Wildlife Wednesday
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Birds & Mule Deer at Davis Mountains State Park | Wildlife Wednesday
We encountered this group of mule deer on our way up Skyline Drive one evening. Luckily we were going slow enough that I had Chris stop so I could get a photo with the moon as the backdrop. Thankfully this deer posted perfectly for me! And then there was this set of characters at one of the wildlife viewing areas that Chris and Forest saw (I was back at camp–I needed some quiet time!). Lesser Goldfinch, Spinus psaltria Yellow-rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronata Townsend’s Solitaire, Myadestes townsendi–Thanks Eliana for the ID! House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis Pyrrhuloxia, Cardinalis sinuatus Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Dryobates scalaris White-winged…
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Wildlife Wednesday | Collared Peccary aka: Javelina
After our hike at the Indian Lodge Trail we stopped by the Emory Oak Wildlife Viewing Area, a beautiful building where birders and wildlife watchers can sit inside during more inclement weather and view through the windows, or walk around to a viewing area outside. We were poking around when we noticed javelina just off the trail. At first we noticed one and then another and soon it was an entire family group hiding under the trees. We watched from the trail for a few minutes and then backtracked back to the building as several of the adults wandered to the water source to drink. These family was not skittish…
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Wildlife Wednesday | Pipevine Swallowtails & A Dead Beaver
Pipevine # 1 Pipevine # 2 Spring is, well, I think spring is starting here in southeast Texas. We started seeing signs of it the last two weeks but it is becoming even more prevalent over the last week. Over the weekend we went up to DFW and I didn’t even think that I should have left the butterfly cage open in case a pipevine eclosed. It had been since sometime in December when I had the odd one eclose and if I recall correctly, I had another one in December considering the number of open chrysalides I have. We arrived home late on Sunday evening and it didn’t occur…
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Gulf Fritillary & Long Tailed Skipper | Wildlife Wednesday
At the end of September I noticed a gulf frittilary trying to eclose from its chrysalis on a stalk of ‘Ember’s Wish’ salvia. A few hours later I saw it still sitting in the same position but decided to let it be knowing that something was very wrong with it. The next morning my little friend was still stuck in its chrysalis and the wings had not unfurled more so I decided to see if I could ease it out of the chrysalis and at least let it attempt to walk so it could nectar. Its wings were not going to unfurl and were severely deformed. I debated euthanizing it…