August 2023 – Page 2 – Nature Along the El Camino Real

My National Moth Week 2023

August 6, 2023 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Linda Jo Conn

During the week of July 22-31 hundreds of Texas Master Naturalists visited parks, prairies and preserves or stayed at their private homes to observe and report moths (and other species of insects) attracted by light in the nighttime.

While many used the preferred black or mercury vapor lights powered by electric plugs or batteries, special gridded cloth sheets, and specially constructed PVC frames to set up a viewing stage, my personal mothing setup is quite simple and is ready year-round with the simple flip of a light switch.

Although an LED light is not a preferred light source for moths, it is what is screwed into my porch light fixture, and it does draw insects. Beneath it I have taped a couple of sheets of ¼” graph paper. The graph paper stays there year-round, with replacement as needed. I am surprised that no one has yet asked me why I have graph paper stuck on the side of my house.

The early night temperatures above 90° and extremely dry local conditions were worrisome, but I was able to report several moth species to National Moth Week 2023.

Among the moth species I observed were these:

Banded Scythris Moth (*Scythris trivinctella*)

Of course, along with moths, other insects, including hundreds of non-biting midges, were drawn to the bright light.

You may view my moth observations made during the week at: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?project_id=163019&ttl=900&place_id=any&verifiable=any&subview=grid&user_id=26296.

Oh the Sounds of Summer – Cicadas

August 4, 2023 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall1 Comment

by Lisa Milewski

Growing up, my siblings and I would hear the infamous sounds of summer. Yes, the Cicadas. We would always hear them but never see them. We would see their shells once they emerged, usually on trees but not a live one.

To my delight, my son was playing basketball in the front yard and rushed in to tell me I might want to see this big bug. My eye for birds, insects, lizards, etc. has rubbed off on my children annd husband; I love it! They know how excited I get. Low and behold, it was a cicada. I slowly move in for a close-up picture to not scare it away. Yay, I got it!

I posted it in iNaturalist and identified it as a Resh Cicada. Per iNaturalist, the Megatibicen resh, the resh cicada or western dusk singing cicada, is a species of cicada in the family Cicadidae, found in North America.

An internet article on Cicada Mania stated it’s known as the Resh Cicada because of the markings on its back resemble the Hebrew symbol Resh “x” (Hebrew letter that looks like an upside down “L”). The Resh Cicada has been documented to be found in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. During the molting process, up until the cicada’s body sclerotizes (hardens), the cicada’s body is leaf-green (camouflaged like a hanging leaf).

Lisa’s Watering Hole

August 3, 2023August 2, 2023 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall2 Comments

by Lisa Milewski

During this heat, I have been filling the bird baths once or twice a day while enjoying watching the birds drink, splash, and bathe. So far, the birds I mostly see are cardinals, blue jays, northern mockingbirds, finches, house sparrows, mourning doves, white-wing doves, European Starlings, ruby throated hummingbird. Even the fox squirrel, cottontail rabbit, and bees seem to appreciate the water left out for them. Here are just a few that I have been able to get pictures of so far.

*White wing doves wait in line to get a drink and enjoy water.*

You don’t want to know my nickname for the doves. Let’s just say that I have to wash my driveway and car often.

*“Peter” the cottontail rabbit in his favorite spot sharing his water with “Jay” the blue jay*

Here’s “Rocky” the fox squirrel getting a good drink

I found that with these larger bird baths, it’s easier to fill them with rocks and top with soil and then place smaller bowls in them. This makes it a lot easier to clean them out daily and refill.

And here’s my favorite, “Ruby” the ruby throated hummingbird drinking from the hummingbird feeder.

Remember to wash out the bird baths and change hummingbird feeders daily or every other day in this heat. We want to help our friends, not make them sick.

Out-of-Sight Parasite

August 2, 2023 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Lisa Milewski

Why Do Birds Sunbathe?

As I look out the window, as I often do to bird and butterfly watch, to my surprise, I see these European Starlings all laying on the ground with their wings spread out. At first, I thought they fell to the ground due to the extreme heat and were in trouble.

*Photos were taken through a window, to not frighten the birds, so they are a little blurry.*

I then looked up why the birds would do this and if intervention was needed and I found this:

According to an online Audubon Society article called “Hot, Bothered, and Parasite-free: Why Birds Sun Themselves,” when it is hot enough, they do this not only for warmth and dryness but to rid themselves of parasites living on their skin and feathers.

It’s not known exactly how sunlight might kill the parasites; however, scientists believe that short blasts of heat, UV radiation, or some combination of both from the sun’s rays is likely the cause. The researchers found that even in a relatively short time in the direct sunlight, around 10 minutes, heated the wings to 140 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, which far exceeds the temperatures required to kill bedbugs, for example, which die at around 120 degrees. According to another study, 84% of other parasites, such as lice, died in direct sunlight at 140 degrees Fahrenheit in three minutes. At 158 degrees they all perished.

There are birds from more than 50 families that sunbathe, including birds of prey, rails, doves, larks, swallows, thrushes, finches, buntings, and more, though they may bathe for different reasons and different times.

Learning about Raccoons

August 1, 2023 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Catherine Johnson

Master Naturalists attended a recent All Things Wild (our region’s wildlife rehabilitation center) program on raccoons. They are more active than the opossums we learned about recently and require much care from the TPWD-permitted volunteers.

*Raccoon presentation, from the ATW Facebook page.*

Some facts about racoons:

Raccoons eat almost anything, and rub items between their hands in water to tell what kind of food they have.
Babies stay with their mothers for five months.
They purr when happy.
Their fur is not waterproof, so they do not swim much.

We were informed by the presenters of disease risks with racoons and how to humanely get them to leave your property. They do not make good pets, and as always, you should contact a rehabilitation center if in need of help with them.

*You can see some of the reasons not to keep raccoons as pets in this photo from the ATW Facebook page.*

Animal Ambassador River lives at the center and is blind and has seizures.

Exciting news from All Things Wild is that there are plans underway to acquire permanent land for an expanded center nearby with direct access from a highway.

By the way, make sure you sign up quickly for their programs, as they fill up within two hours.