Today I was checking nest boxes for Jeanne. Goodness was it a good morning!
The only nest I found with bluebird eggs.
The Checkered White (Pontia protodice) was the most abundant butterfly today.
Nestlings!
So I have never seen a paper wasp nest as part of nest. Or perhaps it just fell into the nest. Who knows.
The Cowboy Laphria (Laphria macquarti) had me wondering. Nope not a bumble. However it wasn’t until I got home that I remembered the yellow on the legs made it a Robber Fly.
Titmice eggs!
A new species of grasshopper for me, the Post Oak Grasshopper (Dendrotettix quercus)! And yes they can defoliate a Post Oak. Yikes!
More Titmice!
These Titmice will fledge in a couple of days.
The Butterfly Milkweed had some cool critters. This Brown-belted Bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis) was new for me too!
A Soapberry Hairstreak (Phaeostrymon alcestis) stopped by too!
The Plains Bee Assassin (Apiomerus spissipes) was looking for a meal! This genus likes bees and not just to look at it. LOL.
Unfortunately, I’m all too familiar with the post oak grasshopper. They are they bane of my spring here in Denton county as we have struggled with their existence for many years now. I love nature and have a live and let live attitude, except when it comes to these vile creatures!
About every 4-5 years we would have a major hatching of these at the Nature Center. Almost total defoliation of post oaks on the Cross Timbers Trail mid-summer. We didn’t do any formal monitoring, but the oaks always seemed to bounce back the next spring.
The oaks do come back. Some years they are especially sad looking during the dog days of summer, but they do come back. The grasshoppers are more of a lifestyle nuisance for us as they drop tons of poop everywhere and they climb the house. Without any inervention we have hundreds of them all over the house and patio. They generally make sitting outside, which is where we prefer to be all the time, a terrible experience! We’ve learned a unique non-toxic control – we tape the trees to capture them as they climb. It never gets rid of them completely, but it seems to help control their numbers.
Seven babies sure is a lot to feed. Poor parents. And grasshoppers can demolish anything.
So. Many. Titmice!
So those titmouse moms actually left the nest? They hissed ar me!
Never saw any adults. Phoebes were hanging out on the fence line and a few great crested flycatchers.
Unfortunately, I’m all too familiar with the post oak grasshopper. They are they bane of my spring here in Denton county as we have struggled with their existence for many years now. I love nature and have a live and let live attitude, except when it comes to these vile creatures!
Dina, Do the oaks come back ok?
About every 4-5 years we would have a major hatching of these at the Nature Center. Almost total defoliation of post oaks on the Cross Timbers Trail mid-summer. We didn’t do any formal monitoring, but the oaks always seemed to bounce back the next spring.
Thank you Suzanne! Nature rules! Just personally the only reason to use the word vile is for humans only.
The oaks do come back. Some years they are especially sad looking during the dog days of summer, but they do come back. The grasshoppers are more of a lifestyle nuisance for us as they drop tons of poop everywhere and they climb the house. Without any inervention we have hundreds of them all over the house and patio. They generally make sitting outside, which is where we prefer to be all the time, a terrible experience! We’ve learned a unique non-toxic control – we tape the trees to capture them as they climb. It never gets rid of them completely, but it seems to help control their numbers.
So many titmice! Taunting me!!