arnanthescout's Favorites

Pore near the apex of the capsule, seeds ca. 0.5 mm, biconvex, smooth and polished. Most nodes include a cleistogamous flower. Final photo is a comparison of T. texana seeds on the left (small, dark, quadrangular, with reticulate, rough surface) and T. biflora seeds on the right.

Williamson County, Tx; Berry Springs Park
9/24/2018
Physalis cinerascens

Always difficult from the literature to really distinguish P. cinerascens from P. mollis, but on most of this plant (with the exception of the calyx) the hairs are not obscuring the surface, so going with P. cinerascens.

Only about 5-6 species this could be based on location.

Diagnostic or useful features to ID as E. modestus include: scale-like phyllaries with many fine hairs that stick out; strigose stem that is reddish proximally; withered basal leaves during flowering; leaves gradually reduced distally, very strigose distally; lower leaves toothed near ends; ray and disc florets match description in literature re number and color; plant is growing next to rocky driveway (species likes gravelly sites).

Day # 4 - ECRTMN Weekly "Let's Get Outside!" activity suggestion: Make at least one iNat observation every day.
Good or bad, this grass population is increasing in the open area between the yard fence and the stock tank.

Yellow-flowered mallow, auriculate bracts underneath sepals (auriculate=ear-lobe like lobe, so the base of bracts are lobe shaped) , 6-10-rayed stellate hairs on stems/underside of leaves (need 10X lens to see), and reddish immature fruits.

I was out checking the rainlilies when THIS popped into my view near the drainage area. I couldn't believe it for a minute! This species of milkweed! Here! The entire time! How is it possible that I've never seen this until now? Based on the size it appears to have been here for quite a while. Where did it even come from? I don't even think there are any other observations of this species here...

First all those rainlilies, now this. The rain last weekend has really worked miracles.
I'm going to check some of the other swampy areas to see if there could be more...

This is really what I love about plants though. Even when you think you've seen everything somewhere, something new and spectacular will pop up!

Edit: I was wrong. RIP. Unfortunately it turned out to be nonnative Tropical Milkweed rather than the uncommon Butterfly Weed. But then again, another thing I love about plants: there's always plenty of room to learn!

I was watching this butterfly for a while. It was flying around, quite jittery of outside movement, when it suddenly stopped, fluttered in circles around a nearby oak (I believe a planted Quercus sinuata) before landing on the truck. I decided to try and get a few photos of it before it would inevitably noticed my presence and scatter off again. but surprisingly, it did not seem bothered by my presence as I moved closer to try and get better shots.

It was around this time I noticed its proboscis sticking out from the camera screen. Perplexed at what it was tasting, I peered around my phone to see, and noticed the sap oozing out of the broken twig it was resting on. The butterfly was feeding on the sap, probing its proboscis between the torn fibers and thoroughly enjoying itself.

In fact, there must have been something in the sap, either a lot of sugar, or maybe some fermentation, because it started to unstably totter around a bit. Almost like it was high on the sugar or something similar! Likely the reason it didn't notice or react to my presence was due to its thorough enjoyment of its lucky find. So engrossed was it in its behavior that a lucky bird could've easily snatched it up! Though it does look like it may have already had some past experiences with birds.

I went down to Austin TPWD headquarters to get a replacement truck -- the previous one had over 100K miles, so I got a new one! :) On the way back north, I visited this incredible park, Bull Creek District Park, to see some of the plants that Andy, Eric, and Joshua (among others) have seen. Really cool place.