Three tongues

 We went to the grasslands today, of course. LOL. It was a cool start that made Gracie a bit more perky. It was about 55 or 60 degrees when we started at 9:30am. So many things are starting to come out. The Goatweed Leafwing and Dainty Sulphurs are the most numerous of the butterflies seen today. Grasshoppers are flying about as well. Also had a Cloudywing or Duskywing. I never can remember which is which.

These raccoon tracks were stand outs. We sure could use some rain.

Wild plums (Prunus) are going full steam! 
The Foxtail or Spinystar cactus (Escobaria vivipara var radiosa).

Close up the brown spines. It will have a vibrant pink blossoms come May.

Sedges are starting to bloom as well!

Cymopterus (Vesper macrorhizus) was blooming. I’m still waiting for the seedheads. It likes rocky limestone areas.
When I saw the yellow on the ground, I had thought some plant was about to blossom, but no, they were fuzzy yellow eggs! I wonder what they are?  Stay tuned, I brought a few home 🙂

This is the remains of the White Compass plant (Silphium albiflorum) which is only found in Texas.

The Wild Plum thickets are really going and I’m told they are fragrant! I can’t smell a thing.

Square-bud Primrose’s (Calylophus berlandieri) red gall. 
This is the first tongue of the day! Engelmann’s Adder’s-tongue (Ophioglossum engelmannii)! This is an unusual type of fern. It is only seen for a month or two each year. The spores are in the spike.

Not as far along. But there were a ton of them in the field! I had not noticed them before in this unit.

What a delightful find! This one like looks like a cobra. 😉

This is the first of the three tongues. Stay tuned for the other two tongues in tomorrow’s post.
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Keep looking!

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