>>

 We got a little wet this afternoon. So far .1 inch. I ain’t complaining; brings out the color in so much. I believe this is probably a Firedot lichen (Caloplaca species) and a Xanthoria species  (the yellowish one) on a old fence post. Bristle grass (Setaria species) with Little Bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium). Closeup. I am not sure if this…

This Leaf beetle (Chrysolina auripennis) was just moving along just fine. Its antenna has a beaded look. Then a big ole predator (me) nudged him. Its antenna and legs pulled into a protection mode. I flipped him and could see how small it had made itself. Pretty cool! I did flip it up right when…

 I hope everyone is having a safe and happy Thanksgiving. 🙂 Pareidolia – The perception of apparently significant patterns or recognizable images in random or accidental arrangement of shapes and lines. For example, when you look at the clouds and you might see dragons, dogs, monsters, people and so on. I have a donkey on…

 I had my FOS (First of season) Brown Creeper this afternoon. Always exciting to see one in our woods. One time years ago when I was out with Claire at Unit 55 (Rucker’s), we saw a Brown Creeper. It was doing it usual business going up the tree hunting for its next meal. While we…

Foggy and drizzly this morning. It did clear up around 2pm here. Nothing in the rain gauge for November yet.  Update: Getting rain at 7:11pm. By 8pm we got .47 inch. Yeah! Seed head, possibly a Sleepy Daisy (Xanthisma texanum var drummondii). The damp weather brings out the green in these lichens.  Red Paper Wasp’s…

Blackburn’s Earth-boring Beetles (Geotrupes blackburnii) were out again on this cool morning. Most of the beetles (Geotrupes blackburnii) were on their backs. Waiting for it to warm up. Fungus on a downed Hackberry tree. Update: It is called carbon balls, cramp balls, or King Alfred’s cakes (Daldinia concentrica) fungus home Closer view. Sorta looks like…

  Slick as snot, figurative (meaning neato) and literally. Jim was pushing trees and this was left in the dirt. From a distance, I thought the white was going to be piece of pottery or glass because this was where an old house once stood. Imagine my surprise when I saw the rest of it…

 I think the rain sky gods were toying with us today. Not a drop here. I was surprised to see this guy in the path this afternoon. This is all I saw at first. It was about 33cm (12 inches) long. When it got tire of me, it slithered under the KR grass clump and…

Good birds on my first walk of the day this morning. Cedar Waxwings! Also today had a bunch of Pine Siskins, robins, sapsuckers, White-crowned, Harris’, Fox, and Field Sparrows, bluebirds, blue jays, a kestrel, chickadees, phoebe, meadowlarks, Turkey Vultures, and a scolding Bewick’s Wren. The Loggerhead Shrike found a new menu item…a Praying Mantis! This…

  The sun highlighted these gorgeous brown polypore shelf fungus. Now that the leaves are gone, it is time to see where the birds nested. This one was a little worse for the wear.  Keep looking!