The 4th picture is UV flora, aka Bee vision
There were 2
@sambiology showing off a unique property of dogwoods.
as prey
Previously I had never seen more than two or three of this species in a given night. Note how many are on this one tree at my banana bait.
seems to be enjoying a refreshing drink of milkweed sap.
Hogna 'incognita'
Spiderlings:
Instar 2 offspring from this female:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:Similar%20observation%20set=Offspring%20of%20188761129:%20instar%202
Instar 3 offspring from this female:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:Similar%20observation%20set=Offspring%20of%20188761129:%20instar%203
Instar 4 offspring from this female:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:Similar%20observation%20set=Offspring%20of%20188761129:%20instar%204
Instar 5 offspring from this female:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:Similar%20observation%20set=Offspring%20of%20188761129:%20instar%205
Instar 6 offspring from this female:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:Similar%20observation%20set=Offspring%20of%20188761129:%20instar%206
Instar 7 offspring from this female:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:Similar%20observation%20set=Offspring%20of%20188761129:%20instar%207
Instar 8 offspring from this female:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:Similar%20observation%20set=Offspring%20of%20188761129:%20instar%208
Instar 9 offspring from this female:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:Similar%20observation%20set=Offspring%20of%20188761129:%20instar%209
@bosqueaaron oh no
Sometimes you just gotta mash the shutter for too long
First observation of 2024. Birch trees under some amazing Aurora borealis !
Had such a wonderful time at the Indian Creek Ranch bioblitz!
https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/87950-bioblitz-at-indian-creek-ranch-april-12-14-2024
Today, I walked around quite a bit along the road and into one of the participating landowners. Great fun! :)
First time fruiting (about 10-11 years old), and covered in Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars.
68m
All three species growing in one spot! Left: T. reptans; center: T. platycarpa; right: T. cuneifolia.
There seems to be some interesting geographic variation in T. cuneifolia fruit shape. Most fruits across the range of T. cuneifolia appear more like the one pictured here. However, the fruits from the southern High Plains to the Guadelupe Mnts. (in TX, between Lamesa and the Pecos River) look shorter/less elongated (comparisons 1, 2, 3, 4). This form can also be found in the El Paso area along with the more widespread form (observation non-elongated, elongated). Additionally, one south of Midland appear essentially glabrous (observation 1). The Trans-Pecos seems like a mixed bag. Some are more typical, some are like the less elongated ones, and some are just weird. One NW of Shafter is essentially more like T. platycarpa (observation 1). For reference, the fruits around Lubbock look typical (observation 1).
From FNA (group 1):
20 Fruits obovate to obovate-oblong. Draba platycarpa
20 Fruits elliptic, oblong, linear, lanceolate, or, rarely, ovate > 21
21 Late-season flowers apetalous; basal leaves not rosulate > 22
22 Racemes 10-50(-70)-flowered, elongated in fruit, rachises densely pubescent; fruiting pedicels densely pubescent. Draba cuneifolia
22 Racemes (3-)5-12(-16)-flowered, subumbellate in fruit, rachises glabrous or, rarely, sparsely pubescent; fruiting pedicels glabrous or sparsely pubescent. Draba reptans
Went on a bit of a walk to the northern part of the camp while the kids were in school. Spotted even more cool things! :)
https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/sambiology/90830-trip-to-middle-east-wow
This is apparently a very isolated population of saxifrage. This is the only species in the genus found in Texas, and away from East Texas, there is just this isolated Burnet County population.
http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Micranthes%20texana.png
These snails were present in large numbers behind the Dune Line. The have been previously identified as Otala lactea, and are said to have been present at this location for almost a Century. I have an issue with this identification, as there are some notable differences between this snail, and typical Otala lactea, First, these snails only seem to grow to about a maximum size of 35mm. Second, the shells are almost alabaster colored, with little variability. The animal is much darker than Otala lactea, and the shell is thinner despite ample sources of calcium. It is my opinion that this is a distinct sub-species of O. lactea, or another member of Otala. I would suspect that only DNA analysis would be able to answer this.
My best naturalist observation ever, on Christmas day
Williamson County, Texas; northwest part of county
8/15/2019
Liatris glandulosa
Small population of 70 or 80 plants in right of way on both sides of a sloped county road in northwest Williamson County. The right of way was rocky, gravelly, and sloped and therefore fortunately unmowable. No plants were seen on the other side of either fence line.
Leaving obscured as this plant is still rare and as far as I know this is the only known population in Williamson County.
First two pics show two species for comparative purposes.
Specimen on right: Note V-shaped base of flower, less dense branching, longer/narrower petals compared to Amphiachris (left; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/34926032).
These specimens were growing adjacent to one another in the same soil type (a silty, firm sandy loam).
Feeding on crustacean (crab or crayfish). In corner of old concrete stock tank with no outlet — prey may have been caught and unable to climb out.
1 - Gall variation
2 - Front side of leaf
3 - Back side of leaf
4 - Length
5 - Width
6 - Under 40X
7 - Under 40X
8, 9, 10 - Various cross sections
11 - blurry but moving mite
©williamwisephoto.com
Over the course of an hour watched well over 100 blackbirds cross over and stage in some nearby pines before leaving to their evening roost.
Athens-Clarke County, Georgia. July 16, 2018
UV bug vision + regular
According to studies, bees are extremely attracted to bluebonnet's florets with white "banner" because bees can collect a large quantity of high-quality pollen.
As the florets get older, the white banner change to purplish color and the bees are much less attracted to them. As you can see on the first picture, taken by a full spectrum camera with UV bandpass “bug filter”, the floret with purplish banner is not UV reflective, is almost "invisible" in bee's eyes.
"In a paper published in The Southwestern Naturalist [1], Schaal and Leverich found that bees can collect up to 150 times more pollen from a white spotted floret than a purple-spotted one. Other research has revealed that nearly all pollinator visits (about 96%) were to the florets with white spots."~"Can A Texas Bluebonnet change its spots? - Honey Bee Suite"
You can find out more on this subject on a new article “Old Brides’ Tales” published last month @ Wildflower.org, written by Daniel Murphy
See the bee on the second UV picture?
I found it dead in the Seymour TN area
Pink Star Moth
Bioblitz
Timberlake Biological Research Station
Mills County
5/17/19
Collected with permission and permit on TPWD property. Drift net on spring. This is a relatively common species in this spring.
Diameter is 1.3 mm
A scrappy expanse of silky refuges and capture webs littered with body parts of previous victims. When preferred prey is entangled, the female spiders emerge from their 'nests' and overpower it by grabbing its extremities. In this case, a wasp https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9319446.
Presumably they inject venom because after a minute or so the prey stops struggling. Then they snip it out of the web and carry it into one of several 'nests' or refuges.
Unwanted prey, often beetles (see https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9319435 ) are also killed but sometimes left in the web, uneaten. Ants, in this case, Maranoplus ( https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9319390 )scavenge around the periphery of the webs, feasting on unwanted beetles or other left-overs.
I live in a subdivision of Woodway TX. Every once in a while a prairie flower with find it's way to the light. Even in established lawns. This found it's way through my lawn to bloom for one day. Such a gift.
Observed from road.
On Quercus sinuata.
Photos 1 & 2: backlit gall formed on developing leaf bud.
Photos 3 & 4: galls developing on leaf margin and mid-stem.
Photos 5, 6, & 7: Disected developing "fresh" gall and larva made out of little cell-like pieces.
Photos 8 & 9: dry gall/dissected chamber. I think I may have accidentally smashed its inhabitant, I could not find it :( It also may have pupated and flown away. ¯\ (ツ)/¯
Erythronium mesochoreum with a busy little elaiosome collection crew
@rayfisher I think this is the same species as the other I posted the other day. It was very speedy, so I wasn't able to get a great photo, but hopefully a few more features are visible here