Neighborhood Nature | 2
Late last week Forest and I hit up the empty lot across the street to see what kind of nature we could find. Turns out there is quite a bit going on in that little lot!
Texas Vervain Verbena halei — I might have to keep an eye on this particular plant, if it doesn’t get mowed, and collect some seed to throw into the garden.
Metriorrhynchomiris dislocatus — Since we’re just poking around and going slowly I’ve been trying to look for little bugs a bit more than I usually do.
Texas Ragwort, Senecio ampullaceus
Scaphoideus incisus – cute little leaf hopper nymph! I wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t been closely inspecting the milkweed for monarch eggs and larvae.
Green Antelopehorns, Asclepias viridis
Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth, Malacosoma disstria
Some kind of dung beetle that has seen its final days. Maybe dropped by a bird?
Oblong-winged Katydid, Amblycorypha oblongifolia — I found this one in the garden one evening.
Wild Garlic, Allium canadense
This cute little jumping spider had a mouthful of prey!
Curve-toothed Geometer Moth, Eutrapela clemataria
Monarch caterpillar!
Broad-headed skink!
Annual Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium rosulatum
That’s it for this round of Neighborhood Nature! I really need to get my camera out and take photos of the blue jays and cardinals in the yard—they’ve been busy lately! And I saw a red-headed woodpecker in the backyard today and that would have been nice to have captured.
What kind of nature are you seeing these days?
2 Comments
shoreacres
I think I have baby wrens. The pair that has been around suddenly are much more vocal, and much more active around the feeders. I may even have seen ‘extra’ wrens here and there, but they move so fast I can’t be sure. I did get some great photos of my fox squirrel tonight. I’ve decided it’s a she rather than a he, and she was chattering up a storm, so I went out to see what was up. I never saw any kind of threat around, but she wasn’t inclined to run away, so I got the photos.
Your jumping spider with its prey is on sow thistle, right? Whatever that plant is, it seems to be everywhere just now, and I finally found it on an Aggie site. That little pinched-up bud’s a pretty good clue, as are the leaves and flowers.
Moosie
I’ve never seen a skink! Interesting that you found it!