Alcohol and Food Were NOT Enough (I had to stalk pollinators - before the next cold front)
11-7-18
My virus is still slow to leave, but I needed to get out and about with Z and VM. It was humid to start the day. Dew clung to the spiderwebs - disclosing almost a carpet of webs (it is a good thing arachnophobes do not see this). It was a lovely day - 2 GBH and 1 Red-shouldered Hawk.
The park cats were everywhere (but you will have to check the blog for those photos. Texas sage is blooming again, along with enough fall plants to send me out to pollinator gardens from Belton to Georgetown.
The final trip was to check the ponds on Witter Lane. I knew I was too late for much, but then THERE IT WAS - something in the road. It was a turtle and I hustled to park and see if someone had hit it. No, it was only sheltering in place so (for the third - maybe 4th - time along this road) I moved the turtle to the side of the road in the direction it was traveling. I snapped some photos and suppose this may be one of the stories the JMN will hear when I talk about reptiles in February.
Even as I listened to the radio news, the wild was healing.
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
Checkered-Skippers, White-Skippers, and Allies (Tribe Pyrgini)Observer
alflinn329
Photos / Sounds
What
Pond Slider (Trachemys scripta)Observer
alflinn329Description
Turtle was in the middle of the roadway. I moved it to the side of the road towards which it was pointed. There are a good dozen houses on this road and there is enough traffic to cause concern. This is not the first turtle I have moved off this lane - second in this spot (other was 1.5 years ago). Since I handled it to move it I tried to take the photos quickly and let it get on it's way.
I returned about an hour later and there was no turtle to be seen in the spot or anywhere up and down that side of the road.
Photos / Sounds
What
Furrow Orbweaver (Larinioides cornutus)Observer
alflinn329Description
Two different individuals, but the same type of spider as far as I could tell. They had webs within a food and a half of each other on a electrical panel (or something like that) in the park.
Comments
So, today we almost got rained out at the park. We stopped three times, taking shelter where we could - restroom overhang, tree, bridge. All three Great Blue Herons were in the creek. The rock pigeons hosted an air show in the parking lot and we discovered the scene of a murder. There was no body, but enough feathers and blood to leave no doubt. The squirrels were out in huge numbers...driving the dogs crazy. I photographed a few of the 20+ fox squirrels. There was nothing as exciting as rescuing the turtle, but maybe the murder scene was close.
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