The Sundew Trail | Big Thicket National Preserve

Rhynchosia sp.
The Sundew Trail was our last stop during our East Texas adventures back over Memorial Day weekend. It seems like it was last weekend and also about three months ago. I don’t recall having hiked the entire Sundew Trail in previous visits but I will say that I think I enjoyed it more than the Pitcher Plant Trail!

Swamp Darner, Epiaeschna hero
Dragonflies and damselflies are two insects that I am slowly (very) trying to learn a bit better. They aren’t nearly as showy as butterflies but they are just as curious and interesting to watch.

Forest started going along the boardwalk section of the trails and calling each area by a certain “type”—kind of like he did back in the fall on our backpacking trip to Sam Houston NF. Each area was a “room” back then. On this trip we had Fern World and then White Flower World and moved on to other things as we continued down the boardwalk.

Swamp Titi, Cyrilla racemiflora
I have to say, every time I see titi I think of our Florida Trail hike through north Florida and the titi swamps up there. Thickets of titi with water in between…yep, a wet adventure!

Arnoglossum sp.

More of that gorgeous Yellow Meadowbeauty, Rhexia lutea—seriously want this plant! I wonder how tasty it is to deer?

A short glimpse of a zebra swallowtail—this was the one that gave us the idea she was laying eggs and to start looking for caterpillars.

Swamp Rose Mallow, Hibiscus moscheutos

Golden Miller’s-Maid/colicroot, Aletris aurea

Some kind of wild allium but I haven’t been able to identify it.

Round-leaved Boneset, Eupatorium rotundifolium

Purple Pleatleaf, Alophia drummondii

Hairy Skullcap, Scutellaria elliptica going to seed.

Multi-bloom Tephrosia, Tephrosia onobrychoides–shortly after this we had a light sun shower come through for a few minutes, enough to dampen our clothing and offer a slight cool off.

I think this is another colicroot but I’m not for certain.

Sanguine Purple Coneflower, Echinacea sanguinea

Gulf Skullcap, Scutellaria cardiophylla

I’m glad we added in the Sundew Trail to our list of places to visit while over in east Texas. I have one more post from Watson Preserve to share and then that brief trip will be wrapped up here on the blog.