The bottomland was definitely interesting but now we headed upwards.
Private property was across the fence.
Some units have cross fencing. Thus it is a good idea to assess your location on the map.
A Post Oak was not going to let the fence stop it. The wire was now enveloped by the tree.
In fact, several trees were not stopped. 😉
In the uplands, a small meadow was filled with native grasses and a nice patch of Gayfeather (Liatris)!
Some seeds still clung to the inflorescene!
Grasshoppers are out all winter like this green nymph that hopped about.
The meadow!
We tried to make this into a different species of yucca. So checking the flora, there are three species of yucca that have the threads, Y. constricta, Y. necopina, and Y. arkansana. Y. constricta according to BONAP is not in Wise County and this was not on limestone. Y. necopina is shown on the BONAP map in Wise County. There were no flowering stems on any of the plants. It probably was Y. arkansana, but just maybe it would be worth re-checking during bloom time.
Sometimes we will see a orange tack in a tree. According to the Forest Service, it most likely was a hunter’s mark.
Blackjacks often have a mess of hanging branches that touch the ground!
Spongy Toothed Polypore (Spongipellis pachyodon)!
Spongy Toothed Polypore means that the tree has already developed white rot in its heart. Nothing can be done to save a tree at this point. Just let nature do its thing! This fungus is particularly fond of hardwoods.
Trees make good fence posts. Love that polypore. Beautiful photo of it too.
Agree with Judy – that’s a great photo of that fungus.
Thanks☺️