The Butterfly with a Passion

I have published numerous posts in which I have discussed the relationship between the Gulf Fritillary butterfly and Passion Vine (Passiflora spp.). Passion Vine is the sole larval host plant for this fritillary. The adult Gulf Fritillary feeds on nectar from a wide variety of flowers. This one is savoring the nectar from Tropical Sage (Salvia coccinea) flowers:

This set of photographs was taken along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River near the Roosevelt Park Trailhead on Thursday, October 31, 2013.

A Bit of a Riddle

All of the published range maps I have seen for the American Coot indicate they are year round residents of Texas, including Bexar County. However, my personal observations are that this bird leaves the area in the spring and returns to spend the winter here about mid-autumn. The San Antonio Audubon Society's Seasonal Field Checklist is consistent with my own observations.

I have no idea why the American Coots leave Bexar County or where they go during the summer, but they are beginning to return:

This set of photographs was taken along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River near the Roosevelt Park Trailhead on Thursday, October 31, 2013.

Welcome Back for the Winter

Quite a few bird species spend the summer elsewhere, but return to Bexar and surrounding counties for the winter. These migratory birds are now making their way back.

While the Neotropic Cormorants are one of the year round residents, their cousins, the Double-crested Cormorants, spend the summer much farther to the north and make their way back south in the fall to nest in our area during the winter. They began arriving over a month ago and are getting settled in for the winter:

This set of photographs was taken along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River near the Roosevelt Park Trailhead on Thursday, October 31, 2013.

Meanwhile, Back Upstream

I think it's time for a bit of a change both because I need some more time to take photos of spines and prickles and because there is so much happening with autumn's progression. I will have at least a couple more posts on "sharp pointy things" hopefully in the not too distant future.

For the next series of posts, we return upstream to the beginning of the Mission Reach at Roosevelt Park. I guess it is appropriate to begin with a Painted Lady on Halloween, but this Painted Lady wasn't wearing a costume:

This Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) butterfly is enjoying nectar from one of the asters in the first four photographs and then it flew over to some Prairie Goldenrod in the last five photos. Painted Lady butterflies use numerous plants as larval host plants including many in the Asteraceae Family. Both the aster and the goldenrod in these photos are in the Asteraceae Family.

This set of photographs was taken along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River near the Roosevelt Park Trailhead on Thursday, October 31, 2013.

There Are Thorns, And Then There Are THORNS

The arid and semi-arid regions of west and south Texas are most commonly associated with thorny plants, but the Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) of the East Texas woodlands have thorns unmatched for their size, complexity and magnificent thorniness:

Bexar County is on the western edge of the Honey Locust's native range. The USDA Plants Database indicates these trees are becoming a remnant population in Karnes, Bexar, Medina and Edwards Counties. As remnant populations, they are becoming increasingly separated from larger populations further to the east.

Honey Locust seed pods are of a size proportional to the size of the thorns. They typically grow up to a foot long. The pulp in the ripening pods between the seeds is very sweet, containing up to 30% sugar. These were an important food for Native Americans. Native Americans also used the thorns as tips for fishing spears.

This set of photographs was taken along the Yanaguana Nature Trail at Mission San Juan in the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park on Monday, October 28, 2013.

This is the fourth in a multi-post series. Part 1 is here, Part 2 here and Part 3 here. 

Handle With Caution

The thorny twigs of Bluewood Condailia, Lotebush and Granjeno can be somewhat camouflaged by the leaves growing from them. This is not at all true of Huisache (Acacia farnesiana) thorns. These thorns may not always be easy to see through the foliage, but I'm not sure how they could be any more obvious:

Plants in the Genus Acacia are shrubs or small trees. Almost all of them have thorns, some more obvious than others. Huisace generally grows to be a small to medium sized tree. It is very common from the southern edge of the Texas Hill Country south through the South Texas Brush Country. Huisache blooms late in winter becoming covered with fragrant bright yellow "puffball" flowers.

There are a couple things to keep in mind particularly if Huisache are used as a landscape tree. Huisache thorns have been known to puncture both the soles of shoes and car and truck tires. Also, when trimmed or pruned, the new growth that follows will have larger and more plentiful thorns.

This set of photographs was taken along the Yanaguana Nature Trail at Mission San Juan in the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park on Monday, October, 28, 2013.

This is the third in a multi-post series. Part 1 is here and part 2 here.

Stuck As Tight As a Thorn Through a Pant Leg

The Granjeno, as it is most commonly called in much of South Texas, may be best known for its prominently zigzagged branches. It is also known as a Desert Hackberry. Celtis pallida (yes, it is also known as Palo Blanco) is a close cousin of Sugar Hackberry (Celtis laevigata) and Netleaf Hackberry (Celtis reticulata) and is just as important a plant for wildlife as its two larger cousins.

Unfortunately, another common name for this shrub that has stuck as tight as a thorn through a pant leg is Spiny Hackberry. Remember, spines are modified leaves and thorns are modified branches. If one looks close enough at the Spiny Hackberry, it can easily be seen there are leaves growing from the "spines" much like Bluewood Condalia and Lotebush. These are in fact short twigs with terminal thorns:

The Granjeno grows throughout the South Texas Brush Country and the Big Bend Region of Texas. It is the larval host plant for the American Snout and the Empress Leilia butterflies. Its bright orange berries that ripen in late summer and early fall are another critical food source for migratory birds and other wildlife.

This set of photographs was taken along the Yanaguana Nature Trail at Mission San Juan in the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park on Monday, October 28, 2013

This is the second post in a multi-post series. Part 1 is "A Brief Introduction to a Very Thorny Subject."