Month: April 2017

This is the first observation I made. These rowdy birds were around my apartment most evenings for a while and I always wondered what they were. Some suggested they were grackles as they are very common in our area, but after doing some research I found out these birds are actually American Crows. Some notable differences are that crows are pitch black while grackles have some blueish tints in their feathers. Also, there calls are very different. Grackles produced very high-pitched sounds while crows produce sounds more like “caw-caw.”

Source: http://www.birdwatchersgeneralstore.com/CrowsGrackles.htm

Observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5044309

In the garden outside of JBWS, I found a lone cone flower, or echinacea. This is interesting, since these plants are typically found in wooded areas or dry prairies. Some limited research has been done, seeking to find out if there are any medical benefits to be gained by ingesting the cone flower, specifically focused on cold symptoms and cancer. Unfortunately, results have been mostly inconclusive. Even though they won’t cure the common cold, these flowers are great for your garden because they work well in many climates and maintain their beautiful foliage almost year round!

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5957423

Lomandra Longifolia, or basket grass, is native to Australia but grows here in the United States as well. Lucky for this plant, it does really well with droughts, so I’m sure it’s prepared for Texas heat in the summertime. This works well for those interested in basket grass, because although you need moisturized soil to plant this guy, it wouldn’t die if you didn’t water it. Interestingly enough, this plant can also have a high tolerance for flooding. Because of its adaptability, basket grass can grow anywhere from swamps and wetlands to the banks of cliffs and rocky hillside.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5957418

I uploaded this photo of a cactus I saw outside of JBWS to iNaturalist, and despite what I thought was a detailed description, I got no response. So I did a bit of searching on my own and narrowed it down to being either the Engelmann Prickly Pear or the Barbary Fig. I eventually came to the conclusion that it was an engelmann prickly pear, because in all of the photos I saw of barbary figs they were a bit taller than this cactus is. This cactus originates from Mexico and is still found in Northern Mexico, as well as throughout the south-central and southwestern United States. This cactus typically flowers in late April and into May, and what I found really interesting is that each bloom lasts only one day. The flowers open up in the morning around 8 am and close, 8 hours later. This plant really knows how to take it easy!

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5433934

At brunch one morning on South Congress, I observed a female house sparrow! This is one of my favorite observations because I made it shortly after we had the explanatory class session and I was excited to finally observe something on my own. These birds are closely associated with human habitats, often keeping away from areas like deserts or grasslands. This species is thought of as a very social bird, nesting, singing and sometimes even bathing in groups. An interesting fact about the house sparrow is that the female house sparrow is dominant especially around the nest, and during mating season, despite their small stature, will fight for the men.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5443033

Ah, the grackle, my arch nemesis. As someone who is relatively afraid of birds, this one is my worst nightmare. Every time I’m sitting outside Jos, drinking my morning coffee, one of these guys appears. Squawking and fluffing his wings, he is fearless. After doing some research about grackles though, specifically the great-tailed grackle, I have a newfound respect for them. Grackles can solve Aesop fable tests, where you bring a piece of solid piece of food to the top of a cup of water to better reach it by dropping other objects into the cup. I can respect an intelligent bird – but stay away from my tacos!

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5939794

This species of seagull, called the laughing gull, is decidedly not funny. While trying to enjoy my easter break on the beach, he would not stop making noise! The genus name for the laughing gull is Leucophaeus atricilla, stemming from the ancient greek words “leukos” (white) and “phaios’ (dusky), and the ancient latin words “ater” (black) and “cilla” (tail). It’s usually pretty easy to identify these guys because of their long, red beaks. It’s a medium sized gull, and similarly to other seagulls tends to frequent beaches, much to my dismay.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5675664

Though I’ve seen these flowers before growing with weeds my whole life, I had never really stopped to think about what they were. Turns out, they are the Senecio Ampullaceus, or Texas Groundsel. This plant flowers, in Texas, in the spring season and grow to be surprisingly tall. Although this flower was a lone ranger, typically they grow in groups amongst large patches of weeds. Weeds can pesky and ugly to look at, but this bright little flowers are a sight for sore eyes!

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5954548

During our walk around campus together, I was lucky enough to spot this blue jay. I think these are the most beautiful birds and I wish I saw them more often! The scientific name for the bird I saw is the cyanocitta cristata. Sometimes, because of their affinity for singing this bird is often nicknamed as a “jay bird.” Whenever I identified this bird, it was because we heard its cheerful warble from afar! When we took the little quiz in class before we went exploring asking how often we saw different birds, I remember saying that I only rarely saw bluebirds. Then, later that day, there he was! I was really excited to spot this guy and hope to see him around campus.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5433973

Salvia, more commonly known as sage it would seem, is the largest genus of plants in the mint family, or Lamiaceae. With approximately 700-900 species, it makes sense that we’d find this little guy at St. Edward’s, given how widespread the species are. The flower color can range from blue to red, the latter of which we see in my iNaturalist observation. This plant can also be characterized as having trichomes, or hairs, growing on the leaves stems and flowers. These hairs help some species reduce water loss, while in others they serve as a mechanism for secreting oils that give the plant it’s distinct smell!

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5433911