Texas Frogfruit

Looking at this series of photographs, one might reasonably get the impression their story is about the Bordered Patch butterfly. In fact, the Morning Glory flower is incidental and this butterfly is only a part of the story. The Bordered Patch is enjoying the nectar from the flowers of another one of the apparently insignificant, but essential ground cover plants commonly growing in South Texas.

As, with Tube-tongue, Texas Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) is a flowering plant easily overlooked. Frogfruit normally blooms from mid-Spring to mid-Autumn, so it is getting near the end of its flowering season. Butterflies are highly attracted to its nectar and it is the larval host plant for the Phaon Crescent butterfly. While often considered a weed in a traditional landscape, this is one of the ecologically critical ground covers in this region:

This series of photographs was taken on the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River on Monday, October 7, 2013.