Some of you will know about First Wed. Others not. So First Wed is short for First Wednesday. This is what I called the monthly hikes I led on the LBJ National Grasslands on the first Wednesday of each month. Of course, that was before COVID-19. To dip my toes back in, I found a day (not a Wednesday) that had pretty weather forecasted. Then I invited some of the former regulars back for an outing on the grasslands.
The group was ready! Shortly after this, some of us got to see a jackrabbit sprint away! That was the second for me in just a couple of weeks. Everyone has favorite spots. This small grotto is certainly one of mine. The water was running, but that is not the case in the heat of the summer.Judy took this angle of the grotto with our shadows. Nice job and thanks Judy!The Cymopterus (Vesper macrorhizus) was still out. It can start as early as the first week in January. This has been a slow year for the plants so it was nice to see it still out.Some were still flowering and some had set seeds.Don’t you love the speckled leaves on this plant? It is called the Trout Lily (Erythronium mesochoreum). Appropriately named with trout-like speckled leaves right!The Trout Lily likes to nod its “head” downward. I have seen small sweat type bees on them before. However, the North Central Texas flora says ants eat the white oil body attached to the seeds and thus its seeds are dispersed.Redbuds are getting close to opening. Redbuds are the host plant for Henry’s Elfin, a small butterfly. I spotted one out and about that day nearby.A really deep purple Ten-petal Anemone!Unbelievable! The red fruit was still on the Plains Nipple Cactus (Escobaria missouriensis)! Susan’s sharp eye found the Variegated Fritillary caterpillar was out!A humongous puffball!
It certainly was a nice day at the grasslands with a great bunch of folks! I look forward to trying to get the monthly outings going again. It will help everyone sanity! 🙂
Keep looking!
The more you know, the more you see and the more you see, the more you know.
9 Comments
It was a wonderful day. Thanks for taking us. Nothing i love more than grottos and this was a beautiful one.
Wait! I am a former regular and didn’t get an invitation to join. Oh ok, so I live too far away. I miss those old days. Cymopterus reminds me of Shirley. She always got excited when she saw her first one of the season and made sure I knew about it when she saw one.
My Plains Nipple Cacti still have lots of fruits on them too.
Ok, you were not on the list and you did choose to move away from the most beautiful area to another beautiful area. 🙂 I wonder what is with the fruit on them this year. Maybe the critters who eat them are having a tough time 🙁 Yep Shirley liked the Cymopterus. Miss having you on the outing.
It was a wonderful day. Thanks for taking us. Nothing i love more than grottos and this was a beautiful one.
My pleasure and it was a wonderful morning!
Wait! I am a former regular and didn’t get an invitation to join. Oh ok, so I live too far away. I miss those old days. Cymopterus reminds me of Shirley. She always got excited when she saw her first one of the season and made sure I knew about it when she saw one.
My Plains Nipple Cacti still have lots of fruits on them too.
Ok, you were not on the list and you did choose to move away from the most beautiful area to another beautiful area. 🙂 I wonder what is with the fruit on them this year. Maybe the critters who eat them are having a tough time 🙁 Yep Shirley liked the Cymopterus. Miss having you on the outing.
It was a wonderful outing and so good to see old and new friends. So happy you’re getting our monthly Grasslands walks started again.
You can say that again 😊
Looking forward to joining in again! I love that grotto too.
😎
Cymopterus sure are cute!