Category: Nature Observations

A Tiny Toad

Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Donna Lewis

This cute little baby toad was jumping around near where my water hose is by the house.  I had placed a flat rock under the hose to keep it from making a hole. So it’s always damp.

Teeny tiny toad

A pair of Gulf Coast Toads (Bufo valliceps valliceps)  have made their home under the rock, so it is most likely one of their babies. It was so tiny I hardly saw it.

These guys eat insects, so are very helpful to us humans.

The difference between a frog and a toad are:

  • Toads have a plump body.
  • A toad’s skin is dry and warty.
  • Toad’s have a large bump (poison gland) just behind each ear.
  • Toads hop , though only a few inches at a time.
  • Toads lay their eggs in a string

Nature is so cool!!

Boopedon gracile: A Photo Essay

Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Eric Neubauer

All photos copyright 2020, Eric Neubauer.

Boopedon gracile, the Prairie Boopie

Fact Sheet

• Range is south-central Great Plains into Mexico.
• 26th most commonly observed grasshopper in Texas at iNaturalist.
• Eye oval in shape, less curved in front; dark with fine tan mottling.
• Thin black stripe extends from front of eye, just over and past antenna.
• Female has vestigial wings and is flightless.
• Male has functional wings which usually extend beyond the abdomen.
• Most have black “eyebrow”, curved on top and flattened on bottom.
• Light dorsal stripes on pronotum are parallel toward front rather than pinched, then widening and fading toward back; slight pinching on males.
• Front lateral edge of pronotum usually light.
• Abdomen with black sides appears striped as segments have pale trailing edge. Black may be eroded, especially on females. Top of abdomen is pale.
• Hind femur strongly banded on male
• Outside of femur on female mostly black; back and inside may show banding.
• Hind tibia violet on at least one female; apparently tibiae not colored on instars.
• Female colors tan, green, and black.
• Male colors dark brown, black, and yellowish tan.

The habits of this species aren’t well known. Photos of male abdomen and most instars are lacking here.

More Photos

Female with a lot of green
Female with a little green
Two more examples
Female showing violet tibiae
Left: yellowish female. Right: female with longer wings
Typical males
Typical male
Light male
Youngsters

You are welcome to download this PDF of the photo essay. Click the Download link below.

BoopedonDownload

Reference:

https://idtools.org/id/grasshoppers/factsheet.php?name=17690

Note: Boopedon nubilium is found in western Texas. The male is black. The typical female is mostly pale brown and somewhat similar to B. gracile.

Don’t Bite My Head Off

Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Donna Lewis

Earlier this week, I happened to be checking my Martin House poles when I thought I saw something in the netting  around the poles.  I looked closer and there was a female Mantid (Praying Mantis) who had gotten tangled in the netting.

It took me an hour to get her out unharmed.  As soon as she was free she flew onto my arm and proceeded to climb up till she was on my shoulder.  She looked at me with her triangular shaped head and turned her head back and forth.  Kinda neat and creepy at the same time.  I guess we were bonding…

Ms. Mantid

Mantids are a sit-and-wait predator. The females are larger than the males. It is rumored that sometimes if a second male comes near her during mating, well, she just eats the first guy by biting his head off. Maybe that’s where that saying comes from?

They mostly eat other insects or small lizards. They do call to attract a mate, but otherwise are silent. 

She was interesting to say the least, and I guess she was thanking me for saving her, because when she finally flew down to the grass, she started following me.

I finally out-distanced her and everyone went home.

This is a bonus photo of a green lynx spider Donna saw. It’s messing with a butterfly.

Nature is everywhere.  You just have to look.

Water Feature Fun for Beauty, Conservation, and Natural Habitat

Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall2 Comments

by Pamela Neeley

Note from Suna: Pamela Neeley from the El Camino Real chapter has been working with water features on her property for the past few months (years), creating not only areas of beauty (sight and sound), but places for aquatic plants to flourish, and wildlife to sustain themselves on. I toured her property a couple of weeks ago and encouraged her to share some of her ideas and techniques with fellow Master Naturalists. Maybe you can borrow of her creative thoughts some in your own gardens and wild areas!

  • The rock is for butterflies and others to perch on
  • A leaky hose fills the container
  • thirsty bees
This water feature is made from a hose repair that leaks. The container spills out on one edge, and the bees and wasps congregate. So far, the stones haven’t attracted many customers; bees like the edge.
  • See the fish?

  • Stunning skink
  • Lots of vegetation to hide in
Here’s a simple water feature using a dripping hose connection. It feeds this container that’s used by my dogs and cats. There’s also a goldfish, goldfish housing (clay pot shards), and something green: a length of crow’s foot. A new visitor was This toothy skink, with beautiful turquoise tail stripes.
Here’s another example of a dripping faucet connection caught into a container. Cats and dogs like this one, too.
This large, formal water feature has an electric pump, a ceramic fountain, goldfish, and terra-cotta shards. I didn’t think the wildlife cared for it until I saw the toad contemplating the water music.
This one is movable. I was very proud of my engineering and water movement. The birds were curious, but didn’t descend on it, so I’m not very bird clever. The fountain developed from a need to either water trees or the cement slab of the house. So, I added hope for bird visits. I do like the flexibility of being able to move this around.
  • This is Ruby
  • Ruby likes the water.
This one’s a simple water feature with dwarf papyrus. The roots have created an underwater jungle. The two goldfish have a strawberry pot and a terra-cotta pot with side pockets to swim in and around.
I’ve seen wasps and bees here, along with an occasional dog or cat. The water is very clean. It’s a straightforward container with a solar fountain that works, terra-cotta shards housing, a goldfish (previously two goldfish), a juncus, twisted arrow, and a fairy god duck. There are enough nutrients in this water to experiment with growing lettuce or other edible in a Styrofoam float.
A few of my water features have rubber duckies. Here are Count Duckula and Ghost duck. Some color fading has occurred.

Turtle Nests after Rain

Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

Hi. I know we haven’t posted much. Blame the blogmaster, Suna, who has been doing a huge work project and hasn’t had extra energy. However, over this weekend you’ll hear from more of our chapter!

I (Suna) just wanted to quickly share what I found on my walk today, where I was checking out flooding. I saw what looked like trash on the roadside in front of my ranch, on County Road 140. I looked closer, and I realized it was eggshells!

Eggshells next to a depression.

They were not hard. They were rubbery and soft. Judging from the nest, I figure they were turtle eggs. That made me happy, because I’d never seen a nest in my nine years of exploring this area.

Egg up close. Turtle?

I’m not 100% sure what it is. Maybe snakes? But it appears the rain encouraged a lot of them to head on out. I found a second nest with shells.

another nest.

Now, maybe a skunk or raccoon found them and had a snack, but I didn’t see any carcasses. I did see what appear to be another couple of nests in the area, so my plants is to go back and check them in a couple of weeks.

I’m heading back to the pond!

I’ve seen a lot of turtles in the road lately. Maybe they were laying. I think we have red eared sliders and pond sliders, both native, though the red eared ones are considered invasive.