We had been out about an hour and half at this point. Not wanting to push it for Gracie, we started back towards the car. So back up top to the prairie we went.
Common Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)!
A Rice Bug (Stenocoris) caught my eye on Lespedeza!
I love the comb-like spikes on its legs. I wonder what function they serve?
This branch has at least three different crustose lichens plus some foliose as well. Crustose lichens look more like someone painted it on the substrate. Some crustose lichens do not even show a upper cortex at all. In fact, sometimes all you may see are the fruiting bodies.
Close up view of the beautiful yolk colored lichen!
Old reptile eggs!
A tiny black beetle makes its way across the surface. The puffball is the Peeling Puffball (Lycoperdon marginatum)!
Look at all the hairs and glands. So it is sticky to the touch. There are three species in the genus Camphor (Heterotheca)!
The Purpletop (Tridens flavus) has faded to a straw color. Croton and Bitterweed are in the front.
This is Curly-cup Gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa)! Notice that the phyllaries are bent back. In the other common one in our area the Saw-leaf Daisy (Grindelia ciliata), the phyllaries point upwards. There are five species in the Flora of North Central Texas.
The Meshweaver web makes me think of modern art.
The spider is about 1-2 mm. Here the back end is all I could get. You can see some of its prey!
I wondered that too, but never found anything. It was as long as wheelbug so it is not for size. Best I could think of was maybe it is in rice fields. Just ideas…
Wonder why it’s called a rice bug.
I wondered that too, but never found anything. It was as long as wheelbug so it is not for size. Best I could think of was maybe it is in rice fields. Just ideas…
Neat, never seen a rice bug. A good day for Gracie! I think she approves!
Wow, that mesh weaver web is beautiful!