Indeed, the area around the dry pond had much to offer!
Lots of lichens on the trees and this one was loaded with apothecia! That’s the fruiting bodies where the spores are stored. In this case, the white disks on the lichen.
We came across a dried pond. What a lovely brown!
One frog was left behind! 😉
Huge willow trees surrounded the dry pond!
On several twigs from the willow, Jeanne spotted these insect casing/eggs. Sharp eyes Jeanne!
They had all flown the coop. Most of the insects looked like they had made it out through their operculum/opening lid.
Additionally, a tinier egg was nestled with them.
We examined a cottonwood leaf. Red on the top.
And a felt-like underside. Not all the cottonwood leaves were like this.
Several of the willow’s branches were covered in lichens. The fruticose lichen (3D or shrubby) was a Sinewed Ramalina (Ramalina americana)! In addition to Ramalina, there were foliose and crustose lichens.
So it was time to move on and head back to the fire line.
The more you know, the more you see and the more you see, the more you know
8 Comments
Interesting about fuzz on cottonwood. Paula noticed some fuzzy underneath chinkapin oak yesterday but the green ones on another chinkapin nearby didn’t have the fuzz.
Love the lichens right now with all the moisture. I went walking in the cold rain today because I was tired of being inside. Lichens were especially pretty. Picked some twigs and brought them to my cabin porch to enjoy. I need a lesson again on what is what.
This morning we were invaded by a huge flock of robins. Unlike north TX we don’t get them except the occasional winter. Felt like I was in the Hitchcock movie. Along with the 50-100 robins were a few house sparrows (weird), starlings (yuck) and a single female red-winged blackbird. All the regulars made themselves scarce until the mob left a few hours later. I do have a winter resident Loggerhead Shrike again.
Really good to hear you are getting some rain! I bet you have some interesting lichens. And when they dry out, they will have such different colors, eh.
Neato on the robins! We got them in our woods the last few days. And I love the shrike! Yeah for you!
Interesting about fuzz on cottonwood. Paula noticed some fuzzy underneath chinkapin oak yesterday but the green ones on another chinkapin nearby didn’t have the fuzz.
Interesting, we should watch for fuzz. 🙂
Love the lichens right now with all the moisture. I went walking in the cold rain today because I was tired of being inside. Lichens were especially pretty. Picked some twigs and brought them to my cabin porch to enjoy. I need a lesson again on what is what.
This morning we were invaded by a huge flock of robins. Unlike north TX we don’t get them except the occasional winter. Felt like I was in the Hitchcock movie. Along with the 50-100 robins were a few house sparrows (weird), starlings (yuck) and a single female red-winged blackbird. All the regulars made themselves scarce until the mob left a few hours later. I do have a winter resident Loggerhead Shrike again.
Really good to hear you are getting some rain! I bet you have some interesting lichens. And when they dry out, they will have such different colors, eh.
Neato on the robins! We got them in our woods the last few days. And I love the shrike! Yeah for you!
The egg cases on the willow twigs are pretty cool.
It was a nice find by Jeanne! If they had still been there I might have taken some home 😉
I liked the article
👍🏼😊