Month: October 2016

These glossy privets (Ligustrum lucidum) are planted all along the edge of the apartment complex I live at, as well as along the length of fence separating my complex and the neighboring one. At first, I was sure they were Japanese privet but, after researching the differences between the two species, my educated guess would be to say these are glossy privets. Generally, glossy privets have longer leaves than its relative, Japanese privet. The leaf apex of Ligustrum lucidum is long acuminate, meaning that it stretches out to a longer point. Young glossy privets are usually mis-identified as Japanese privet because the leaves haven’t grown to their longer length. However, because these privets around my complex are mature and vary in height from 10ft – 40ft, their leaves are noticeably longer than the Japanese privet leaves that I have come to be so familiar with. Because the neighboring apartment complex is older and the glossy privets are much taller (above picture), it’s likely these privets were planted around the time the building was developed and used by the landscaper as a bordering plant. Glossy privet are just as hardy as Japanese privet when it comes to invading an area and are even more troublesome than Japanese privet in some areas of Texas (ex: Harris county).

iNaturalist post.

Glossy Privet info.

 

Earlier this week, my research group and I assisted the Wild Basin in carrying out a white-tailed deer driving survey.  On our last stretch, we came across two beautiful bucks.  It’s pretty interesting how there are so many in the middle of town. The Wild basin is part of a preserve that is right in the middle of an urbanized area.  The driving survey was conducted in the neighborhoods adjacent to the Wild Basin.  White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, are native to North and South America.  They have a broad range because they are generalists.  They get their name because the underside of their body and tail are white.  When I was young I learned that male deer or bucks shed there antlers every year after breeding season.  I thought this was pretty cool, and I still do.  The picture below was taken from the road in a truck.  The buck was no further than ten yards away.

My iNaturalist post can be found here.

This is the Io moth caterpillar, I discovered it this weekend in Mart, TX while visiting family. My boyfriend doing some yard work for his grandparents this weekend and while climbing a ladder, his hand smashed one of these guys and his hand stung quite a bit. His grandmother said they are new to Mart this year and have been on the news because of that and their peculiar sting. They are native to North America and are part of the Saturniidae family. The spikes that cover it are connected to poison glands. The sensation is similar to a bee or wasp sting and the pain can last several hours. To treat this sting, you place tape over the affected area and strip off over and over, to remove the spines and poison. Adults have a wing span of about two to three inches, with females being a dark brown-purple color and males a distinct yellow color.

my iNaturalist post can be found here.

This moth greeted me as I left my apartment a few days ago. I put the observation on iNaturalist right away under the “Butterflies and moths” category, hoping to properly identify it later. As I checked back a few hours later, someone had identified the genus for me; he placed this moth in the Zale genus. I further identified it as Zale lunata, but nobody has confirmed that ID yet.

Zale lunata, or lunate zale moths, are large moths in the Noctuidae family. They are very widespread across North America. Moths in this family are mostly nocturnal and attracted to lights at nighttime. Lunate zale moth adults have bodies that are varying shades of brown with wavy striations and bands of color across their wings. They also could have yellow, reddish brown, and black colors on their wings with grey or silver patches as well. Their appearances make is easy for them to blend in with the bark on trees and avoid predation. The caterpillars of this species feed on a variety of trees such as apple, plum, maple, and willow trees. Adults can be found in areas where these trees grow, such as in woodlands, orchards, and forests, as well as in yards and parks and by creeks and streams. Adults have a long flight season and have been seen throughout the year, but they are most common in the spring. An interesting fact about them is that the name lunata comes from the Latin name for moon; this was likely referring to the crescent shaped marks on the wings.

My iNaturalist post can be found here.

Sources:

http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Lunate-Zale-Moth

http://sites.biology.duke.edu/dukeinsects/Zale_lunata.php

http://bugguide.net/node/view/4197

http://pnwmoths.biol.wwu.edu/browse/family-erebidae/subfamily-erebinae/tribe-omopterini/zale/zale-lunata/

As I’ve become familiar with the different plant species that can exist in riparian areas through my research this semester, this fern is one of my favorites. It usually grows close to a water source, and can be found growing along banks and even on rocks (like below).  

My research group was initially unsure of the identity of this plant but after having help from our research assistant who was familiar with the species, we agreed that this was a type of Maidenhair Fern. Upon uploading the observation and photos to iNaturalist, multiple community members have further identified the species as a Black Maidenhair Fern, or Adiantum capillus-veneris. My iNaturalist observation can be found here.

Black Maidenhair Ferns are native to the southern half of the United States, and on down through Mexico and Central America to South America. It exist where moisture is high and it is commonly cultivated as a houseplant. More on the Black Maidenhair Fern can be found here.

The devils walking stick gets its name, I assume, form the thorns covering the trunk. This tree is certainly not ideal for use as a walking stick and it’s wood is not good for commercial use either but it is is a very interesting tree to observe. The crown is flat and the leaves are twice pinnate giving it a fan like appearance. It was, at first, difficult to identify the tree by the leaves alone but the flat crown was a key identifier when looking at trees common in Texas. The devil’s walking stick is common throughout the southern United States and the Midwest.

 

See my iNaturalist Post here

Sunflower is one of my favorite flowers, so I was excited to see wild sunflowers. Sunflower seeds brings back childhood memories since it was staple snack, it was nearly impossible in the summer to see a kid without a bag of sunflower seeds. What I didn’t know that you can eat flowers, you can boil it and serve with butter or  even using shells as substitute for coffee.

Sunflower can adapt to variety of soil and climates, but wild sunflowers are native to Central United States and Mexico. As most people are used to domesticated sunflower that usually have only one (or two) flowers on top of the stem, the wild sunflower have several flowers branching out of from the stem. Wild sunflowers also usually have smaller flowers with smaller seeds than domesticated sunflowers. Sunflowers can grow up to 6 feet but often in the wild, sunflowers will stay short to reduce risk of toppling over during rain. Wild or domesticated, sunflowers remain bright yellow flower with dark brown/black in the center with thick stem and big leaves.

My iNaturalist observation can be found here.

The Short’s Aster (Symphotrichum shortii) blooms vividly in the Fall months of the year in shady or forest-like areas. I saw many of these perennial wildflowers while hiking through Archstone Greenbelt during our group research audits of Austin parks.

These wildflowers tend to grow about three feet in height, with blue-violet petals surrounding a bright yellow center. Their habitat generally consists of shady areas with very fertile soil and relatively dry conditions,  and is known for being a late-blooming wildflower, especially in the northern United States.

You can find my iNaturalist observation here: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4408014

 

This weekend I spotted an insect I’d never seen before, but luckily its uniqueness made it easy to identify: the red velvet ant (Dasmyutilla occidentalis). Despite its name (it’s also known as “cow killer”), it is actually a wasp. It is the largest of the velvet ants. They’re parasitic to immature wasps and ground-nesting bees, utilizing their nests and eating through cocoons to lay their own larva. The one I came across was wingless which indicates it was a female. The name cow killer is said to refer to their painful sting, but they are not actually known to sting cattle. Although their sting is painful, they are known to be non-aggressive and will seek cover if pursued — which is just what this one did when I tried to get a picture of it. They can even emit a “squeaking sound” when disturbed. This species is uncommon and does not require any kind of control (e.g. pesticides) to manage.

On days we have class Lexington and I always walk together.  It’s kind of a routine type-of-thing; meet up in the lot by the parking garage and walk to class.  We usually discuss homework from the night before or quiz each other before an exam.  Since we started doing the biodiversity blog, we have become much more observant of what is around us.  Whether it is a bird, tree, or insect, we try to get a picture and attempt to identify it.  The other day we spotted a butterfly flying around a shrub.  I immediately took out my camera and tried to get the picture, which proved difficult.  I thought of my wildlife photography days and just snapped pictures until the butterfly was too far away.  It was a success!

Next came the task of identification.  Neither of us are very good with our etymology, so I googled it.  By identifying the wing type and colors of the butterfly, I figured out it was the Western Giant Swallowtail (Papilio rumiko).  The Western Giant Swallowtail is found from the Southwest of the United States through Mexico and Central America.  The best way to ID this butterfly are the two maize-yellow bands on the forewings, and a central band of spots.  Its forewings grows to be quite large reaching 50-58 mm.