Window on a Texas Wildscape

Tips on taking better photos for IDing caterpillars

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 14:19:13 +0000

I use iNaturalist a LOT. And I'm so grateful to the many experts who help identify my observations. Some take the time to share their knowledge. Like Christina Baer, who gave me advise on taking more angles of caterpillars, which will help folks like her ID them. Here's what she wrote on my observation of a crambid snout moth and I asked what "dorsal" meant:

"By a back view, I meant dorsal (the opposite side from the side with the legs/underside—an example). Both these photos are a lateral/side view, which shows the number of prolegs (always useful for caterpillars) and the side pattern (sometimes very important, but usually more at the level of 'Species A in the genus has little black dashes along the sides but Species B doesn't'). The dorsal view shows a lot more of the overall pattern and along with the number of prolegs is usually what identifiers are using to figure out where a caterpillar belongs. Another useful angle is a front shot of the head capsule. For a few specific groups, ventral (underside) photos are also important for ID, but that's less common."

Thank you, Christina!

What is THAT? Plus a BioBlitz....

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 15:07:01 +0000

So I've been photographing critters and plants for the 2026 Texas Pollinator BioBlitz on iNaturalist. Silly me—I'll never make it again into the top five for "Most Observations" and "Most Species," which I did in the 2016 BioBlitz and 2017 BioBlitz. Because more and more people started getting in on the phone. Under 150 observers participated in 2016 and 2017. That number upped to more than 3,100 in 2018! So I gave up.

But I still have a little competitiveness left in me—I'm trying to stay in the top 100 for 2026 (more than 6,000 observers and counting!). Currently, I'm #82. But I'm sure I'll get bumped down because we'll be out of town for the last few days of the BioBlitz. Oh, well. There's always next year.

All that to say, yesterday while I was out hunting, I came across this odd insect. What the heck was it? Well, iNaturalist said Psorophora—a mosquito? Sure didn't look like the ones I swat. Which told me this had to be a male. I was right! Those hairy antennae enable him to "hear" females when they're swarming to mate. This article has information, if you want to learn more.

'Sapphire Showers'

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 14:47:05 +0000

In our back yard, we planted this 'Sapphire Showers' (Duranta erecta) early on in our gardening, like 2007 or 2008. Back then, we weren't into native plants like we are now. I guess we just thought it was pretty.

Since we've had little rain in the past year, I thought it was amazing to see how well it's doing all these years later. Plus, this is the best I've ever seen it look, and I don't think it's ever bloomed as heartily as it is right now. At the start, I would water it during hot summer months, but that hasn't happened in the past many years.

Party of four

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 19:08:05 +0000

For the past several days, I've been going outside with my trusty phone and macro lens, monitoring flowers for insects and other critters. Awhile ago, I stopped by our goldenrod. First, I spotted a crab spider that had just snagged a dance fly. Then on another bloom, I spotted this party of four—two banded scythris (Scythris trivinctella) moths, a small fly (probably Chlorops sp.) and a black ant (Monomorium genus). It was fun to watch one of the moths and the fly interact on the petals. The ant mostly stayed out of the way.

At one moment, I saw the fly touch "noses" with the moth. Ugh—that moth didn't like that!—and it pulled away. Such blatant rudeness offended the fly, and it also turned away. As for the ant (and me), we found the mini drama to be highly entertaining.

Search and find

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:36:35 +0000

Okay, I have a search-and-find for photo for you. Do you see anything that doesn’t belong in the photo above? Look hard. I just happened to spot it when I was in the back yard, bug hunting for the 2026 Texas Pollinator Bioblitz (which runs through November 1). So do you see it yet?

The next photo zeroes in on the critter…..see it?

What I spotted was a caterpillar well camouflaged with bits of plateau goldeneye flowers that it’d stuck on itself. Cool, eh? I believe this was a species that’s part of wavy-lined and southern emeralds (Complex Syncholora aerata). Here’s a photo of a caterpillar similar to mine. Isn’t nature just so amazing?

Sugar Land adventures....

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 17:29:00 +0000

So James and I spent last week in Sugar Land, where I received low-dose radiation for the Dupuytren's disease in my right hand. For five nights, we stayed on the ninth floor of the Hyatt Place Houston/Sugar Land, which over looks Brooks Lake. Imagine my surprise when I spotted a jumping spider on the outside of our window. Remember—we were on the NINTH floor! Despite all the traffic, asphalt and concrete, we managed to have a few outdoorsy adventures both around the hotel and at other places...

One day, we drove to Needville and Brazos Bend State Park. Above are some baby American alligators in a tank at the nature center. Of course, I hoped to see a wild alligator in the park. Would I?

James spotted a white-striped longtail (Chioides albofasciatus) outside the nature center.

Pausing for a selfie on a pier at Elm Lake.

Common gallinule on a lotus pad.

I was THRILLED when I spotted this butterfly on a trail! At first glance, I knew it wasn't a monarch or a queen. Which meant it was a viceroy (Limenitis archippus)! I was right! My first sighting of one ever! Yay!

And my wish came true! Some folks ahead of us on the trail pointed out this adult American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).

Back at Brooks Lake, this mother Muscovy duck sure impressed me. She had a brood of TWELVE ducklings that were nearly grown. That's a lot of kids to keep up with! So many to survive, too. James pointed out that there's probably very few predators there. True.

During the day, we did a LOT of walking on the concrete trails around the lake, which was really nice. However, we didn't see a whole lot of wildlife on our treks.

Brown anoles were abundant.

Turtles in the lake would show up below the bridge, probably expecting snacks from people.

FIREFLIES! Yes, we saw fireflies along the walkway. I couldn't believe it.

And the bridge across Brooks Lake...everyone (and their dogs) loves that bridge. Plenty of iron benches provide places to sit and relax. We did that several times ourselves. One man sits in on a bench every evening around dusk and reads a book, using a portable light. Nearby his dog, Freka, lays on a blanket and watches people pass by. After dark, tiny orbweavers (probably Metazygia zilloides) like the one above spin their webs between the bridge's metal guidelines.

We return to Sugar Land in January for five more days of radiation....

The Insect Epiphany

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 17:05:30 +0000

That, my friends, is Barrett Klein, an author and entomologist who gave a presentation last night based on his book, The Insect Epiphany. He has a dramatic but very knowledgeable style of delivery. The Aldo Leopold Foundation hosted and recorded the webinar. Register here to watch on-demand. You'll love it! P.S. I ordered his book.

Dung beetle mania

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 17:44:16 +0000

Last week, after heavy rains, I ventured outside and trekked across the Meadow. Something buzzed past me. It sounded like a bumblebee. I tracked the fast-flying critter until it landed in some grass. I walked toward it, and as soon as I saw the deer poop, I knew what'd had buzzed me—a dung beetle on the wing! Sure enough, not one but many dung beetle mamas were hard at work, rolling poop into beautiful quarter-sized balls. They were probably Texas black phanaeus (Phanaeus texensis). I love dung beetles.

September surprises a little late

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 14:05:42 +0000

Also commonly called oxblood lilies or schoolhouse lilies.

Lacewing kids!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 19:16:34 +0000

Look what my daughter Lindsey spotted this morning on the patio of her San Antonio apartment! Tiny green lacewing larvae (family Chrysopidae) emerging from their eggs! Great catch! I like to take photos of the creative places where lacewing mamas put their eggs. Lindsey's chose the leaf of her spider plant. I've seen them on tree bark, our screened back door, under an outdoor glass-topped table and the brick exterior of our house. But I've never seen any kiddos emerge from those teensy white teardrops. Amazing!

P.S. I asked Lindsey if she wished them a happy life. "I wished them luck!" she texted back. That's my girl!

Bracken Cave!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 15:07:54 +0000

Friday night we attended the Bracken Cave Bat Experience, which benefitted Stop 3009 Vulcan Quarry. The group has since widened its reach by forming a new nonprofit: Preserve Our Hill Country Environment. I figured our tickets would benefit a very worthy cause and also give us the opportunity to see the world's largest bat colony – 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats – emerge for the night to forage. Back in the 1990s, my former husband, our two kids and I visited the cave, but that was a LONG time ago. That night, I was on a writing assignment (see my article below).

For grins, I dug way back in my archives and found the article I wrote in the 1990s for the Hill Country Sun. I'd forgotten that the late J. David and Margaret Bamberger used to host visits. Here's my old story:

A chorus of cicadas rattle in the distance. And high in the live oaks, a cardinal chirps. The evening air is warm and still until a gentle breeze shakes the tree limbs and triggers a faint, acrid odor.

It is 8:15 p.m., and the crowd of onlookers standing above the huge crater wait in restless anticipation for the show.

Suddenly, the pungent smell grows stronger. And then someone spots them—the first group of Mexican free-tailed bats fluttering from the hole.

The colony’s amazing emergence from Bracken Cave in northwestern Comal County—near Natural Bridge Caverns—will run non-stop for two hours, maybe more.

Researchers “estimate that 20 million bats live in the cave, truly a phenomenal number of anything to have in one place,” remarks Margaret Bamberger. She and her husband, Blanco County rancher J. David Bamberger, escort people to the secluded site on a privately-owned ranch by appointment only.

To get there, visitors drive 2 miles down a caliche road and then hike a short walking trail to a brushy plateau above the crater. Though rough, the trail is wheelchair accessible. The Bambergers recommend that visitors wear comfortable shoes to discourage attacks by vicious fire ants. Since the excursion lasts from two to three hours, visitors should also bring water and snacks, too.

Wooden benches provide a place to sit and wait for the bats’ unpredictable emergence, which usually begins around sunset. While people rest, the Bambergers talk about one of their favorite topics—Mexican free-tailed bats.

“A female bears one pup,” Margaret says. “She weighs 12 grams, and, at birth, her pup weighs 4 grams. She has to eat her body weight’s worth of bugs every night, mostly moths, to nurse her baby. This colony eats 250 tons of insects every night.”

Another phenomenal number. That’s a mess of six-legged critters.

Seven o’clock comes and goes. So does eight.

“Should be any time now,” David says, peering at someone’s watch. A trustee with Bat Conversation International in Austin, J. David Bamberger serves as steward of Bracken Cave and the five acres of Hill Country terrain that surround it. BCI bought the property in 1992 to protect the bats’ habitat from encroaching development. On a volunteer basis, the Bambergers escort groups of up to 50 people to the site to watch the impressive sight.

The cave is not visible from where the group waits. Later, after the emergence is well underway, people will walk to the crater's other side, where they can clearly see Bracken Cave and the spiral of bats that stream from deep within it.

At 8:20, the acrid odor of bat guano intensifies. Then suddenly, a small group of bats ascend from the crater. Within seconds, a swarm follows. Their thick numbers spiral clockwise, upward, then turn and head east. More follow in their wake. More and then more. The long line of bats snakes into the sky, weaving to one side, then another.

Their ritual emergence has begun.

The group stand mesmerized, awed, almost hypnotized by the stunning sight.

“It’s like a tornado of bats,” one woman says.

As if on cue, a great hawk appears in the west. With wings outstretched, he glides into the cloud of bats and, extending his claws, grabs for a hapless victim. He misses. Later, the bird of prey will return. The second time he does not miss his winged mark.

Tonight, the visitors stay three hours. As they prepare to leave around 9:30, David turns, and, looking up at the darkening sky dotted with bats, says, “Not even half of them have left yet.”

As the cars pull away and, with headlights stretching into the night, turn toward home, the bats stream endlessly through the air. Seeking food as much as 100 miles away, they'll return to their underground home near daybreak, sleep, then start their ritual over tomorrow night.

Mother Nature promises.

New fence in The Meadow

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 14:27:00 +0000

Look–another new fence! This one replaces the decorative cedar fence that James built in The Meadow back in March 2009. Once again, fence builder extraordinaire Wayne Brewster with assistance from Bowie Crofts put up this beautiful fence made of cedar posts and wire. Thank you, guys!

Meadow mowed

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:23:33 +0000

Our adjoinin "vacant lot" turned into wildlife habitat. We call it The Meadow. James mows it once, maybe twice, a year. He did the deed last Wednesday (September 13).

BEFORE

AFTER

Jimsonweed bloom

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:13:01 +0000

Look at the first bloom on our jimsonweed (Datura wrightii) that's growing in The Pasture. I spotted the long bloom at few days ago and kept an eye on it. The photo right below shows the bloom during the day. That night, I set an alarm as a reminder to get out of bed and get photos of the bloom. Which I did. The next day, I got a few day-time photos, too. So pretty! Years ago, we had a jimsonweed in the front yard, and it finally died. A few volunteers have germinated from leftover seeds in the soil, and I'm nursing one that I transplanted near this older one.

Old man's beard

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:02:42 +0000

The other day, I just had to pause and take some photos of the blooms on one of our old man's beard (Clematis drummondii). The evening light really lit them up! They're so unusual and beautiful.

Robber flies on patrol

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:47:32 +0000

Yesterday evening, I was in the Pasture, checking out our tithonias, jimsonweeds and tall asters. Right now, the evening rain lilies (Zephyranthes chlorosolen) are blooming. I glanced over at some poking up from the grass and noticed small black specs on the tips of a few. I smiled. I knew exactly what they were.

Robber flies on patrol!

Naturally, I had to squat down and get photos. These are Hadrokolos texanus, which have recently been commonly named as red-legged twigsitters. I know this because the first time I observed this tiny fly in June 2018, the species didn't have a common name.

Our urn plant

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:34:10 +0000

I finally looked up and found the name for our bromeliad, which is blooming again right now. It's an urn plant (Aechmea fasciata). Our sweet neighbor Jeri gifted it to us as wedding gift in May 2006. It's grown and lost stalks along the way. Kelly, another neighbor, gave us a red variegated one so I stuck it in the same pot. They all seem happy together.

UPDATE JULY 26, 2026 Blooms now...

Surprise – my spider wish came true!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 17:06:41 +0000

Yesterday after supper, James wished me well before I set out to bug hunt. "Hope you find a new species," he said. I smiled and shrugged. Seems like they're getting harder to find these days.

In the back yard, I was on my way to collect seeds from our Alamo vine growing on a fence when I spotted some silken lines reflecting in the evening sunlight. Why, of course, I stopped in my tracks. Hmm, gotta be an orbweaver near by, I thought to myself. I looked up and over ... and then I did the happy dance! A lot!

There she was on her web, a spinybacked orbweaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis)! My first EVER! I'd always hoped to find one in our gardens. And after all these years, my wish finally came true. With help from my macro lens and post editing, my images came out well of this small spider. I shared the pictures on Facebook, and a lot of friends were amazed. I guess this species isn't seen very often. I can sure attest to that!

Eve's necklace update

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 16:56:55 +0000

You may recall my post from last May where I lamented about my poor Eve's necklace (Styphnolobium affine). Her leaves were shriveling, and she just looked TERRIBLE. James pronounced her dead. Finished. The End. But not me.

"I want to give her until next spring," I said. Since she's nearly five years old, I figured she might still have strong roots.

Well..... drum roll, please..... look what I spotted yesterday while strolling in the Meadow....

She hasn't given up! Yay!

Notes to myself

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 15:20:22 +0000

It's been a banner year for golden daleas (Dalea aurea). I collected some seeds and spread part of them here and there in the Meadow. However, I didn't walk into the Meadow because it's also been a banner year for those darn chiggers. I also put some in the Pasture next to the tithonias.

Bamberger Ranch Preserve tour

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 15:16:53 +0000

After all these years, we finally took a public tour of the 5,500-acre Bamberger Ranch Preserve. That happened last Friday. Staff members Kayla Krueger and Drew Neyland guided us on the three-hour trip. A small group of us rode aboard a covered, open-air trailer with long benches. Drew drove the pickup truck that pulled the trailer.

Here were our pre-tour instructions: "Wear closed-toed shoes as we will have the option of walking our Nature Trail. Walking sticks or hiking poles are welcome. Feel free to bring a hat, binoculars, water, and make sure you dress for the weather as we will be outside for the duration of the tour. The event is rain or shine, with lightning being the only exception."

Below is the late J. David Bamberger's well-seen grave marker for mankind, which is where every tour starts. I remember him talking in front of it when I first met him in the early 1990s. I wrote one of the first profiles on him in the August 1993 issue of Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine.

Photo by James Hearn

Kayla introduced us to the "rain machine," which demonstrates how different ground covers affect rainwater run off. The machine's main purpose is to show how important native grasses are in drawing water into our aquifers.

Beautiful Madrone Lake

Along the Nature Trail

Photo by James Hearn

Marbleseed

Kayla in a green sea of inland sea oats along the Nature Trail.

Mr. Bamberger's herd of scimitar-horned oryx, which he helped bring back from extinction.

The Chiroptorium, Mr. Bamberger's bat cave.

Drew shares photos of bats and construction photos of the bat cave.

Oddest insect ever (plus a cousin)

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 21:08:10 +0000

Take a look at this fellow that I spotted on the doorframe of our back garage door last month. It was tiny and measured may 5 mm tops. (I’m guesstimating. I don’t usually measure in millimeters, but I know they’re preferred in the science world.) I used a macro on my phone to get these photos. I didn’t even really know what it looked like until later when I saw the images. WOW! It’s got to be the oddest looking insect I’ve ever found in our gardens.

Anyway, I haven’t had much input from fellow observers on iNaturalist. But the folks at Bugguide.net did confirm my tentative identification of Amyclini tribe (genus Amycle). “I can’t help with the ID, but that’s a great find,” wrote one guy. “What a cool bug.”

So Amyclini is in the weird family of lanternflies (Fulgoridae), which are planthoppers. This group is totally new to me. Here’s another weird one: The alligator bug (Fulgora laternaria), also called the peanut-headed lanternfly.

In that lanternflies are true bugs (and not flies), they behave like them, which means they use their piercing proboscis to feed on plants. According to Bug of the Week, “Lanternflies are relatives of aphids, cicadas, and shartpshooters…. They obtain nutrients by inserting soda straw-like mouthparts into the vascular system of the tree and removing sap.”

So far, I’ve only found one other lanternfly that has an alligator-shaped head like mine. And the odds of ever seeing another one in our gardens is probably next to never.

UPDATE July 15, 2026

I decided to add these photos of a related planthopper that I found July 7, 2026, on one of our American beautyberries. It's likely in the genus Rhynchomitra. It's not as odd looking as my Amycle, but it's cool.

A fasciated Snoopy

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:52:07 +0000

Well, that's what I thought yesterday when I found this odd seedhead on a Mexican hat (Ratibida columnifera) in The Meadow. I think it's an anomaly. Linda C., a fellow Texas Master Naturalist on iNaturalist, set me straight and called it "fasciated." Thanks, Linda!

And, wow. A new term for me! Here's an article on fasciation, which is an abnormal pattern of growth in the growing tip of plants.

Maybe you see something else, not Snoopy?

The seedhead among its brethren

Maybe lose some, win some

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:47:05 +0000

Alas, our western ironweed (Vernonia baldwinii) and its hybrid are eaten up with a rust fungus. It makes me sad to see them so sick. Thank goodness, I transplanted the one surviving woolly ironweed (Vernonia lindheimeri) across the yard! I think the fungus attacked our ironweeds last summer, too. I'm hoping these survive and come back next year. I think they will.

In the meantime, look at our velvetleaf mallows (Allowissadula holosericea). They're still growing UP and out!

Surprises from the past

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:33:21 +0000

In the recent past, I discovered these old plant markers that I made at least 17 years ago. Somehow they resurfaced in some flowerbeds. I can't believe how well they've held up! I originally made them April 2009 (and some earlier than that). The butterfly bush is long gone, but our 'Indigio Spires' are still around. Just wanted to share.