Author: chiggins

Dryas iulia, commonly called the Julia Butterfly or Julia Heliconian, flew past me while I was walking to my car last week on campus. Its dazzling orange color and swift, yet irregular flight pattern drew my attention immediately. Only when it finally landed on a plant was I able to capture a non-blurry picture. Julia butterflies can be found in the southern US but are native to Brazil and are distributed everywhere in between. The females of this species typically have more black on their wings while males are much brighter orange, which makes me think this is a male. Julia butterflies are long-winged, brush-footed butterflies with high fecundity rates and a unique proboscis that allows them to feed on pollen. They are able to get amino acids from the pollen that they cannot get from nectar. Because of this specialization, they often live longer than many other butterflies. This trait makes them very suitable for butterfly farming or gardening.

You can find my iNaturalist post here.

References

http://www.gardenswithwings.com/butterfly/Julia%20Heliconian/index.html

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

During a hike on the greenbelt this weekend, I saw some pretty yellow flowers that I thought would be great for the biodiversity post this week. Then, I saw bees surrounding the flowers so naturally I tried to get photos of them instead. Of course it wasn’t pleasant standing in the middle of a swarm of bees but I did it for the blog! After spending most of this morning looking at bee identification websites, I have come to the conclusion that these were honeybees (could be wrong), scientifically known as Apis mellifera.  

Honeybees are generally divided into three types: workers, the queen, and male bees which are called drones. Workers are the only bees most people ever see. Like ants, they are females that are not sexually developed. They have many jobs which include foraging for food, such as nectar and pollen from flowers as seen in the photo, building and protecting the hive, cleaning, circulating the air by beating their wings, and many other social functions. The queen’s only job is to have babies, but she also regulates the activities of the hive by producing chemical to guide behavior. There is only one queen per hive, and when she dies, a worker female in the colony is fed a special elixir which allows her to be a fertile queen. Males, or drones, live in the hive during the spring and summer but are expelled during winter months while the hive goes into lean survival mode. During this time, the hive lives on stored honey and pollen and cluster into a ball to conserve warmth. Honeybee hives have been providing humans with honey and beeswax for many years, spawning a large beekeeping industry, but many still exist in the wild.

You can find my iNaturalist post here.

References

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/honeybee/

 

The chinquapin oak or Quercus muehlenbergii is very prominent in the forest area surrounding my apartment. It is named because of the resemblance of the leaves to the Allegheny chinquapin (Castanea pumila), a relative of American chestnut (C. dentata). Chinquapin oak occurs in northeast Texas to central Texas and south to the Guadalupe River. It has an interesting history; Early pioneers used its straight wood to make thousands of miles of fences in the states of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. They were also used to fuel steamships and as railroad ties for the new railroads that crisscrossed the Midwest.

The chinquapin oak flowers between April and May and produces acorns which ripen between September and October. Both male and female flowers occur on the same tree and they are pollinated by the wind. Like others oaks, this tree supports a wide variety of wildlife, making it an important habitat in its own right. The acorns are a preferred food for wild turkeys, grouse, white-tailed deer, black bears, chipmunks, squirrels and hogs. Cattle will eat the leaves.

You can find my iNaturalist post here.

References

https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=875

http://texastreeid.tamu.edu/content/TreeDetails/?id=101

While walking along the path to Hamilton pool, the American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is definitely one of the standout plants. The edible berries are bright purple and quite large, which makes for a nice contrast to the surrounding greenery. The American beautyberry is a fast growing native perennial shrub that can grow 5-8 feet tall. The leaves are oppositely arranged with wooly-like hairs on their underside. This shrub is distributed throughout the southeastern United States from Texas and Oklahoma all the way to Maryland. It is commonly found in woody areas with moist soils. It is considered a pioneer species and is characteristic of the mid-stages of succession.

In late spring to early summer, American beautyberry flowers of purple or pink appear in clusters on the stem and quickly become white/pink berries. In late summer to early fall, the berries deepen in color and reach full ripeness. They can be eaten raw, or can be used to make jelly and wine. Mosquito repellent properties have also been found in the leaves, making this plant the most versatile and beneficial of all my biodiversity observations. Next time I come across it, I will definitely grab some berries and attempt to make American beautyberry wine!

My iNaturalist post can be found here.

References

https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_caam2.pdf

http://www.foragingtexas.com/2008/09/beautyberry.html

 

Bald Cypress trees, Taxodium distichum, are ornamental at Hamilton Pool. Their roots reach down into the creek waters and they stretch up to heights of about 120 feet. They are deciduous conifers that shed their leaves in early Fall; so early in fact it is the reason they were given the name “bald” cypress. Another interesting characteristic about this species and what they’re most known for is their “knees”. This is a term to describe the special type of roots they possess called pneumatophores, which means “air-bearing”. Because bald cypress trees are rooted into the water, the pneumatophores serve to transport air to drowned roots underground while also helping to stabilize the tree.

Bald Cypress trees are native throughout the southeastern United States. They are well-adapted to wet conditions along river banks and swamps, which has led them to be the state tree of Louisiana. Bald Cypresses are slow-growing, long-lived trees that frequently reach up to 600 years in age. They were valued for timber in the past, but their slow-growth characteristic has placed a higher priority on conserving them and their low numbers. It is also more difficult for loggers to harvest them within wetlands. These trees are very valuable in the wild. They soak up floodwaters, help prevent coastal erosion, trap pollutants and prevent them from spreading, and provide breeding grounds for many amphibians. Their high canopies are also popular for bird nests, most notably the bald eagle.

You can find my iNaturalist post here.

References

https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Plants/Bald-Cypress.aspx

As my research group and I were walking to Doyle Hall, we spotted this Grey Hairstreak butterfly, or Strymon melinus. Naturally, it was a dispute about who was going to use it as their biodiversity observation this week and I was the lucky victor. The Grey Hairstreak is the most common hairstreak in North America and is frequently found in parks, gardens, woods and open fields. They are very hard to track when flying due to their sporadic and quick movements, which is probably a defense tactic. As caterpillars, they feed on the fruits and flowers of many different plants, most often pea and mallow families, and can be a pest to bean farmers. As adults, they feed on the nectar of many flower species. The coloration of the Grey Hairstreak makes it easily identifiable, with a bright orange and black spot amidst a mostly grey wing. Currently, they are very prevalent and do not require any conservation measures.

My iNaturalist post can be found here.

References

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Strymon-melinus

http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Gray-Hairstreak-Butterfly

The Prairie Flameleaf Sumac, sometimes referred to as the Texas Sumac, stood out among its green surroundings this morning because of its flagrant patches of red. Rhus lanceolata is a Texas native and is usually found on limestone or neutral soils in OK and NM as well. This perennial is extremely heat and drought tolerant, allowing it to thrive in central Texas. The blooming period for this species is in the summer, which is why its berries have such a bright red color. In the Fall, the leaves will begin to turn a vivid red. This deciduous tree can grow up to 30 ft. in height, but is usually found to only reach up to 20 ft. It is attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds and is generally pest- and disease-free. Similar to the Evergreen Sumac, the Prairie Flameleaf Sumac produces berries that can be soaked in water to make a tasty tea that is high in vitamin C.

My iNaturalist link can be found here.

References

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RHLA3

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/natives/RHUSLANCEOLATA.HTM

Because of its striking color, the Mexican Bush Sage, Salvia leucantha, caught my eye this evening during my walk around the apartment complex. This herbaceous perennial is native to Mexico and Central America but it’s particularly well adapted to the climate of central Texas. What makes this shrub unique is the fact that it is deer-resistant, while also providing food and shelter to birds, butterflies, and bees. The bright purple flowers bloom from summer to late fall, and the shrub can reach heights between 3′ and 5′. Because of its outstanding beauty and low maintenance, the Mexican bush sage has become very popular for landscaping, especially in the Austin area. It has also been the recipient of numerous awards, including being named a Texas Super Star.

My iNaturalist observation can be found here.

Resources

http://www.finegardening.com/mexican-bush-sage-salvia-leucantha

http://austinnativelandscaping.com/salvia-leucantha-mexican-bush-sage/