Somehow I forgot to hit the publish button for this post on June 1st. Not one to waste electrons, here it is late.
Ten people braved the morning heat for the First Wednesday outing. As much as I had hoped for a breeze, nada. I even got sprinkled on but only maybe three drops that day.
First photo, a Bobwhite egg. However at the time of the hike, I thought I remembered it was a dove egg. The dove egg is not near as pointy, but similar in size. Glad I rechecked. Bobwhites nest on the ground in a shallow hollow plant lined nest. No sign of a nest.
Judy spotted the velvet ant. In fact, Velvet ants are not really ants at all. The females are wingless, like this one. They are actually a type of wasp. The males are winged. There are 18 genera in the Mutillidae family in North America. Thanks Judy for the photo!
The first meadow had Texas Grama (Bouteloua rigidiseta)! With its little flags, this is an easy one to recognize!
In the same meadow as above, we stopped to look at the Meadow Pink (Sabatia campestris)! The bright pink certainly adds a lot a color to any meadow. Looking closely at the flower, you can see the difference between a flower that has been pollinated. The top was not. The pistils are still twisted together. The bottom one’s pistils are curled and pollinated. Smart flower! Doesn’t want to waste an insect’s time. 🙂
Thus there was a lot of attention to the small stuff!
Four O’Clock (Mirabilis)! The flower has already fallen. So what do you think, do the seeds look like a bunny with no ears?
Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis)! Also seen were Horace’s Duskywings, Variegated Fritillaries, Reakirt’s Blue, and Buckeyes.
Next, two Sleepy Daisies (Xanthisma texanum var drummondii)! One was still wiping the sleep out of its eye.
Jeanne took this stunning photo of a giant puffball!
So it was a great morning to share with nine nature loving folks! However next time, I need to put in my order early for a better breeze LOL! So back to Thomsen tomorrow.
It was a great day. What a photo of a puffball. Maybe best yet. Instead of a bunny without ears i see a kitten and other critters too. Its great.
🙂
I see a bunny head with no body LOL
Ha ha! Funny we all see something different. Hmm, what does that say about each of us 😉
Oh that’s the grama I saw tonight here. I need to correct my post. Looks like a good time!
Definitely a good time!
That is a very stunning puffball photo Jeanne! It looks like a huge geodesic home coming up out of the ground.