Category: Field trip

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Spring in the wild at Saxon park

I checked over the Cardamine sp. where we saw a Falcate Orangetip butterfly two weeks ago, but could not find any eggs or caterpillars. A few are still flowering but many are starting green seed pods.
The wild violets are blooming!
Good smells
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Field trip of spring

Happy dog heading home from Saxon Park
I think this is a Mexican plum.
Leaves of same tree.
A falcate orangetip butterfly visited this plant!
Mom suggested an identification of Cardamine parvifolia. Thanks Mom!
It is apparently a host plant for the orangetip.
Chickasaw plum blooming!
Paula gave me a combination garden tote/seat/knee pad. Pets investigate.
Briar displays the seat mode.
Gram examines the knee pad mode.
Gram refuses to go for a ride in the rolling tote part.
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A weekend field trip home

Negative covid rapid tests meant we were safe to travel south to Texas!
Annual bluets
Controlled burns on the LBJ national grasslands were visible by smoke.
Briar!
Gracie!
A hackberry tree having a long term discussion with the big mesquite tree.
The big old mesquite tree.
Draba cuneifolia
Mom documents our dispersal of native plants.
Heading back north to Oklahoma, an interesting juxtaposition of old and new energy.
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Last week Nov. 12 hike, no dogs

Gracie needed a rest so Mom and I went out to the Grasslands sans dogs last Friday.  My home ecosystem! You can see Mom’s photos on her blog in two parts (posts start Nov. 14 and then there is a second one after).

This Escobaria vivipara cactus is surrounded by babies!!
Without my silly human finger.
Escobaria missouriensis has red fruit.
Native white honeysuckle bush has red fruit too!
Great Spreadwings have big yellow stripes on the thorax.  This set of ravines and seeps has always been a reliable place to find them.
Looking up out of the ravine at the surrounding red oaks.
Mom showed me her exciting find of this 6+ foot tall waterfall with travertine stalactites, maidenhair ferns (zoom in to find), and frostweed (at front edge of picture).
On the way back up the ravine I saw this tiny pokey spider.  Gasteracantha cancriformis.
It was steep!
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A neighbor ecosystem

On Tuesday this week, Mom and I visited the Dixon Water Foundation’s property near Leo, TX (north of FM 455). Mom has been blogging it all week! Have a look starting on her Nov. 9th post (opens in new tab) and keep going to the next post through Nov. 12. She took a lot more pictures than me.

An ammonite impression!
Going places
Blurry jumping spider but I liked its colors.
Round hole on rock
Neat tiny fossils
Mom said this is considered Fort Worth Prairie, adjacent to cross timbers. Hence neighbor ecosystem.
Hmm a rock.
Surprise!! Second small rock on a big rock with a spider under it for this trip.
Neoscona crucifera
Buttonbush
The grotto
Snail hiding
Fossil mollusc
A pretty live oak acorn
Native grass and lichen covered rock
Maybe a grape seedling.  I have these come up in my yard, I think, so I guess I better let one grow.  I had been assuming they were trees of some sort.
A sea urchin fossil!  Probably Holaster sp. according to the book Mom has on fossils of North America.
A view of creek leading to grotto.
Neat lichens
More neat lichens
The grotto again. Kept going back to look at it.
A shrike left some frog jerky.
Late fall is Spiranthes season! Commonly known as ladies’ tresses orchid
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Saturday harvest and new lake

The original moon and stars watermelon is still here. The tendril is turning brown so it may be ready soon?
I harvested 162 g of oregano from the front and back yard. The Chef dehydrated it and removed the stems, and the final dry weight was 20 g.
Some blackjack oak acorns.
Walking towards a new lake.
Briar got to stand in the lake.
A leopard frog in the raised bed, hiding.
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Weekend things

Texas mallow might bloom soon?
Goldenrod from Abby thinking about blooming too.
A pupa! I bet the Black Swallowtail.
Side view.
Tepary beans begin!
New crystals from Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge!
Closeup of two fancy selenite crystals.
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Sunday field trip to Lexington WMA

Butterfly milkweed.
Wild heliotrope.
Had leaves like greenthread but a yellow center on flower.
Compass plants all facing what we think was east.
Bigger view of the compass plant valley.
A megachilid bee on butterfly milkweed!
A whole field of Echinacea!
Rosa sp.
I know this one. I’ll look it up. Edit: wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), thanks Mom 🙂
Happy!!!!
A Dun Skipper on prairie bluets.
Asclepias viridiflora (thanks Abby and Mom!)
Shade good for fluffy dog.
Another view of the Echinacea field.
Note the matching orange dog in background.
I remember this plant.
She tried to get humans to join her but we’re no fun.
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The weekend blog crossover episode

Baby zucchini harvest before departure.
Saw a tree cricket on the mint.
Rouge Vif d’Etampes squash has a baby.
Upon arrival to Texas, Junior Supervisor Briar and Senior Director Gracie take a break.
Mustard greens and rouge d’hiver lettuce from the garden in a fancy salad by Mom!
Mom has outdone herself again with fresh blackberry sorbet. The mint leaves are from my garden.
Upon return to Oklahoma, a very fine toad was seen. An excellent weekend visiting with our southern blog colleagues.