Author: mclarke1

A few weeks back, one of my classes held in the performance studio (a room
with a wall of windows which floods the room with natural light) was graced with the presence of a blue jay! Though I wasn’t able to get a photo of it, the bird was so beautiful and rare to my eyes that I had to include it in this blog.

Blue jays are actually fairly common in suburban areas, especially near oak trees or bird feeders. The blue jay’s diet is fairly varied. They eat insects, nuts and seeds, grains, dead or injured small vertebrates, and are even known to steal the eggs of other birds!

These songbirds are fairly complex. They have intricate social systems and are known for their intelligence. Blue jays mate for life and form tight family bonds. They have a large ‘vocabulary’ and have been known to imitate human speech and cats’ meows. In the wild, they frequently mimic hawks, either to warn other blue jays of the presence of hawks, or to trick other birds into thinking a hawk is present.

Reference and photograph source:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue_Jay/lifehistory

iNaturalist Observation:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5433720

This plant has bright red flowers that somewhat resemble thin peppers. The cedar sage also has hairy, heart-shaped leaves. They grow in shady areas, usually in dry soil that has been fertilized by juniper tree leaves.

The cedar sage is a highly resilient plant, which makes it perfect for Texas gardens, though it is also found in some parts of Mexico. During the winter or long periods of drought, the cedar sage will go dormant and turn into a dead-looking brown color. However, this plant is revived by relatively low levels of water.

The cedar sage has fragrant flowers, which attract hummingbirds and butterflies. However, these critters aren’t the only ones to feed on these flowers: cedar sage flowers are edible to humans and are known to taste sweet!

Reference:

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=saro3

iNaturalist Observation:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5433918

This is one of my favourite trees on campus. The vividly bright green leaves contrast beautifully with the deeply textured bark, and the thick foliage provides a good place to take shelter from the scorching Texas sun.

Bur oaks are massive trees, meaning that the one on campus is likely still in its adolescence. In fact, bur oaks often exceed 100 feet in both height and width! The size, coupled with the ‘deeply furrowed bark’ allow this tree to have the widest natural territory of all the eastern oaks. They also have the largest acorns of all the oaks. 

References:

https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=874

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=quma2

iNaturalist Observation:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5434007

I wasn’t able to get a good photo, but on our walk across campus with Dr. Belaire, we stumbled upon a tree filled with a flock of cedar waxwings.

These little chubby birds are just gorgeous. The upper halves of their bodies are a beautiful rusty brown color, fading gently into steel blue. Their square tails are tipped with a vivid yellow, and their wings with bright red. They also have yellow bellies.

Cedar waxwings stay in some latitudes year-round, but usually only stay in Texas for the winter. They are very social birdsand are known for their remarkable aeronautics.

Reference:

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

iNaturalist Observation:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5434033

I was lucky to get a photo of these spiderworts, because research informed me that these blossoms typically only last for one or two days! I also found out that these flowers don’t usually start blooming until May, which makes this observation even more remarkable, as it was made in late March.

Spiderworts, also known as Tradescantia virginiana, tend to grow in clusters, much like the evening primrose. The petals of this flower vary in color, sometimes appearing violet, purple, pink, or (rarely) white.

These plants are actually pretty incredible. Each part of the plant- leaves, roots, flowers, and seeds- is edible. Leaves are typically used for tea or in salads, roots are harvestable at any time of year, flowers can also be used in salads, and the seeds are edible when roasted and ground into a bitter powder. The plant also has medicinal qualities: spiderwort leaves and roots can be applied externally to help heal wounds and hemorrhoids. Additionally, spiderwort tea can allegedly increase breast milk!

Reference:

http://www.ediblewildfood.com/spiderwort.aspx

iNaturalist Observation:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5434061

I found this little guy when we walked around campus with Dr. Belaire looking for wildlife. She was able to identify the bird immediately.

Though they might not look like much from the subdued coloring, mockingbirds are very lively birds. They harass any other birds that get in their territory by either flying around them or ‘prancing’ toward them. They also like to make their presence known. The bird we found was originally perched in a tree as we all crowded in beneath it to try and get a good photo. Then, the bird actually flew down closer to us and landed on the grass. Photo Op!!

Reference:

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

iNaturalist Observation:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5434105

Ah, the Lupinus texensis— better known as the Texas bluebonnet. These beautiful flowers grow in vast quantities around the St. Edward’s campus, particularly on the hill behind Teresa Hall. This spot is usually flooded this time of year with people from all around snapping photographs of their families or prom groups, surrounded by beds of bluebonnets as far as the eye can see.

Growing up in Texas, I’ve always had an appreciation for these beauties, given that they’re state flower (hence the scientific name). I remember countless elementary school projects involving bluebonnets. I also remember a vividly upsetting memory from my elementary school years: I was watching a man cutting the grass in one of ride-along lawnmowers, when he approached a patch of the beautiful flowers. Without a moment’s hesitation, he plowed right through them.

More recently, I found out that picking bluebonnets is actually not illegal in Texas (contrary to what they taught us in elementary school). So, even though the man in the lawnmower destroyed a beautiful patch of Texas’ state flower, it technically wasn’t illegal. I still should have reported him.

iNaturalist Observation:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5434115

I see these pretty pink flowers all the time around campus. What caught my eye in particular as I was walking home from class is how these flowers tend to grow in patches along the grass. My research informed me that these flowers are native to the central United States and Mexico and often form “extensive colonies”.

These flowers go by many names: pink evening primrose, showy evening primrose, Mexican evening primrose, pink ladies, and pink buttercups to name a few. The species name is Oenothera speciosa.

I also found out that these flowers tend to open up during the evening (hence the name ‘showy evening primrose’), which is probably why I noticed them on my way home at 5 PM and have never seen them open when I walk to campus earlier in the day.

Reference:

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=oesp2

iNaturalist Observation:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5971858

I was on my way to my 9:30 class from my apartment, running late, as usual. Yet, I couldn’t help but stop when I noticed a brown butterfly with beautiful white spots calmly settled on the pavement. Its wings were folded and it didn’t move as I got closer and closer trying to get a good picture, which leads me to believe that perhaps it was injured. ):

This butterfly was difficult for me to identify. I searched everywhere for “brown butterfly with white spots”, and couldn’t find any pictures that matched the ones I took. Luckily, the iNaturalist community helped my identify this Gulf Fritillary.

The reason I couldn’t find pictures of a brown butterfly with white spots is because I could only see the underside of the wings. The other side of the butterfly is actually orange with black markings and three white spots on each wing. More photos and information can be found here:

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Agraulis-vanillae

iNaturalist Observation:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5971863

I was visiting some friends in San Antonio, impatiently waiting for them to open their door, when I noticed a green bug that looked remarkably like a leaf on the upper part of their door frame. I quickly snapped a picture before the door opened or the little guy got frightened away.

After a bit of research, I concluded that this was a green stink bug, also known as Chinavia hilaris.

Yikes! Luckily, the bug wasn’t frightened by the door opening or the noise spilling out from within. Good thing too, because further research informed me that these bugs have wings, which is a big ol’ nope from me. If this bug had flown anywhere near me, our combined defense mechanisms (me: swatting madly and running in circles, and the bug: stink) would have resulted in a bad time for us all. Luckily, I snapped a harmless picture and made it safely inside my friends’ apartment.

 

Observation:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5971866

Reference:

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/bean/green_stink_bug.htm