Moving on from the first stop, we head down the road to another spot that was monitored by Shirley each year.
So every year, we must pay our respects to another plant that Shirley monitored. It is the False Foxglove (Aureolaria grandiflora) but it was not quite blooming yet. It is parasitic on oaks. Its bloom is a beautiful yellow that looks similar in shape to a foxglove’s flower, hence the name.A tad further down the road, another plant that is more common in east Texas, is the Pink Gayfeather (Liatris elegans). It likes shady sandy woods. A great find by Shirley.The folded leaf has called to me again. Inside this grape leaf was a translucent caterpillar similar to the one I found a week or so ago. I believe this one belongs in the genus of Desmia, Grape Leafrollers. Kathy helped me come across this one by mentioning in previous comments that she had a ugly one. However, I disagree with that. LOL. I did not bring this one home like the other one. My shelf is getting full with specimens waiting to emerge from pupation.Hypericium is another flower of the woodlands.This is another of Shirley’s finds and this year it has the most blooms on it I have ever seen! It was several years after Shirley and I started going out before I saw it in bloom. At the time, Shirley and I wondered if was gone for good from this location. We started going out during the drought years so it may not have been enough water for it to do well. It was pleasing that it was still there. The next photo is the close up. Even with the road dust covering the American Groundnut (Apios americana), it is a standout!Now, we are moving pass the territory covered with Shirley. Two years, ago we passed this tree when I noticed something different.Here is a closer look. Truly, someone has a sense of humor or weirdness? Whatever, we were delighted to see it was still there. The soldiers were keeping a good lookout!After two years, the soldiers are starting to have lichens growing on them. I missed seeing them last year. You can bet I will continue looking to see how much the lichens grow in a year.
That groundnut flower is stunning!! I remember looking for the false foxglove with Shirley too
It was a favorite of hers for sure.
Wonder how many years the soldiers have been there. Bet no one else has seen them besides yall and whoever put them there.