Author: awalker1

More south Texas trail camera footage! This week we found several images of different pigs, lots of babies and lots of huge boars. Feral hogs are omnivious, eating both plant and animal matter and will even eat their young under extremely poor conditions. Most ranch owners dislike seeing pigs around their property because they cause destruction to habitat — rooting and trampling around watering holes can cause damage to crops, fields, and livestock feeding. They also destabilize wetland areas, so managers will often find methods of their removal.

iNaturalist Link: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4610966

Similar spot to where I found last week’s alligator I got a picture of what I believe to be a Great Blue Heron. These birds have specially shaped and long neck vertebrae that make them able to quickly strike prey a distance. Also, despite their size they only weigh about 5 or 6 pounds due mostly to their hollow bones – a feature that all birds share. They are located in Texas year round and will feed on almost anything within striking distance.

Source: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/lifehistory

iNaturalist Link: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4519383

 

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

While walking the Lady Bird Trail, I came across quite a few of these Yaupon Holly Trees. They are native to central Texas among a few other places. They are often grown in residential landscapes and make great ornamental twigs around the holiday seasons. The leaves and twigs contain caffeine, which American Indians used to drink in homemade teas. You must have a male and female plant to have berries

 

Source: http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ILVO

iNaturalist Observation: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4391724

Yesterday, I went swimming in Barton Springs and saw what I believe to be a squash bee. This was exciting to me after all the recent buzz about the extinction of the all the pollinators. Bees are extremely important to the ecosystem and can even be said to be responsible for one out of every three bites of food we take. This is because most of the crops grown for their fruits require pollination by insects and bees are by far the biggest and main pollinators. They make such great pollinators because they have hairs all over their body’s that attract the pollen grain and allows them to collect and transfer it easily. In addition, they typically focus on one type of flower at a time.

Source: http://nativeplants.msu.edu/pollination

iNaturalist Observation: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4391631

Outside my office window, I found this little guy just staring inside seemingly pondering what it was like to not be a lizard for a second. He wasn’t shy and even modeled for me for a few moments while I got the best shot. This type of lizard is known as a green anole or anolis carolinensis. Anole’s have the ability to change colors and the males have whats called a “dewlap” under their chin that can be expressed when they are courting or being territorial. They also have very fragile tails, which any Texas kid knows. It will easily fall off, which helps then escape quickly from predators. The tail will eventually grow back, although normally a little shorter than the original.

iNaturalist Link: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4292151

While walking my dog this afternoon, I noticed some new neighbors had just planted juvenile Texas Palm trees also name as Mexican Palmetto or Sabal Mexicana. I’m not sure how old these are but considering palms can grow up to 60 feet in height shows the youth of the one pictured below. There are over 2,500 species of palm trees but this kind is only really found (natively) between South and Central Texas, Mexico, and the along the Gulf Coast. It is often a common choice for a landscape plant because it has a high tolerance for cold and salt spray.

 

iNaturalist Link: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4271463

Fun fact of the day: The spider in children’s classic, Charlotte’s Web, is a barn orb-weaver similar to the one posted in the picture below. The spider depicted below though is called is a spiny-orb weaver or Gasteracantha. I came across this spider while cutting weeds in my backyard and after a momentary freakout, was comforted in the fact that these spiders are generally harmless. Although I didn’t ruin this one’s web, it wouldn’t have mattered much because apparently these spiders spin new webs every single night to make sure that the structure is secure. These spiders are amongst the most beneficial ones we have because they pray on small pests and insects that are present in crops. This helps to control any insect overpopulation.

 

Source: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-23_spiny_orb_weaver_spider.htm

iNaturalist Link: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4220503

This week’s blog entry comes more from a forced encounter than a casual one. It seems that there is a nest of paper wasps or Polistes exclamans somewhere near the side of my house and every time I leave my backdoor open for my dog, a few seem smart enough to want to come inside and enjoy the AC. Wasps, as a whole, are generally useful for pollution, predation, and parasitism. Paper wasps are especially usually in the elimination of caterpillars but they will also eat flies, crickets, and other pests. In early fall, the colony begins to produce males and special reproductive female wasps. These reproductive females, which constitute next year’s queens, mate with males and soon leave the nest in search of protected spots in which they spend the winter. The remaining worker wasps eventually die and the nest becomes vacant. Paper wasps will not reuse their nests the next year (Bellmore).

Link to iNaturalist: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4173507

PSA. No wasps were harmed in the making of this blog post

Works Cited:

Bellmore, Laura. “Beneficial Insects in the Garden: #01 Paper Wasps.” Beneficial Insects in the Garden: #01 Paper Wasps. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.

Over the weekend I picked a few of these fruits from the native Texas Prickly Pear cactus or Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri (O. lindheimeri. It was designated the official plant symbol of Texas in 1995. These cactuses are common in the drier areas of South and Central Texas and Mexico. As you can see in the picture, in the spring time (so it was a little early to do this) since it is still September but the cactus will produce these fruits also known as “tuna.” They can vary in shape and size but have a thin skin, thick rind, and a really juicy pulp. They have been used by humans and animals alike for as long as their existence. The inside is fairly sweet and can be used to be syrups, teas, or juices that have been known to help cure gallstones. They are covered in a little hairs though that have to be removed before consumption. It is legend that the coyote will brush the fruits extensively with us tail before digging in! Here is the link to my iNaturalist observation : http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4147370