Author: smattech

I am constantly drawn to the beautiful colors of Texas wildflowers. The bright, multicolored flowers always bring a smile to my face. I took this picture on campus a few weeks ago and recently found it when going through my pictures.

The bush was easily identifiable thanks to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower website. Texas lantana is a spreading shrub that is part of the verbena family. It provides beautiful red, orange, and yellow color from April-October. I must have seen this one near the end of it’s blooming season. The shrub is very attractive for gardeners as it provides beautiful color and attracts pollinators like butterflies. Birds usually stay away from this plant because the black fruit clusters are poisonous. Check out my iNaturalist post here. See what things you can find in your neighborhood and add them to iNaturalist!

References

http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=14955

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LAUR2

I spent Saturday morning hiking around Wild Basin enjoying the beautiful weather. Just as I got to the overlook a bird popped out of the bushes. I stood very still and was able to get a photo. I was going through the birds in my head of what it could be and none seemed to make sense. I posted my observation and waited for others to help me identify it. Within hours several people identified the bird as the greater roadrunner.  My iNaturalist observation is here. 

The greater roadrunner can reach speeds of 20mph but when I saw it the bird was still so I’m not sure I could have identified it as a roadrunner. They eat snakes, lizards, and small birds, and do very well is harsh desert climates. You will find roadrunners in southeastern United States but you can find them as far north as Missouri. You can hear their call here, but please do not play it in the wild!

References:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Greater_Roadrunner/id

While enjoying the beautiful scenery at Inks Lake we stubbled upon this creature. This spider is not the largest spider I have ever seen but I found it very interesting because of it’s distinct white stripe. I later identified it as the Pantropical jumping spider. This spider originated in Asia but has spread the United States. It is often found on light colored buildings and it eats bugs that are attracted to light. I found this spider on a the side of building near the lake. This is a male spider which is distinct from the females of the same species. Pantropical jumping spiders eat several different arthropods and will vary it’s diet depending on what is available.

The jumping spider gets it’s name from the ability to jump from plant to plant hunting prey. While I find this a really cool adaptation, I am very glad I did not see it jump. I probably would have gotten a picture of it! My iNaturalist post is here.

References:

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/jumping_spiders.htm

 

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

As the days are getting shorter, I now come home when the last bits of sun are leaving the sky. The short walk from my car to my apartment is through a green patch that is home to a nine-banded armadillo. I first met the armadillo last year when I heard some rustling in a bush. Being from the pacific northwest I had never seen the strange animal that came out of the bushes. It looked like a strange scaly nutria, however I knew from pictures of southwest wildlife that it was in fact an armadillo.

Nine-banded armadillo is the only species found in the United States. The animal can have anywhere from 7-11 scaly bands that give it an armor looking coat. From my research they seem to eat almost anything from insects to plants allowing them to live in a wide range of areas, including the green space at my apartment complex. Amazingly they can hold their breath for approximately six minutes and will either swim or walk across the bottom of rivers. An armadillo usually gives birth to identical quadruplets, but since the armor is not formed until later in life they are prone to predation. Their population is increasing since humans have killed off most of their predators including pumas, black bears, and alligators.  Armadillos were a source of food for humans, especially during the great depression, due to their abundance. I have been unable to get a picture of the armadillo living near my apartment but here is my iNaturalist post.

References:

https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Mammals/Nine-Banded-Armadillo.aspx

Yaupon Holly is a unique and well known plant in central Texas. It is a shrub that grows about 12-45ft tall. The female plant is easily identifiable with bright red berries. It is a unique plant because the leaves contain caffeine. Yaupon Holly is the only native plant in Texas that contains caffeine. Native Americans would dry and crush the leaves to make a tea to drink. They used the tea as part of rituals and would drink a lot of it and throw it up. However, the leaves do not cause vomiting. It was also commonly given to guests but not in large quantities. You might even see Yaupon Holly leaves sold in stores as a tea!

 

Yaupon Holly is an evergreen shrub so it is used in many landscapes as well as in restoration plots. It is very popular in the winter because of the dark green leaves and bright red berries. In order to have the red berries you need both male and female plants.

My iNaturalist post can be found here.

references:

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

 

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is a shrub that grows in the southeastern United States. The identifying features includes long green branches with green foliage, expect in the fall when the leaves turn yellow. The distinguishing feature is the bright, glossy purple berries that grow in clusters and can be seen in fall and winter.

This plant was used by several Native American tribes to treat ailments. The leaves and berries were boiled and used to treat fevers, stomachaches, dizziness, and colic. The crushed leaves can also act as a mosquito repellant, which is very useful for Austin this time of year!

The berries are a major food source for songbirds and small mammals. Deer will eat the leaves because of their high protein count. American beautyberry is a pioneer species making it a useful tool for forest rehabilitation. My iNaturalist post is here.

References:

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAAM2

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

 

The other Saturday at the Vireo Preserve we had the opportunity to explore the largely successful recovery and management efforts happening on the preserve. Biologist Jim O’Donnell from the City of Austin walked us through his 20 years of work on the Vireo Preserve. He called our attention to several plant and animal species and explained their significance for the ecosystem and recovery efforts. One of the most interesting things I learned was the use of Turkey-tail, a fungus that grows out of logs and trees, to manage the invasive Japanese Privet (one we have heard a lot about from researchers at Wild Basin-Abby, Savannah, and Eric!). Jim O’Donnell explained how they cut down the privet chopping into two feet long chunks. They inoculate the stumps with Turkey-tail after it has dried and spread it around the preserve. The fungus grows out of the sides of the inoculated pieces of privet and then eventually decomposes the chunks. It is an innovative way to deal with the cut down privets and allows natural biological processes speed up the process of decomposition. Here is a picture of an inoculated privet piece:

The majority of the fungus is within the wood and only it’s tail sticks out, giving the Turkey-tail it’s name. It rarely harms a tree since it lives mostly to decompose dead woody material, providing essential nutrients to the soil. Along with the Turkey-tail’s important role in nutrient cycling it is linked to potential immune benefits in cancer patients. See here for a closer look at the study. My iNaturalist post is found here.

References:

http://www2.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/turkey_tail.htm

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/trametes_versicolor.html

The Gulf Fritillary Butterfly are at their peak population size between August and November and are found throughout Southern United States. They enjoy sunny, open spaces which is where I saw this one fluttering about amongst some wildflowers.

Before it becomes a butterfly the larvae is bright orange with black spikes all around. You will most like see the caterpillar on it’s host plant, passion vine. While passion vine is poisonous to most insects, the Gulf Fritillary is able to digest the leaves with no harm from the poisons. The Gulf Fritillary Butterfly expels a strong, stinky scent from glands on it’s abdomen when disturbed that wards against unwanted predators.

My iNaturalist post can be found here.

 

References:

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/gulf_fritillary.htm

http://bugoftheweek.com/blog/2015/2/23/beautiful-but-stinky-gulf-fritillary-iagraulis-vanillaei

On a beautiful Texas Sunday morning I was hiking at Inks Lake State Park and found this lovely blue and yellow flower. It’s common name is Widow’s Tears or Dayflower (Commelina erecta) and can be identified by the three blue petals with yellow at the center. I found it scattered in an open field near the trail with butterflies and bees flying around the flowers. This leads me to the conclusion that it is an important pollinator wildflower and could be used in pollinator gardens to attract butterflies, bees, and birds. Pollinator gardens are a focus for urban ecology because many of the important pollinators are disappearing due to humans activity according to the Xerces Society. If you are interested in planting a pollinator garden in your community see here.

My iNaturalist post can be found here.