The other day I accompanied Prof. Russell Pfau, Tarleton State University, to the grasslands in search of his target species, Anemone ‘pilosa‘. Previously I had scouted the location as I have been watching the Trout Lily progress over the season. So I had already found several of the Anemone ‘pilosa’ locations nearby.
Carefully searching all areas as we went. However, I had not found any at this spot before. Of course I could have miss’em so we all looked. 🙂
Blue Flax (Linum pratense) are starting to dot the prairie!
The Fringed Puccoon (Lithospermum incisum) has also become more numerous with each passing day.
Blue Funnel-lily (Androstephium coeruleum) were scattered about. This is an easily missed prairie flower with its diminutive size and pale color.
We reached the spot! Right where I had left them last week. 🙂
Russell got to work documenting the Anemone ‘pilosa’ .
Russell was here to take specimens (with permission) for his research on the identity of this new species. Jeanne carefully dug it up.
Additionally Russell also took leaf samples from other specimens of the same A. ‘pilosa’ species. He will run DNA on all of them.
Russell sent a message that he was going to The Flower Mound last Sunday to try to find A. pilosa there, because he believes one of the observations from The Mound on iNaturalist may have been it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the message until Monday, so I missed my chance to go with him. He hasn’t responded to tell me if he found any, but I’ll be scouring The Mound soon.
Hooray for Thompkins – what a gift to the world.
Those buggy video/photos are beautiful – what a new way to see.
Wow!! Those bug photos!
How fun to help with describing a species!!
Yes it is, even if just a small part of it. Can say we were there. :=)
Russell sent a message that he was going to The Flower Mound last Sunday to try to find A. pilosa there, because he believes one of the observations from The Mound on iNaturalist may have been it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the message until Monday, so I missed my chance to go with him. He hasn’t responded to tell me if he found any, but I’ll be scouring The Mound soon.
He did find it at Flower Mound too!