Jeanne and I are still going out. We try to do a few hours earlier in the mornings. Definitely a must in this heat, eh. And sure glad there has still been a breeze!
Yesterday morning I picked a shady area along a creek at the grasslands to start the day. This creek only had small pools of water left.
Jeanne cuts some Greenbriar so we can proceed.
Most of the animals don’t need to duck along the path. We had to cut a bit to be able to crawl under a fallen tree.
The beautiful dry jelly fungus Wood’s Ear (Auricularia) was as hard as a rock.
With only one species in the US the Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus) is pretty distinctive with crest-like thingy on its back. In fact it is the only insect in the US that has this feature. It preys on a wide variety of insects. However beware because its bite can be more painful than a bee or wasp sting.
The Horsetail (Equisetum) glowed!
The beautiful but well hidden green flower of Anglepod (Gonolobus suberosus syn Matelea gonocarpos)!
Belonging in the Apocynaceae family it has a milky sap. The Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis) and the Milkweed Tussock Moth (Euchaetes egle) are two species that like it. We saw neither species that day.
We did find however exuviae of insects on the undersides of some leaves!
Your photo of the translucent horsetail is gorgeous! What a cool night light a glass blower could make using it as a model. The saguaro article makes me very sad too.
Love cattails, one of my favorite plants. And so sad about the saguaros.
Agreed. 🙁
Your photo of the translucent horsetail is gorgeous! What a cool night light a glass blower could make using it as a model. The saguaro article makes me very sad too.
What a great idea…night light!
Cool milkvine and everything else too!