A Commonly Overlooked Common Native Plant

Thursday, March 10, 2016

When it comes to wildlife habitat, there really is nothing trivial about the Southern Dewberry, Rubus trivialis:

Frequently considered a weed, the Southern Dewberry, known in Spanish as zarzamora, grows abundantly in Bexar County providing beneficial shelter and food for wildlife. Dewberry's arching stems covered with abundant sharp prickles form dense mats that give protection from predators and shelter for numerous small animals. The white flowers bloom in March and April making them one of the important early Spring nectar sources for pollinators.

The ripe fruit is a dark reddish-purple berry resembling its close cousin, the blackberry. Before foraging recently went out of fashion, the Dewberry was a popular food item for people. It continues to be a critical food source for berry eating birds and mammals.

These photos were taken on a walk along the Mission San Juan, Mission Reach loop trail on Wednesday, March 2, 2016.

Springing Up in the Basin, Part 2

Thursday, March 28, 2013

This is the remainder of the photos taken on my walk along the Hondondo Creek Trails yesterday (March 27, 2013):

• The first photo is a Dewberry flower. I thought there would be a lot more Dewberry, and there might be, but this is the only one I found.
• The second photo is Greenbriar, also known as "nature's barbed wire." This vine is very common in wooded areas in South Texas. In some locations, it is difficult to walk through a wooded area because this vine has numerous very sharp prickles that have been known to cut through the pant legs of inexperienced (and at times, experienced) hikers. The tender young leaves of this vine make a tea that is very high in vitamin C.
• The third photo is Guayacan, also known as Soapbush. This shrub is more commonly found in the South Texas Plains and Northern Mexico, but grows as far north as Austin. It is called Soapbush because the bark of the roots was frequently used to make soap for washing wool.
• The fourth photo is a close up of the flower buds of the Wafer Ash, also known as Hoptree. The first two names are derived from the shape of the seeds. This shrub is actually in the Citrus family, not the Ash family. It is also sometimes called Skunk Bush because of the odor emitted by its leaves when they are crushed.
• The fifth through seventh photos are close ups of the flowers on a Texas Persimmon tree. The fruit of the Texas Persimmon is edible, but the tree is usually used in landscaping because of its beautiful, very smooth bark. This is an excellent native plant substitute for crepe myrtle. 
• The eighth through tenth photos are a Black-crested Titmouse. This bird remained perched just long enough for a brief portrait session.
• Unfortunately, the titmouse was perched on a very large Ligustrum, also known as Glossy Privet. Ligustrum are, by far, the predominant invasive plant species in the Olmos Basin. They have taken over large areas of woodland, completely crowding out native hardwoods. As can be seen in these photos, this shrub is loaded with berries, many of which are going to continue the rapid proliferation of this plant.

Where Nature Heals and Gives Strength, A Sunday Special Edition

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Where Nature Heals and Gives Strength

"Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play and pray, where nature heals and gives strength to body and soul alike."              -  John Muir

This set of photos was taken on my walk through the Medina River Natural Area on Wednesday, March 6, 2013:

• I am fairly confident the first two photos are Windmillgrass in the Genus Chloris. I probably should stop there, but I'm going to climb out on a panicle (to the best of my knowledge grasses don't have limbs) and say this appears to me to be Shortspike Windmillgrass (Chloris subdolichostachya Muell.).
• The third through fifth photos are a Dainty Sulphur butterfly. Typical of the Dainty Sulphur, this one wasn't spending much time on any one flower and in the fifth photo was flying on its way to find another flower. Update: March 25, 2013, 7:55 PM. It has been brought to my attention, the flower the Dainty Sulfur is perched on in this series of photos is a Huisache Daisy. Identifying the yellow composites can be an even bigger challenge than identifying grasses (or sparrows, or skipper butterflies). I admit I overlooked this flower in order to get the post published in a reasonable amount of time.
• The sixth photo is a Bordered Patch butterfly.
• The seventh and eighth photos are a Sleepy Orange butterfly.
• The ninth through eleventh photos are a female Northern Cardinal. In the eleventh photo it had just taken off when I released the shutter and was flying a short distance away (and out of sight).
• The twelfth through fourteenth photos are the female Cardinal's mate. The male Northern Cardinal's plumage is an even brighter red during mating season than the rest of the year. The tree in the background behind the male Cardinal is a Sugar Hackberry, sometimes referred to simply as a Sugarberry tree. The texture of the bark is one of the primary identifying characteristics for the Sugar Hackberry tree.
• The fifteenth photo is a Pearl Crescent butterfly taking in the warmth of the sun while perched on a rock on the river bank..
• The sixteenth and seventeenth photos are a Dewberry flower. This dewberry is known as the Zarzamora* in Spanish.
• The eighteenth photo is a close up of some branches on a Granjeno shrub that was just beginning to set its leaves. One of the distinguishing characteristics for this shrub is the way the branches grow in a zigzag pattern. Also, the very large thorns, typical of many plants that grow in South Texas, are clearly visible in this photo. The Granjeno is a close cousin of the Sugar Hackberry and is sometimes called the Spiny Hackberry.

* In Spanish, the word Zarzamora refers to all the species in the Genus Rubus. This includes both blackberries and dewberries.

Somewhat More Than a Trickle

Monday, March 11, 2013

Salado Creek Greenway, Oakwell Trailhead downstream

Today's photos:

The primary reason I walked this section of the Salado Creek Greenway today was to see how much, if any, water was flowing in the creek following Saturday night's rain. As can be seen in the series of photos of the Great Egret, the water in the creek isn't particularly deep, but there is something of a substantial flow remaining about a day and a half after the rain.

I have only included two photos of the Dewberry flowers here, but that isn't a fair representation of how abundant dewberry is in the ground cover along this section of the creek. I had noticed some patches of dewberry here on previous walks, but now that it is blooming, it is obvious the dewberry is one of the more prevalent plants. There are white dewberry flowers everywhere along the creek right now.

• The first two photos are the Dewberry flowers. There is a Honey Bee on one of the flowers in the first photo. The honey bees were almost as abundant as the flowers. Dewberry is in the Rose Family. The thorns (more correctly referred to as prickles) can be seen on the stems below the flowers in the first photo.
• The third photo is Baby Blue-eyes. They are one of the most common wildflowers blooming here right now.
• The fourth through ninth photos are a Great Egret that has been attracted to the creek by the flowing water.
• The tenth photo is a Phaon Crescent butterfly.