Just after 1pm, we got a real frog strangler! In about ten minutes we got .45″.
First photos are from Kathy. She said it was a Sweet Potato Weevil (Cylas formicarius) larva. This guy was really interesting. You can see a black eye, legs and its proboscis.
Really tiny!
This was my favorite with glass-like legs.
The larva has three instars. The one on far right must be the earliest. It was first found in Louisiana the US in 1875. Its primary hosts are in the Ipomoea genus. Several species of wasps and ants are its natural enemies. The adult is quite small and is black and red.
This next item was given to me by Miguel. It is a plant that thankfully I do not have here at our house. In addition, I was not familiar with it. Texas botanist, Julian Reverchon said it first appeared in Dallas around 1860 (FNCT). Wikipedia says “It is native to warm temperate and tropical regions in southern Eurasia and Africa.”
Now most of you probably know that it is Goathead (Tribulus terrestris). Other names it goes by includes Punctureweed, Puncturevein, Bullhead, Cadillo, or Abrojo de flor amarillo.
A little bit hairy! The genus, Tribulus (Caltrop) is New Latin, from Latin, from Greek tribolos. In Greek, caltrop was a pointed weapon placed on the ground to impede cavalry. It is in the Zygophyllaceae (Caltrop family).
The goat’s head! Thank you Miguel. And now Miguel can have it back. LOL. FYI, Miguel did know what it was. Like yesterday’s plant, Nits-n-lice, it can be fatal occasionally to livestock because in this case from saponin, an organic chemical. (FNCT)
This side looks liked the devil!
Cotton Fleahopper (Pseudatomoscelis seriatus) on Western Horse Nettle (Solanum dimidiatum). It was just 2 to 3 millimeters. And this sap-sucking bug was found by me is native! It is a pest to cotton. However, the primary host plant is Horsemint (Monarda punctata), a native. Quite interesting when you can see it up close.
Thank you to Kathy and Miguel for sharing your finds!
The bug is cute but not the goathead. The ten things article is great. Really interesting is the more traffic on wider highways. I wont wish for wider roads anymore.
Lots of cool stuff here once again! The 10 things article was very interesting. I live with an astronomer and had never heard that the Earth doesn’t actually orbit around the Sun, but around the solar system’s center of mass. Fascinating!
That tiny plant bug is adorable.
🙂
The bug is cute but not the goathead. The ten things article is great. Really interesting is the more traffic on wider highways. I wont wish for wider roads anymore.
I have driven on Houston’s roads…yuck.
Lots of cool stuff here once again! The 10 things article was very interesting. I live with an astronomer and had never heard that the Earth doesn’t actually orbit around the Sun, but around the solar system’s center of mass. Fascinating!
Yes, that was a strange one about earth’s orbit.
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