Educational Material – Page 6 – Nature Along the El Camino Real

Check Out the New iNaturalist

April 9, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall2 Comments

by Sue Ann Kendall

Last Thursday, I headed out to observe wildlife at the Nails Creek Unit of Lake Somerville State Park. My usual method of observing is to take pictures of what I find, then upload the photos to iNaturalist for identification and to document what’s out there. (I also have Merlin Bird ID going most of the time, to catch the birds flying around.) I had a nice walk out by the lake, where I saw many ducks, hundreds of White Pelicans, and some plants I hadn’t seen before. What a lovely afternoon!

Of course, I fired up iNaturalist on my iPhone when I got back to my campsite. To my surprise, there was a notice saying that I should download the new iNaturalist right now, because it has all sorts of wonderful new features (not available on Android yet).

I downloaded iNaturalist Next, as it’s called now, like a good user, but I went ahead and identified my photos on the old app, which still works just fine. I then read all about the new version, which you can, too, by going to their blog. It’s a good idea to do that before starting to use the new one.

Beautiful Prairie Nymph (*Herbertia lahue)* I saw at the park.

The next day I tried out the new version. I was especially intrigued by the new feature that lets you point to a plant or other living thing and get suggested identifications. So, if you just want to check on something or resolve an argument with your friends about what something is, you can do it without uploading to the database. This is like the Seek app many people use.

After some trial and error, I was happy to figure out that you can take a photo from within the app, get a suggested ID, confirm it (or select another option if you know better), then upload it right then. Off you go to the next intriguing plant. This really saves a lot of time going back in and uploading later.

The top option is the one that gives suggestions.

I have to say it’s not the most intuitive interface ever created (I’m qualified to judge, because I supported users of an application with a horrible UI from 2011-2025, so I know one when I see one). However, once I figured out how to do what I wanted to do, it was just fine. I was also happy to see a pop-up with instructions on how to make the new version work a bit more like the old one, for us creatures of habit, and a reasonable tutorial on the blog post. Here are a few tips I’ve come up with so far:

Take your pictures carefully. You’ll see possible IDs coming up as you aim the camera at something, if you move slightly or annoy the app in some magical way I don’t understand yet, it might go back to identifying by family or worse. So be sure to snap at the right time to get the ID you want; otherwise you have to go back in and edit the observation, which works like the old iNat.
Note that the photos the app takes are an odd rectangular shape. If you are going to use photos taken with the app for other purposes, you’ll want to go in and crop them to a more useful aspect ratio.
I also find that it’s harder to focus on your organism from within the app than using the phone camera app. I frequently got frustrated trying to get a good image, especially of insects. A couple of times I just took a phone photo and identified the insect or plant later. If you are careful to only upload nice, sharp pictures to iNat, you might just want to get the suggestions in the app, but take pictures separately.
One of the good new features is being able to upload a lot of photos at once (up to 20) for identification. You can group photos of the same organism to go in one observation, but read the instructions first, because I found it to be challenging when I started out. Once you get it, it’s fun.

Example of the shape of photos. It was the closest plant to me, *Smilax bona nox.*

Overall, I think I’ll like this new app just fine. The only thing I really miss is that I liked the more compact list of your observations on the Me tab in the old one. And I think there are some issues with traditional projects that need to be resolved, for those of us who use a lot of projects. New features, like viewing other users’ profiles on the phone, make up for any issues I have. I loved that their example was Sam K.

It’s spring, though, and plants are blooming, so get out there and identify some of what you see on this new app. I’ll be waiting for reviews from some of our Super Users.

Hummers Have Arrived

April 3, 2025April 2, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Donna Lewis

At last, our tiny hummingbird friends have returned from down South ole Mexico way. It is hard to believe these little jewels are real living beings. A miracle for sure.

Tiny, but mighty. The two main species that visit Central Texas are the Black-Chinned and the Ruby-Throated. Both only weigh 0.1 ounce each. There are several other species that can be in our area also, but these are the most prevalent and easy to identify. They can beat their wings approximately 75 times per second! Yes, I said second, not a minute. WOW!!! I can’t move anything that fast.

*Black-chinned Hummingbird. Photo by Mike Kit on Pexels.com*

The males usually arrive first and get ready for the ladies to arrive soon after.

These birds drink nectar and eat insects. The plant they like the most for me is the Coral Honeysuckle. Turk’s Cap is another favorite bush.

*Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Photo by Skyler Ewing on Pexels.com*

Let’s talk about the human feeders we love to put up so we can watch them and assist in times of stressful weather events. There are some rules to follow so the nectar is safe.

Use regular white cane sugar. One part sugar to four parts water. I use our well water because I am in the country. No need for me to boil anything. If you are in the city, you probably should boil it. The feeders are usually red; do not use dye. You can tie a red piece of cloth or ribbon if you need to. Year to year in the same place, the hummers will remember where they are.

Here is the MOST important thing of all. Always change out the sugar water every three or four days in hot weather, or simply every time. The sugar water will ferment, and the bird will become drunk, and many will fly into a window or door and break their neck. Very sad.

If you can place the feeder under some cover to shade it, that helps.

Cats and snakes like to get our friends, so try to keep them where they cannot be reached. Everybody has to eat.

So get your feeders up, clean them with soap and water every few times and watch a little amazing bird show off its flying skills for you.

Remember who you garden for.

Cedar Waxwing Visitors

April 2, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Donna Lewis

Recently I had several large flocks of these very sleek looking birds in my oak trees.

These beautiful migratory birds, Cedar Waxwings, like to stay in flocks and will go all the way to Canada during the warmer months.

A sleek crest with a black mask and red wax-looking tips on their secondary wings make these birds easy to identify. The feathers on their chests are short and look slicked down.

They mostly eat fruit, berries, flower petals, some insects, and occasionally sap.

I love the fact that when they are courting male and females will sit side by side and pass flower petals back and forth, share a meal and rub beaks. How romantic! The babies are even fed by both parents.

They will drink from bird baths and sometimes eat raisins from bird feeders. But more often Cedar Waxwings keep to the wild things for food.

If you see some birds with a crest and look like Zorro, then they’re probably Cedar Waxwings.

Remember who you garden for.

Water Moccasin Alert

April 1, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall4 Comments

by Pamela Neeley

As usual, I was walking around the outside of the house checking flower bed for upcoming Spring cleaning, and I was wearing capris, flip-flops and no gloves. My friend pulled me back while saying, “Snake!”

Big, fat, black water Moccasin was right in front of me, but heading away from us. (Solid color usually indicates mature snake. Patterns refer to young or juveniles. ID can be confusing because of the patterns.)

It’s been awhile since I’d spotted a viper. I used my single-shot shotgun and missed at less than 6 feet (?) and I couldn’t remember how to release the safety on the other. So, I called my neighbor, who was at home, and asked him to dispatch this cottonmouth.

One shot from his pistol. He says he keeps snake shot handy just for me! I believe this.

I hung it on the fence, to alert other snakes. Legend has it that snakes will continue moving until sundown.I don’t know. It wasn’t on the fence when I looked. I didn’t go search for a moving, dead snake, either.

Cautionary tale: It is Spring and suddenly moist. The frogs are back. Cottonmouths, or water moccasins, are very nasty-tempered poisonous vipers. It will stand its ground, and possibly move toward you if you disturb it. They will try to stare you down, and possibly chase you – not a myth. Both on land and in the water.

The frogs have returned and are a favorite food. Flowerbeds often have mulch. Texas is famous for drought. The cement slab houses have to be kept moist around the base, about 18″ from base of house, and create a perfect environment for meal-seeking snakes.

Wear protective clothing. Review use of firearms. Although poisonous, infection is common because their mouths are nasty and full of exotic bacteria, etc.

There is a viper antivenom, CroFab antivenom (Wikipedia). I do not know if local medical facilities have this in stock.

Butterflies Need Help

March 8, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

(Recap of an Associated Press article from Carolyn Henderson)

North America has approximately 650 species of butterflies and all but nine of them are in trouble. Approximately 114 of them are showing significant decline including the Monarch.

Monarchs are reported to be down to 10,000 in 2024 compared to 1.2 million in 1997. The annual report that was just released about Monarchs from another group stated that there were slightly more hectares covered in Mexico, their winter home, than there were last year, but it still isn’t even close to a sustainable number. They covered approximately 1.8 hectares in 2024 compared to .9 in 2023. Scientist say they must cover at least 6 hectares. One hectare is equivalent to 2.471 acres.

All butterfly populations are down by 22% since 2000 in the lower 48 states. Their numbers are dropping on average 1.3% every year. There are 96 species that are so sparse, they didn’t show up on any of the counts in 2024. There are another 212 species whose sightings were so insufficient, a trend could not be calculated for them.

Two that I have seen in Milam County are on the high risk list. The Red Admiral population is down by 44%, and the American Lady population is down by 58%. Monarchs come through this area, too, but in small numbers. They are seen more along and west of I35 when they migrate.

An entomologist that reviewed the collection of butterfly counts said he considered the numbers a sign “telling us the continent’s health is not doing well.” The numbers of parrots and porpoises also are dropping notably.

Butterflies are pollinators – not as much as bees, but they still contribute significantly. They are a major pollinator of Texas cotton crops – a crop often grown here. The driest and warmest areas, including Texas, are showing the greatest decline. They are doing better in colder climates.

Butterflies aren’t alone in their decline. Other insects that aren’t studied nearly as much also are thought to be in decline.

As usual, climate change, habitat loss, and insecticides are faulted. You can help by planting native wildflowers in your yard to help feed all species. Turn over some soil, throw some NATIVE Texas wildflower seeds out there, and create a butterfly garden in your yard. Native plants require very little effort once you get them growing. They need to be native to your area because butterflies need the nutrients provided by what nature normally would provide.

If you need seeds, go to the Cameron Public Library where Texas Master Naturalist – El Camino Real chapter is giving them away. At the library, you also have access to plenty of information from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center if you have a smart phone. To see these wildflowers in full bloom, wait a month or so, and come to the ECRTMN Wildscape out on CR 334. Announcements will be made when lots of them are in bloom.