Cestrib morning-glory update

My Edwards Plateau crestrib morning-glory (Ipomoea edwardsensis) is doing really well! It's since been ranked at its own species level, but the online taxonomic data hasn't been updated as yet. This is the uncommon morning-glory vine that we found here in Blanco. It reseeded in our back yard.

Spider in my hand

 You won't believe this story. But it's absolutely true. And yes, it involves a spider. A sac spider, to be more precise.

I'd gone outside to wander around in the back yard. We'd had a nice rain earlier in the day, and I thought I might spy something in the way of a new species for my iNaturalist list. As I was leaning down to peer at a large black ant on the ground, a movement in the air caught my eye. A spider! Naturally, I cupped my hand around her and brought her up close for some photos.

She soon leaped away on a strand of silken thread, and I rounded her up again in my hand. In the process, I accidentally squashed her abdomen a little. "Oh, I'm sorry!" I told her. Thankfully, she seemed fine. As you can imagine, I was quite relieved. And then–

––OUT OF NOWHERE––

A SMALL BLACK WASP LANDED ON MY OPEN HAND!

Within nano seconds, she attacked the spider while I helplessly looked on. There was nothing I could do.

"OH, MY GOODNESS. OH, MY GOODNESS," I kept repeating while I watched the whole ordeal. I was also taking photos, of course. By that point, I knew I had to let nature take its course.

Nature's course is the spider wasp mama had already stung the spider. The venom paralyzed the spider, which she'd carry off to her nest. Soon the live but paralyzed spider will be fresh food for the wasp's larvae. Poor spider! But that's nature.

My spider friend lost a few legs in the attack.

The entire scene only lasted a few minutes. I managed to get a quick video before the wasp took off with her victim. And to think it all unfolded right there IN MY HAND! I am still completely amazed. 

And now you are, too.

"It's all my fault!" I say in the video.

 

P.S. Look what my crazy husband James created (below) and posted on Facebook later in the day....

Friendly gal on the wing

A few evenings ago, I was in the back yard after supper, putting water on plants, seeing what I could see. As I walked along a garden path, a bright green dragonfly flitted by. Ah, an eastern pondhawk (Erythemis simpliciollis). I smiled. 

A few minutes later, something whooshed right past by my left ear. I GRINNED.

I'd been side-swiped by that dragonfly!

While I watched, she landed on a nearby rock. With my phone, I got some pictures. She was so friendly that I....

...stuck out my hand......AND SHE LANDED ON ME!

What an awesome moment! Ain't nature just grand?

Micro to macro

This morning, our neighbor Cheyanne spotted this polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus) in our driveway. Since caterpillars host on oaks, I moved it to a live oak trunk. I guess now it doesn't really matter. Because I've since Googled male and female moths, and learned that ours is like a male because of its wider antennae. Guy or gal, this one was gorgeous and couldn't fly.

Saturday evening, I spotted this itty bitty critter on an oak leaf beneath the Texas bush-clover. When I leaned down for a closer look, I saw that it was a micro moth. Pretty, too. Later I emailed Delmar Cain for help on the ID. Bingo–he suggested old gold Isocorypha moth (Isocorypha mediostriatella), which is also called white-shawled Isocorypha. He's right! 

From micro to macro moths, they're all so very beautiful.....

Dragonflies and damselflies

I love ALL of nature. But I think it's HUGELY cool that our "urban" yard–which is planted with a diversity of native species–has SO FAR attracted 15 different species of dragonflies and damselflies. We're not even close to water! Unless you count our little stock tank pond, and I rarely, if ever, see dragonflies or damselflies near it. 

Today I stalked an eastern pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) and finally got some decent photos. A new species for our yard. I was THRILLED! 

  

Kudos to iNaturalist for such a great and easy way to compile species lists.

Once upon a cactus fly

What a summer! We've been blessed with lower-than-usual temps AND occasional rain. Two nights ago, we had half an inch of wet stuff! Yesterday and today, the temperatures have stayed in the mid to high 80s, thanks to a cold front (in JULY?). So yesterday evening, I decided to sit outside on a patio and just enjoy the time. Now and then I batted at mosquitoes. But even they weren't too bad. Later James joined me. Then something lit on my arm. I nearly swatted at it, thinking Oh, bother, another mosquito. Then I looked closer. NOT! I took photos for an iNaturalist observation and, my goodness, the little fellow stuck around. He was so friendly! 

I assumed he flew off as we walked back into the house for the night. On iNaturalist, I proposed my little friend's ID as a longhorn cactus fly (Odontoloxozus longicornis). A new-to-me species!

Now fast forward to today at the kitchen sink, washing up from lunch. I happened to glance down by our pink sponge–

"HE'S BACK. HE FOUND ME," I exclaimed to James. A cactus fly was crawling on the back splash behind the sink! James laughed. He recognized it, too. Was it the same one as last night's? Well, of course, I'm going to believe so. Sure makes a better story, right? I shot lots more photos (below) for another iNaturalist observation and a blog post as well.

We went outside, and my fly friend stuck right with me on my hand. He flew off a few times but landed right back on me. My shirt. My head. My glasses. And my leg. Finally, I placed him on our house siding. He flew off, but this time didn't come back. Sniff. I miss him. Maybe he'll find me again sometime. 

This and that

 Flower of a Texas skeleton plant gone to seed. So pretty!

 A mystery butterfly chrysalis....

 Yours truly spreading some horsemint seeds, which I collected from seed heads on city easements. I put some in the Meadow, too.

Kermes scale moth (Euclemensia bassettella)...such a cool find!