Boykin Creek Explorations – Oceanic Wilderness

Let’s travel back in time to October 2022. It’s been almost a year since we were in Angelina National Forest and I’m itching to get over there again. Some days I wish I lived somewhere in central/SE Texas, or rather further east than I currently do live in “SE Texas”. We were over in the Big Thicket/Woodville area on Saturday and as rural as some of that area is, you can tell the suburbs are moving out there and even the rural is still rather built up. I digress…

I think I might have shared a little bit from this area last year at some point but I know I have more to share. I’m also thinking I might just post more often during the week in an effort to catch up, mostly for my sake. Feel free to skip emails or not read in your feed if it all gets to be too much. I just need to get stuff written so I can have it for posterity’s sake–I look at my blog archives fairly frequently. And I have some more thoughts regarding blogs in a future post.

Anyway, here are some pretty photos of cool flora and fauna!

Habaneria repens, waterspider bog orchid, looking very spidery!

Mating ocellated tiger beetles, Cicindela ocellata

And a cousin, the bronzed tiger beetle, Cicindela repanda

There were a couple of different beetles on this plant, the biggest one is Macrosiagon octomaculata, no common name. Then there was the smaller one you can’t see well, Macrosiagon cruenta, also no common name. And lastly, the cucumber beetle, Diabrotica undecimpunctata

I know we are just getting to spring but this really makes me crave the vibrant yellows of fall—narrowleaf sunflower, Helianthus angustifolius

Ashy sunflower, Helianthus mollis

Gulf frit on a Eupatorium sp.

Fivelobe St. Johns Wort, Hypericum lobocarpum—I loved, loved, loved this. I wish I could grow my own. A stunning plant, locally rare, generally uncommon.

Happy kid at play

He’s gotten so much taller now! He looks so little here and it was only 1.5 years ago! I could also still carry him without feeling like I was carrying a sack of concrete. hah!