exact species. This is the largest family of spiders and contains nearly 6000 described species. Ain’t nobody got time to look through that many descriptions. All jumping spiders have 4 pairs of eyes, with the ones closest to the middle of their face being largest. They are commonly found throughout the U.S. and the world. The are diurnal active hunters, and as their name indicates, can jump several times their body length.  Due to the positioning of their many eyes, they have excellent vision which they use to their advantage while hunting.  It’s funny that the family name sounds so salty because I found this guy on a plate of syrup (get it? cuz it’s sweet). 

When hiking or exploring out in nature, it’s always exciting when something you’re not expecting pops up. For example, this happened to me last week out at Wild Basin when this Monarch Butterfly crossed my path. I had to chase it up the trail for a bit to take a picture, but luckily it stopped for a photo opportunity on this flower. 

As Monarchs, or Danaus plexippus, are native to North America and migrate to Mexico during the late summer/early fall, I was able to identify it as a Monarch right away. Being from central Texas, I’m pretty familiar with Monarchs and how they migrate this time of year, and how they lay their eggs on milkweed and use it as a food source. More on the Monarch Butterfly can be found here.

You can find my iNaturalist observation here.

I was sitting outside Doyle Hall last week enjoying the transition from day to evening and worrying about all the assignments/readings/projects that will somehow need to get done. I felt a small tingle on my arm only to find a ladybug exploring. I was able to get a picture of it and attempted to identify the species. To my best knowledge and research abilities I believe the lady bug is a Mexican Bean Beetle. This beetle is native to Mexico although it is found in the southeast United States.

The Mexican Bean Beetle is considered to be a pest by many gardeners as it eats any leaf in sight during it’s entire life cycle. Pesticides are the most common solution for the management of this beetle, however that is an environmentally degrading solution and for organic farmers it is out of the question. New management techniques include introducing one of the over 17 predators. This seems to help with population numbers however some unintended consequences have yet to be seen. The beetle may adapt to these predators over time or the introduction of the predators can cause more damage or loss of other species. For farmers and gardeners these factors must be considered when dealing with beetles or any pest. Their role in the environment is important despite the fact that they are labeled a pest. My iNaturalist post is here.

References:

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/bean/mexican_bean_beetle.htm

 

Acanthocephala declivis is a species of North American true bugs. The Hemiptera, or true bugs, are an order of insects comprising some 50,000 to 80,000 species of groups such as the cicadas, aphids, plant hoppers, leafhoppers, and shield bugs. They range in size from 0.04 to 6 inches, and share a common arrangement of sucking mouthparts. These mouthparts allow for the insects to suck sap and juices from plant material. A. declivis are in the family Coreidae and get their name from the small leaf-like enlargements found on the hind leg. They are closely related to other sucking insects, such as stink bugs (family Pentatomidae) that can also suck juices from plants. Their distribution range extends from the Southern United States to Guatemala, including some Caribbean islands. The giant leaf-footed bug is the largest of this genus within this range, generally growing to be 1.1 to 1.3 inches long. It can be distinguished from similar species by its much more broadly expanding pronotum (the foremost part of its thorax closest to its head), which extends much further than the abdomen.

iNaturalist observation.

A. declivis info.