Month: October 2016

While doing research this past weekend out at Wild Basin, I spotted this large turtle swimming in Bee Creek. My group’s research assistant, Stephanie, and I discussed what kind of turtle it could be, and because of its size and tail, we agreed that this was a Common Snapping Turtle, or Chelydra serpentina.

Common Snapping Turtles are common throughout the U.S. and North America, and more on the Common Snapping Turtle can be found here. I was initially surprised to come across this turtle because I didn’t realize Texas had snapping turtles, and besides deer, this is the largest animal I’ve seen at Wild Basin so far. I made sure not to get too close!

My iNaturalist observation can be found here.

Growing up I was involved in landscaping.  My dad loved plants and trees.  He had a bit of a passion.  He knew every plant and tree in our yard by its common and scientific name.  He got me to plant two live oaks fairly close together when I was very young.  My dad loved plants and trees so much that he would give certain locations nick names.  For instance, he named a flower bed after my brother and called it Jesse’s island.  Those two live oaks I planted were named Lexington’s aisle.  A bit silly to some but growing up it probably influenced me to love the outdoors even more.  Live oaks, Quercus fusiformis, are prevalent in Austin Texas.  This species is slightly different from the ones I planted, which were southern live oaks, Quercus virginiana.  They have slightly larger acorns that are more pointed than the southern live oaks.

My iNaturalist post can be found here.

This furry caterpillar was (and still is) chilling on the wall next to my apartment door. I thought it was cute until I read about this caterpillar.

I believe it is Puss caterpillar – it is called puss because it is furry like a kitty. Cute name but this caterpillar is one of most venomous caterpillar in the U.S. so try avoid touching the furry part because that is where venomous spines are hidden. It have been said that the sting is worse than a bee sting, the sting is intense to the point that the sting can hurt person’s bones or last up to 12 hours.

This caterpillar can be found from New Jersey to Florida and southwest to Texas, there are five species of flannel moths and I think this is southern flannel moth, the most common species.

my iNaturalist observation can be found here.

 

This green heron (Butorides virescens) was spotted along Lady Bird Lake. Unlike other herons, the green heron has short legs and is stocky. Because of their short legs, they are known to stay at the water’s edge and hunt for fish and amphibians. In comparison to other herons, the green heron will wade less, staying on vegetation or solid ground. They are sometimes known to use certain materials to lure their fish prey. This species resides primarily in North and Central America.

 

My iNaturalist observation can be found here.

Sources: http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/5020-Butorides-virescens; https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Green_Heron/id

This Gulf Fritillary, or Agraulis vanillae, was fluttering around these colorful goldenrods outside my church this morning. The Gulf Fritillary is a brightly colored butterfly common across extreme southern portions of the United States. At home in most open, sunny habitats, it frequents roadsides, disturbed sites, fields, open woodlands, pastures, yards, and parks. It is a regular in most butterfly gardens, including those in more urban settings.

They are commonly mistaken for their famous distant cousins, the Monarch butterfly, due to their coloring and patterns. Although they do not make the Monarch’s incredible journey all the way to Mexico,they are widely spread across the South. Sadly, some species of fritillaries are considered endangered.

You can find my iNaturalist observation here: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4370141

Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens) is a native Texas plant that grows to a medium-sized shrub with silvery to gray-green leaves, and beautiful purple flowers.  It is sometimes called “barometer bush” because flowering is triggered by humidity or high soil moisture after rains. This plant’s native range is from Northern Mexico through the Rio Grande Plains and Trans-Pecos, into New Mexico. It is extremely drought and heat tolerant and maintenance-free once established.

After a good rain, almost like magic, it explodes with hundreds of small purple flowers. It is frequently used in xeriscape flowerbed designs. Texas Sage loves the sun, and will struggle and grow weak and leggy in a shady location.

This Texas Sage shown below is outside of my work in Round Rock. This is the first time I have ever seen it’s flowers, and it was quite a site to see.

My iNaturalist post can be found here.

Source: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/nativeshrubs/leucophyllumfrutes.htm

http://austinnativelandscaping.com/leucophyllum-frutescens-texas-sage-cenizo-silverleaf-texas-ranger-barometer-bush-purple-sage/

Garrya ovata ssp. lindheimeri is a subspecies of Silktassel, named after Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer (1801 – 1879) who is often called the Father of Texas Botany because of his work as the first permanent-resident plant collector in Texas. Lindheimer immigrated to the United States in 1834 as a political refugee. From 1843 – 1852, he spent his time collecting specimens in Texas. In 1844, he settled in New Braunfels and was granted land on the banks of the Comal River, where he continued collecting plants and attempted to establish a botanical garden. He shared his findings with many others who shared his interest in botany, including Ferdinand von Roemer and Adolph Scheele. Lindheimer is credited with the discovery of several hundred plant species and his name is used to designate forty-eight species and subspecies of plants. He is buried in New Braunfels and his house, on Comal Street in New Braunfels, is now a museum. This subspecies of Garrya ovata is an understory plant whose natural range is limited to Central Texas. These shrub-like trees like to grow in the rocky limestone hills and canyons of the Edwards Plateau.

iNaturalist observation.

Source for Lindheimer info.

Trametes versicolor, or the turkey tail fungus, is one of the most common species of fungus in North America. They grow on dead or diseased hardwoods or conifers. They are decomposers of the polyporaceae family. They can vary tremendously in color. Individual caps cans grow up to 10 cm across, but often fuse with other caps. They are not poisonous to humans, but are also not consumed. They are currently being used in clinical trials to help boost the immune systems of cancer patients.

My iNaturalist observation can be found here.

This little skipper was resting in a patch of grass when I was able to take a photo of it. I have identified it as Atalopedes campestris, or sachem skipper. It belongs to the Hesperiidae family and Hesperiinae subfamily. This one is likely a female because males are brighter in color. The males are yellow-orange and females are yellow-brown to dark brown. The larvae have black heads and dark olive green bodies and brown lines and dark bumps. They have three broods from May to November in the north and four to five broods in the south from March to December. Caterpillars feed on grasses such as Bermuda grass, crabgrass, and goosegrass, and adults feed on nectar from a variety of flowers such as milkweed, buttonbush, and asters. They prefer to live in disturbed, open areas, which is probably why I saw it in a small patch of grass in an apartment complex. The population is noted to be globally secure, although they may be rare in certain areas they are native to.

Sources:

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Atalopedes-campestris

http://bugguide.net/node/view/9521

http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/North%20America%20-%20Atalopedes%20campestris.htm

My iNaturalist post can be found here.

The Gulf Flitillary,  Agraulis vanillae, is an orange and black butterfly found in southern areas of the United States. I saw this butterfly in the same place I found the Red Bird of Paradise. There were several other butterflies in the area, potentially a Clouded Sulphur butterfly and an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, but this one was still long enough for a few pictures.

This beautiful butterfly, like most, comes from a humble and ugly beginning. The mature larva is a toxic orange with many black spines.  Butterflies are being largely impacted by humans, migration has been interrupted by wind turbines and other large structures, pesticides and herbicides have a substantial impact but climate change may be the largest impact yet. Global warming may disrupt the synchronization of the waking of the caterpillar in the spring and food availability provided by violets.

This information was found here and the iNaturalist post can be seen here