After the Rain

Friday, April 5, 2013

Hardberger Park, Geology Loop Trail

Today's photos:

I headed out to Hardberger Park today to see how the upland woods have responded to the mid-week rain. My plan was to walk the Water Loop Trail, but I didn't make it that far back into the park. There was so much I was encountering along the Geology Loop Trail I quickly changed my plans.

• The first two photos are Agarita berries beginning to ripen. Wildlife that can get to the berries without getting stuck by the sharp pointed leaves are very attracted to these berries.
• The third photo is a white variant of a Pink Evening Primrose. Pink Evening Primrose flowers can range from white to a deep rose pink. Note, there is a small caterpillar on the lower right edge of the flower. It appears this caterpillar has already enjoyed a few bites from around the edge of the flower.
• The fourth photo is a close up of a flower stalk on a Whitebrush, also known as Bee Brush.
• The fifth photo is the sunlight shining through the leaves of a Frostweed.
• The sixth and seventh photos are a flower bud on a Prickly Pear cactus. Looking at it this close, I was surprised by the number of spines on the bud.
• The eighth photo is an "elbow" of a Texas Persimmon branch.
• The ninth and tenth photos are False Gromwell flowers. False Gromwell is very prolific along the Geology Loop Trail.
• The eleventh through thirteenth photos are a Common Streaky-Skipper butterfly.
• The fourteenth photo is new growth on a Tasajillo cactus..
• The fifteenth photo might be a Phaon Crescent butterly, but it appears to me this one is more likely a Vesta Crescent, also known as Graphic Crescent. There is a fairly wide range in individual appearance in the Pearl, Phaon and Vesta Crescents that make species identification a challenge. All three of these species are in the genus Phyciodes.
• The sixteenth photo is a Red Admiral butterfly.

There were a lot of wildflowers blooming along the trail in scattered patches. I will post some of those photos later.