The adult
As I mentioned yesterday the second to last stop was a completely dry creek. Often at this time of the year it is dry. So no surprise there. The next creek however does run with water sometimes through the summer. Of course not this summer.
Here is why it is called the Gordian Worm, it makes a Gordian knot. The common name of Horsehair Worm was thought to be because they were found in horse troughs. And looked like horse’s tail hairs. The worms pose no threat to humans. They primarily parasitize Orthoptera as a larvae. This includes grasshoppers, locusts, crickets and katydids. This is the adult. They lay their eggs in the water. Insects drink the water and ingest the larvae that have hatched. It has been estimated that a single female can lay 27 million eggs very tiny eggs. Whoa!
Keep looking!
The more you know, the more you see and the more you see, the more you know
Interesting worm. Dont you love the very appropriate name porcupine eggs?
Yes! 🙂
We were near a portion of the Guadalupe River on Sunday that was only puddles. It was a nature area for putting in canoes & kayaks but was pretty much uninhabited by people because of the drought. This was between Comfort and Blanco basically. What was interesting was the bird life. With only puddles, it concentrates birds to these areas. Couple neat caves in the area. Cascade Caverns, which we did go to and Cave Without a Name, that I decided to go to after my ankle is fixed. Those steps coming out of Cascade Caverns killed me. But the rock and vegetation there was really interesting.
Kathy, Thanks for sharing your comments. I had not heard of Cascade Caverns. And I love the “Cave Without a Name” name. Kinda like the Seldom Seen Road name here. 🙂 Hadn’t been to Cave Without a Name either. I wait your reports. 🙂 Take care of that ankle!