It got down to 32.6 degrees at my house this morning. This thistle (Cirsium) rosette was lightly frosted.   This dead Post Oak (Quercus stellata) probably had tales to tell. Post Oaks live between 300 and 400 years old. A long time ago, a tree person told me a way to know if a Post…

 Do you ever wonder where some of the common names for things come from? Yellow-rumped Warbler, Red-headed Woodpecker, Shooting-star (Dodecatheon meadia) Snake Herb (Dyschoriste linearis) or Texas Bluestar (Amsonia ciliata var texana) all seem to be obvious to me, Sometimes you might think the person was crazy such as is the case for Bastard Toadflax (Comandra…

This band-winged grasshopper (Oedipodinae) caught my eye with yellow wing showing! Poison ivy leaf (Toxicodendron radicans) in case you were itching (groan- LOL) to see its leaflets. It is a show stopper in the fall. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker makes horizonal holes on trees. This is a Cedar Elm tree. This is a good sign that you have…

 When you are traipsing around on the grasslands, the woods, or most anywhere, a good thing to know is what does poison ivy look like in the winter.  You can get still get contact dermatitis even in the winter if you are allergic to the oils. And all parts of the plant have the oils….

 FOS – first of season Northern Harrier for me! Hope one sticks around this winter in our field. Last winter they were scarce in our field. Also got nice looks at a meadowlark and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  This is what is left from the mushroom that was on the dead Blackjack (Quercus marilandica) log a few…

All the leaves are gone on my Common Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana). I have been waiting for them to get ripe. Unfortunately, most of fruit is out of my reach ;-(  But finally the fruit is ready to eat! It is so deliciously sweet. However I will warn you that before they are ripe, the fruit makes…

The leaves were falling in the wind this morning. The trees are almost bare in our woods now. Sachem was quite cooperative this morning! Side view My most interesting find today. This millipede (Aniulus species) was chomping down on this mushroom. I had never witness this before. Keep looking!  

Chrysolina auripennis is in the Leaf Beetles (Chrysomelidae) family. With so many beetles in the world it is not surprising that most do not have a common name. I brought it inside for a photo shoot. It was about 8mm(3/8″). Split-beard bluestem (Andropogon ternarius) and Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) often are found together. That old…

Harvestman or Daddy Short-legs(Eumesosoma roeweri) Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) in my backyard with the Cottonwoods (Populus deltoides) in the background. The Sweetgum is one of the host plants for Luna moths.   One fresh and two old and used up ones of the Lycoperdon species of puffballs.  These are the Red Imported Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta) which are from Brazil….

Be sure to wear your hunter orange if you are on the LBJ National Grasslands! Check TPWD for a complete list. Crambid Snout Moths (Crambidae) have 860 species in 10 subfamilies.  This one was on Palafoxia (Palafoxia callosa). Green lacewing (Chrysopidae) on Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)   . Shiny mushroom on a fallen Blackjack (Quercus marilandica) Keep looking!