An Additional Festive Touch

This Common Mestra seemed to be particularly attracted to the Guayacan, fluttering around the branches until it came to rest and perched for an extended period of time on the dark green leaves, showing off the brilliant upperside of its wings and adding to the festive appearance of the shrub:

From what I have observed, the Common Mestra (Mestra amymone), a small tropical Brushfoot, has been especially abundant here in Bexar County this year.

This set of photographs was taken along the El Camino Trail at the Medina River Natural Area on Tuesday, November 19, 2013.

Where There Is Royalty, There Must Also Be Commoners

As I pointed out in "Another Royal Sighting," there are two royal lineages in the Order of Lepidoptera: the Monarchs and the Emperors. Where there is royalty, there must certainly be commoners. In fact, there are a number of commoners: the Common Sootywing, the Common Streaky-Skipper, the Common Buckeye and the Common Wood-Nymph (It always helps to have a nymph or two in the Kingdom).

However, the Common Mestra is perhaps the richest of the commoners. The stripe on the margin of its hindwing is usually described as pale orange, but when the sun strikes this stripe at just the right angle, it flashes a bright gold:

In the first four photographs, this Common Mestra is enjoying the nectar of Low Verbena flowers. in the last photo, it has found a patch of Straggler Daisy.

This set of photographs was taken along the Water Loop Trail in Hardberger Park on Monday, October 14, 2013.

A Few Small Critters in Crownridge Canyon

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

This set of photos was taken on my walk yesterday (Monday, February 4, 2013) in the Crownridge Canyon Natural Area. Every time I have walked in this Natural Area, the trees are what have impressed me the most, but yesterday a few small critters made an appearance and paused long enough for me to get a few photos:

• The first three photos are of a Common Mestra butterfly. Food sources for the butterflies that are active right now tend to be far and few between which means the butterflies don't perch for very long in any one location. This common mestra hung onto the twig long enough for me to get this series of photos.
• Photos four through nine are of a small orbweaver spider about 5 to 7 mm long. It is most likely in the Genus Neoscona. My ability to identify spiders to the level of species is very limited, but I have a moderate degree of certainty this is an Arabesque Orbweaver, Neoscona arabesca. Or at least, that's what I would like to think it is. This little spider was weaving its orb above and to the side of the trail.
• Photos ten through fourteen are of a female Ruby-crowned Kinglet. This beautiful little bird was busy flitting around an ashe juniper picking small insects off the branches.
• Photo fifteen appears to me to be a Sleepy Orange butterfly, Abaeis nicippe. This is one of the creatures that make me wonder how they got their common name. There was nothing "sleepy" about this butterfly at all. As a matter of fact, it barely perched in this location long enough for me to get the one photo.
• Photo sixteen is easy to identify. It would be difficult to confuse this bright red male Northern Cardinal with any other bird, especially with its distinctive red beak.

Autumn, South Texas Style; The Butterfly Edition

Thursday, November 1, 2012

And there were butterflies along the trail on my walk yesterday at Walker Ranch Park:

A Beautiful, Lush Autumn Afternoon; The Butterfly Edition

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The butterflies weren't anywhere near as numerous at Eisenhower Park yesterday as they had been at Pearsall Park a week ago on Monday, October 15. I had to be more observant to  photograph them. There was, however, a variety, from the brilliant orange of the Gulf Fritillary to the well camouflaged Rawson's Metalmark. Orange Sulphurs, Common Mestras and others appeared along the trail: