The Medina River Natural Area in June

Friday, June 13, 2014

As I mentioned at the beginning of the previous post, I have been very active so far this year. I have walked regularly preparing for and leading tours. I also found time on occasion to take an abundance of photos.

Today's post is a look back at the Medina River Natural Area in mid-June. This set of photos was taken along the El Camino and lower Rio Medina trails:

From top to bottom:
Photos 1, 2, 3, 4:  Turk's Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii)
     (Turk's Cap is blooming profusely this summer.)
Photo 5:  Prickly Pear (Opuntia sp.)
Photo 6:  Alamo Vine (Merremea dissecta)
Photo 7:  Pearl Crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos)
     (I might publish another post later about the decline in pollinators. From what I have observed over the past year or so, there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of pollinator insects of all kinds here in Bexar County.)
Photo 8:  Mustang Grape leaves (Vitis mustangensis)
Photo 9:  Fragrant Flatsedge (Cyperus odoratus)

Look Again

When I first came around a curve in the trail and saw this butterfly on the flowers I was certain it was a Pearl Crescent on White Boneset (Eupatorium serotinum). It wasn't until I got close enough to begin taking the photographs that I realized it is actually a Phaon Crescent on White Mistflower (Ageratina havanensis):

The differences between the two crescent butterflies and between the two plants are obvious on close inspection, but if I had casually walked by, they are similar enough I would not have realized what I had actually seen.

The larval host plant for the Phaon Crescent is Frogfruit.

This set of photographs was taken on the Salado Creek Greenway trail at the Lady Bird Johnson Park Trailhead on Monday, November 11, 2013.

A Butterfly on Firewheel Extravaganza

Thursday, December 13, 2012

This past Friday when I walked along the San Antonio River, there were quite a few firewheel in bloom. This flower, Gaillardia pulchella Foug., is also commonly known as Indian blanket. The butterflies were having a feast on the flowers' nectar:

Keep in mind, these photos were taken a couple days before the arctic cold front blew through late in the weekend, bringing a couple nights below freezing with it. I thought about titling this post "Summer's Last Stand," but here in South Texas, summer rarely completely gives way to winter. Summer may go into hiding for a few days or even a couple of weeks, but it is never far away.

Awestruck Amongst a Multitude of Mariposas

Thursday, May 3, 2012

I have genuinely reached the point where I am at a total loss for words. I have even been struggling with how to best organize and present the photographs I have been producing on my walks. I have been truly blessed with the experience of nature's extraordinary abundance and diversity. This is especially true most recently when it comes to the butterflies.

The following photographs were taken on my walk in the Medina River Natural Area this past Friday, April 27:

Many of the common names for butterflies, or mariposas as they are beautifully referred to in Spanish, are as interesting as the insects themselves. In the order of their appearance as best as I can identify them, these are:

Pearl Crescent

White Checkered-skipper

Tawny Emperor

Tawny Emperor

Pearl Crescent

Pearl Crescent

Funereal Duskywing

Tawny Emperor

Funereal Duskywing

Little Yellow