Window on a Texas Wildscape

Get that grass!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:21:00 +0000

For a long while, I'd been eyeing this colony of invasive Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) that's growing in a field across the street. According to the Texas Invasives database, "Johnsongrass is considered one of the 10 most noxious weeds in the world." So while I was over there in the field, photographing invasive nandina, I pulled on my green gloves and then pulled out that nasty bunch of Johnsongrass. It's gone now.

Last spring, I learned in my Texas Master Naturalist classes to look for a tell-tale marking. Johnsongrass always has a distinctive white line up the leaf.

The species, which was brought to the States as a forage crop in the early 1800s from the Mediterranean region, has vigorous rhizomes. And that's no lie! Just look at this one!

I didn't pull up all the Johnsongrass. There's more. And only one of me. Plus, I decided that maybe I'd better ask the owner first.....

Tricked...or not?

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:59:00 +0000

A native flameleaf sumac? Or...HORRORS...a nandina?

Last fall, James spotted what he thought might be a flameleaf sumac growing at the edge of our front cement porch. So he dug it up, and I've been nurturing the mystery sapling in a plastic pot. Here lately, I've been suspecting that maybe it's a poser. As in...an invasive nandina (Nandina domestica). Major YUCK. They grow in the neighborhood, both invited and as a volunteer. I walked across the street this evening and took some leaf close-ups on a volunteer nandina that's growing in a field.

I've pulled up leaf images of both plants and am still scratching my head. But I'm back to thinking that I'm tending a flameleaf sumac. I SURE HOPE SO! But then I look at more leaf images and conclude NAW, IT'S NANDINA!

Guess I'll think about this dilemma another day....

Nandina branch

Sick frits

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:55:00 +0000

Melt and Wilt.

Zombie disease.

Black Death.

NPV, short for Nulcear Polyhedrosis Virus.

I've found a number of different names for what's sickening some of our Gulf fritillary caterpillars on a passionflower vine. Yes, they're dying again. I first reported on this phenomenon three summers ago ("I feel like a murderer," June 14, 2010) and again last year ("More caterpillar deaths..." March 30,2012). It's very frustrating. In 2010, I cut down the passionflower vine on which the affected cats were dying. That seemed to help. But I still see caterpillars sickening, blackening and dying.

Last year, I also saw other caterpillar species dying to I posted a photo at Bugguide.net. That's "possibly a baculovirus, which causes caterpillars to liquefy and eventually splash new virus particles onto the leaf, which may then be consumed by more caterpillars," replied Ian Stocks. He pointed me to a 2003 academic article in the Journal of Invertebrate Pathology: "A newly discovered baculovirus induces reflex bleeding in Heliconius himera."

So what IS a baculovirus? Google the word, and Wikipedia's definition will make you yawn...The baculoviruses are a family of large rod-shaped viruses that can be divided into two genera..." (Wikipedia even has a disclaimer: "This section may be too technical for most readers to understand." AMEN!)

Here's the rest of Wikipedia's definition: Baculoviruses have very species-specific tropisms among the invertebrates with over 600 host species having been described. Immature (larval) forms of moth species are the most common hosts, but these viruses have also been found infecting sawflies, mosquitoes, and shrimp. Although baculoviruses are capable of entering mammalian cells in culture they are not known to be capable of replication in mammalian or other vertebrate animal cells. Baculoviruses contain circular double-stranded genome ranging from 80–180 kbp."

Now THAT explanation sure helps understand what's afflicting our caterpillars....

From what I can gather (from sources like NPR, NewScientist and National Geographic), "the government" sprays a baculovirus on trees to control gypsy moth outbreaks. However, researchers involved in the project reported on in 2011 by the aforementioned sources were more interested in how the baculovirus affects caterpillar behavior.

Personally, I want to know if this so-called pathogen is spreading to other caterpillar species, namely our Gulf fritillary cats!

I've emailed Dr. Kelli Hoover at Penn State's Entomology Department (who conducted the 2011 research) but as yet have not received a reply. I also messaged a researcher associated with the 2003 research on baculoviruses and Heliconius himera (Gulf fritillary) caterpillars. Dr. Boucias wrote me right back and asked that I send him a sample caterpillar!

"I would agree that the images look like the insects are infected with a baculovirus," he told me. "I should be able to readily confirm if this in fact is the cause."

Stay tuned!

Time for bees

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:59:00 +0000

A lot of folks, if they saw me wandering through our yard as much as I do, might say I have way too much time on my hands. As for me, I say I don't have ENOUGH! Because sometimes, waiting for nature to unfold requires a LOT of time...and patience. Take yesterday afternoon, for instance. I happened to be in the back yard with my camera, looking at plants, when I saw a bee dart into a hole. If you're the size of a bee, then this hole might be cave size. From this perspective, her hole looked like a cavern entrance on the side of a hill.

See the hole? In the photo above, it's on the far right side, middle of the image. So I decided I'd wait and see if I could catch a picture of her. While I crouched on my haunches, I took some pictures of the...

...volunteer vine, likely in the morning glory family...

...the volunteer black-eyed susan, likely planted by a bird...

...and the healthy prairie verbena (I think that's right).

Meanwhile, I heard and barely saw a bee circle me at least twice. Then she landed on the dirt mound just out a bit from my elbow. "C'mon, you lost?" I said, "don't you know where your nest is?" Finally, I stood up to take a break, and she made a bee-line for a different hole! She'd been politely waiting for ME to move out of her way. In the photo above, her hole is just beneath the little white pebble. She's likely a different bee mom.

Here's another shot of her nest entrance. Alas, some rain started so I headed for the house. No more waiting on bee appearances the rest of the day.

This morning, I got a shot of her entrance. But no bee mom. (Yesterday heavy rains really brightened up our small crop of moss!)

Just awhile ago, I went back out with my camera and got a few shots of her working on her nest. I've seen her abdomen and her green eyes so I'm pretty sure she's a digger bee species of Anthophora. Nearly three years ago, I blogged about the same species–"Acrobatic bee!"–when I found one roosting in our globe mallow. They're cool.

Time permitting, I'll keep trying to get a better photo of her. Wish me luck!

Passionflowers

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:45:00 +0000

Passionflower blooms are just gorgeous. I was out photographing sick Gulf fritillary caterpillars (separate post) when I had to stop and snap some flower pics. The bees love passionflowers, too.

Yesterday, I finally planted two yellow passionflowers (Passiflora lutea) that I potted up from the adjoining neighbor's yard. Here's hoping they take!

Snagged a skimmer

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:57:00 +0000

Last Wednedsay, while eating supper, we saw a dragonfly pass by outside the dining room window. She lit on a plastic table so I grabbed my camera and hung out the window for a shot or two. She didn't stay long! I cropped tight so this photo isn't a great shot. But at least I documented her visit! I think this visitor is a female common whitetail (Plathemis lydia). If you disagree, please let me know! In the meantime, I've submitted this image as a new record to Odonata Central.

Pipevine cats

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:09:00 +0000

So last June, after a slew of pipevine (Battus philenor) caterpillars devoured our lone pipevine plant (Aristolochia fimbriata), we drove to Austin and bought two more from the Natural Gardener. Well, they've torn through one plant already and will likely finish up the second. Which leaves one plant. Good luck, guys!

Click on this photo to make it larger and see how many black caterpillars you can find. There's at five, maybe more.

Even seed pods get eaten!

A caterpillar's stripping what's left of the leaves on this plant.

Battus philenor tends to be social. This photo isn't the greatest, but there are three cats on this one stem.

I shook out some seeds (and caterpillar poop) from a couple of seed pods in hopes that we can germinate new pipevines to plant. Aren't the seeds cool?

Trumpet creeper vine

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 21:28:00 +0000

Look what's blooming blooming blooming!

Gate done!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 21:20:00 +0000

James finished his latest project...a cedar gate in the Meadow. Isn't it beautiful? He's already planted some Virginia creeper on both sides.

Last classroom visit

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 21:17:00 +0000

Last Wednesday morning, science teacher Pam Meier walked over from the Blanco Middle School with three students to tour our Texas Wildscape for the last time before summer. Two girls, Sarah and Lupita, will go to high school next fall. But Aurora will still be in middle school so hopefully Pam will bring her back along with some new students.

As soon as the group arrived, I pointed out a shrill bird call and asked if they remembered what it was. Hmmm. It's baby, I hinted. It's our statebird, I hinted some more. Mocking....bird!

Next I showed them pipevine caterpillars chomping away on pipevine leaves in the Meadow. I pointed out eggs, too. "I saw the mama butterfly deposit these last week," I said. Then I pointed to a chubby caterpillar. "Isn't it CUTE?" I asked. Everyone smiled and nodded.

This time, they brought their lunch and stayed long enough to picnic on our back patio. Before everyone left, I gave the girls each a flame acanthus and/or blue mistflower to take home.

"Wait a minute," I said as they headed back to school. "Hear that screechy call? What's that again?"

"A baby mockingbird!" the girls exclaimed.

Mission accomplished!

Giane coneflower

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 31 May 2013 16:59:00 +0000

Last April, we bought two giant coneflowers (Rudbeckia maxima) from the Mostly Native Plant Sale in Boerne. This month, one is blooming for the first time. It's beautiful! Giant coneflowers can grow as tall as six feet. As you can see, this one is taller than our chain-link fence.
In the wild, I'd only seen them once somewhere out toward East Texas. I took some digital pictures of them but don't know what happened to them. Then last week, I spotted one growing near San Marcos. On the way back (a different trip) via RR 32, I saw a cluster growing in a dry stream bed or draw. Cool!

This jumping spider was messing around with a stick that was somehow attached to the flower. He acted like he was trying to rig an escape hatch. I don't know what happened after I left. Doesn't he know that he's got built-in drag-line equipment?

They're still here

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Fri, 31 May 2013 02:21:00 +0000

Our martins. They came back. I just knew they'd leave today and never return. But they proved me wrong. Yet again.

This evening, I was going to put in a sparrow trap. Since today was perhaps a hatching day, I took some photos of the martins' nest. No eggs showed up. I took another picture, then another. No eggs. Tentatively, I reached inside the compartment and softly touched around the leaves. No eggs.

Gone.

Vanished.

I was stunned. James reached inside, too, and felt around. He couldn't believe it. "Four eggs," he said, "gone."

Sadly, I cleaned out the sparrow nests from two other compartments and threw the material on the ground. I didn't feel like putting in a trap. Then I went back inside the house and shared my sad news on the Purple Martin Conservation Association's page on Facebook.

"No eggs," I wrote. "Our four eggs are gone. The first would have been hatching around today. And we'd just put up the predator guard this week. And this morning, I just paid my dues to the PMCA and the North Texas Purple Martin group...our brand new colony is done. Finished. I feel so sad for the martins too."

Then I cried.

"I don't think I can do this any more," I typed on the page. ".....sorry.......I'm really down right now..................."

I really felt like giving up on this business of being a purple martin landlord. Obviously, we'd failed. Because their eggs were gone. Likely eaten by a rat snake. We'd even met up with one in the back yard yesterday. James got pictures of it, too. We didn't think anything about it. We like snakes. But now... It's such a moral dilemma for me. Because of the martins, I trap sparrows (then give them to my Hit Man for execution). I appreciate the role that snakes play in nature, and I've never hated or feared them. But now, what do I do? It's hard. We have decided to get rid of two brush piles on our property. We'd let them pile up as "snags" and places that wildlife could hide. But now we wonder if that was wise after all. Maybe the rat snakes live there.

This evening, I stood in The Meadow, amazed and stunned to see our martin pair flying around the house. I'd just assumed that they would abandon their nest if a snake had indeed eaten their eggs. But there they were, flitting around and landing on their porch. At first, he sat and chortled a bit sadly. I wanted to cry. "I'm sorry," I said. "I'm so sorry you lost your eggs."

But after awhile, he perked up and seemed happier. He'd take off, and she'd follow behind. They'd land on their porch, pop inside their compartment and chatter softly. Then they'd take off again. In and out, in and out.

So, if you're not going to give up, then I guess I can't either. Then I thought back on everything we've been through together. A first lady mate that didn't stay. A starling attack. Sparrow invasions. The day I thought a hawk had taken the male. And now the loss of four eggs.

Yet there they were, my martin male and female, going back inside the compartment where they'd lost their unhatched. How brave is that?

Truly, how brave IS that? I've decided that I'm going to try to have the courage of a purple martin.

Gone

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Thu, 30 May 2013 22:20:00 +0000

Our four purple martin eggs are gone. I don't think I can be a purple martin landlord after all.

And we'd just put up that fancy predator guard, too. What was the point.

James' new project

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Thu, 30 May 2013 14:12:00 +0000

James can't sit still for long. Since we're now officially purple martin landlords, we trek back and forth across The Meadow to the martin house to trap sparrows and nest check. We were stepping over his cedar fence until James took out a section and started working on an arbor and gate. It's going to look beautiful!

Mostly familiar, some new natives

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Thu, 30 May 2013 14:09:00 +0000

Silver bladderpod (Lesquerella argyraea)

Silver bladderpod (Lesquerella argyraea)

Working on this one....

Wright's skullcap (Scutellaria wrightii)

Scarlet pea (Indigofera miniata)

Catclaw sensitive briar (Mimosa microphylla)

I love to touch the leaves and watch them fold up....

Crow poison (Nothoscordum bivalve) with a lurking crab spider on two petals

Pipevine eggs!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:36:00 +0000

Yesterday afternoon, I was in the Meadow, helping James with his newest project (stay tuned). In between assisting, I pulled snailseed vine (lots of it) and other weedy stuff that's overrunning the rocked-in bed that encloses several live oaks. While I was working, a pipevine swallowtail fluttered past and landed near one of the three non-native pipevines (Aristolochia fimbriata) that we planted. She touched on a henbit, then a dayflower, then a pipevine leaf. Over and over again she landed and touched, landed and touched on plants. Nothing seemed to meet her approval. I stopped pulling and watched until finally she found a pipevine stem near me that she liked. Bent at my waist, head upside down, I kept watching while she deposited seven orangish eggs. I was thrilled!

"Hey, do the boys want to see some butterfly eggs that were just laid?" I hollered across the street at my neighbors. They were sitting on their front deck with their two grandsons. "I just saw them being laid!"

In a flash, Caleb and Clayton dashed over and crouched down next to me. I showed them the new eggs and explained how pipevine swallowtail butterflies ALWAYS lay their eggs on pipevine leaves. Then I showed them a little pipevine caterpillar that I'd spotted.

"Would you like to come back when the caterpillars get bigger? They're REALLY cute!" The boys nodded and smiled. "OK, I'll let your grandmother know."

The little info that I found on incubation says the eggs take 10 days to hatch. Let the countdown begin!

Purple martin update

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Wed, 29 May 2013 22:02:00 +0000

May 28, 2013--no babies yet. But SOON!

May 25, 2012

Wildlife sightings

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Wed, 29 May 2013 21:51:00 +0000

I've been busy AND lazy lately so I haven't posted in a week. Last Friday, I saw something moving by our chain-link fence. I kept looking and then..."JAMES, THERE'S A COTTONTAIL IN THE BACK YARD!" I hadn't seen one on our side of the street in years and years. It was quite exciting. When the rabbit seemed like it couldn't find its way out, we decided to step outside. As soon as it saw me, it sped across the yard and slipped through an opening between the house and fence. The photo above was taken through a window, then cropped tight. We opened a window to get the shot below, but it's still not very great. Sorry!

Can you find the rabbit? (Hint: Search along the rock line.)

Then at supper that evening, look who showed up and acted like SHE wanted to explore our back yard, too? We've got a herd of five white-tailed deer that roam our neighborhood. Yay. (Yes, that is sarcasm in my voice that you hear.)

Another classroom visit

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:31:00 +0000

For the third week in a row, science teacher Pam Meier brought three students from the Blanco Middle School to tour our Wildscape. They walk from campus and stay about a half hour. Today, we listened for the calls of baby mockingbirds begging parents to feed them and the chorltes of adult purple martins flying overhead. I showed them tiny caterpillars munching on passionflower vines and explained how, in nature, many plants feed specific insects. Which is why you shouldn't always squash them when you find them in your gardens. They asked about the turk's cap (photo above), which grows in the wild here in the Hill Country. However, we couldn't find the species in the guidebooks they brought (the classic Wildflowers of Texas by Geyata Ajilvsgidoesn't include turk's cap, darn it).

The girls will return for two more Wednesday morning tours. Then it's summer vacation! In the meantime, Pam and I are discussing the idea of having more students come next year, which would be GREAT! I love sharing our Texas Wildscape.

Note to self

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:27:00 +0000

This morning along the fence in The Meadow, I scattered seeds from white rock lettuce (Pinaropappus roseus) given to us by Linda and Ron Chang last Friday.

New bird

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:59:00 +0000

My bird expert Joanne thinks this was a female common yellowthroat (sighted May 16), which migrate through Central Texas. These aren't great images because I crop'em tight.

New friends and new plants

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:41:00 +0000

Last Friday, we spent the afternoon, exploring the native gardens around the home of Ron and Linda Chang. WOW! Their collection is AMAZING! They started 19 years ago when they bought their land and built a home. We saw so many species! Not to mention both Ron and Linda know each by their BOTANICAL name. We have to go back because we didn't get to see everything.

To my delight, they sent us home with six new friends:

Goldeneye (Viguiera dentata)
Lindheimer's crownbeard (Verbesina lindheimeri)
Bird wing passionflower (Passiflora tenuiloba)
Pearl milkweed (Matelea reticulata)
Wafer ash (Ptelea trifoliata)
Mexican orchid (Bauhinia mexicana) [Note: Not native to Texas but great butterfly nectar host]

I'm VERY excited to get a pearl milkweed. I've wanted one of those for a long time. And another native passionflower vine, too. Wonderful!

THANK YOU, Ron and Linda!

BAD snail!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:09:00 +0000

HA! Two years ago, I thought this was "Just a snail." Well, it's a snail, all right. But the non-native milk snail (Otala lactea), which is a BAD BAD BAD snail. (Unless, as I joked two years ago, you happen to love escargot.) This spring, I've found more milk snails in our Wildscape than ever before. Like coreopsis leaf beetles and English house sparrows, I HATE THIS SNAIL SPECIES. It doesn't belong here, and it eats our plants.

I'll never forget a photo posted by a friend of mine on her Facebook page. A plant in her yard was COVERED with these snails. That was a red flag to me. The picture told me that this species CAN get out of hand. So ever since then, I've killed them (I place a piece of ball moss on top of the thing, then STOMP), or I get my sweet Hit Man (James) to do the execution. I still don't like to kill stuff.

So how'd they get here? Snail expert/Mollusk Man Max Anton wrote me in 2011 that: "All Helicidae are exotic, having been imported from Europe and Asia Minor. The milk snail is formerly known as the Spanish Edible Snail, so it is probably more closely associated with the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. I'm not sure how Otala lactea found its way specifically to the Hill Country, but most likely, it migrated there after being introduced in other parts of the country for the escargot trade. Snails have a knack for hitching rides in potted plants, shipping crates, and other transported goods.

Around here, I've found them on the outside of our house. In the grass. On the sides of potted plants. Earlier this week, I spotted a small one at the Blanco Good Samaritan Center. Squish! So look around your yard, especially after a rain. I bet you have some, too. But I sure hope not!

Milk snail on spiderwort

I found two snails on the same spiderwort this morning. I summoned my favorite Hit Man, and he took care of the varmints for me.

Purple martin nest check

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:23:00 +0000

FOUR EGGS!

She lays one each consecutive morning around sunrise, no more than seven.

Happy belated anniversary!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheryl Smith-Rodgers) — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:00:00 +0000

We received some anniversary cash for our May 2 (number seven!), and I know these special people wanted us to spend ALL of it on nice dinners out. Well, we did indulge at a seafood restaurant. But we had a lot left...so what else would James and Sheryl do but buy PLANTS! Naturally! Today we visited Blanco Gardens and came home with: damianita (six), grey santolina (two), green santolina (two), salvias (pink, red and 'Nuevo Leon'), cedar sage (three), pink skullcap (one) and one catnip. James didn't feel good, but he planted nearly everything (I took care of a few plants). He'd been wanting to get a front bed looking better. And it does now! I love you, James!