Wildlife Wednesday May 2020

Investigating the decline of a potted agave is the subject of this May's Wildlife Wednesday post.

First task was to dump out the pot.  The agave was in bad shape, with many crowding pups, so no loss.  But it was a surprise to discover large tunnels in the soil under the agave.  Watson, the game is afoot!

And there was a resident of those tunnels, which revealed itself to be an Ox Beetle.  At least according to iNaturalist which I am learning to use after taking an online class sponsored by the San Antonio Botanical Gardens.  Online gardening classes are a bright spot in the current status of staying at home more.

These Beetles are huge!  Biggest I've seen in the garden.

They are said to dig holes about a quarter in size.  This exit opening was much larger.

Mesmerizing...like some Japanese film from the 60's.  The bug that ate my agave.  But really, it was just tunneling.



Ox Beetles are native to an area ranging from Florida to Arizona.  For observation we placed it on the bottom of the pot.



Most likely a male, he was easy to flip over for a moment to show the detail on his belly.  Nice pecs.  Note the eyes on the end of protruding thingies.

(NOTE: No Beetles were harmed in the making of this blog post.)

Ox Beetles are beneficial in the garden because they recycle decaying vegetation and aerate soil.  So this guy simply took advantage of the root bound agave and likely caused no harm at all.

After enduring a bit of our hassle he was happily released into the garden and not expected to return.

Doe, the female deer, are hanging around the compost waiting for treats as I do a lot of springtime cleanup.  They just dropped their fawns.  Probably hungry.  Hi girls!

Wildlife Wednesday is hosted by Tina at "My Gardener Says..." on the first Wednesday of each month.

Wildlife Wednesday March 2020: Raptor encounter

Caracara or Mexican Eagles have taken up residence in our neighborhood.  Sightings are excitedly reported on the Nextdoor website most often when a neighbor spots one for the first time.  It's no wonder since that bright orange beak and sharp black and white coloring stand out against our late winter landscape.



So why did the Caracara to fly away?  The appearance of an American Black Vulture was the likely cause.  While the Caracara birds live full time in the trees behind our fence the black vultures appear when something dies.  We have an abundance of common wildlife in our little wooded area.  With so many skunks, possums, raccoons, and other animals roaming around there's going to be a few deaths along the way.

 
Turkey Vultures are more common around here but the American Black Vulture seems to turn up when there's something to eat.

They both hunt by looking around on the ground and using their sense of smell.



The Caracara decides to leave whatever it is to the vultures.

You can find more on Wildlife Wednesday at "My Gardener Says...." where Tina has a post on the cutest birds she fondly calls "Butter Butts."

Wildlife Wednesday February 2020: Another Squirrel's Tale

Our resident Squirrel is at it again!  Nest building season.

The deck is littered with her clippings.  

Even the chairs have to be brushed off before we can sit.

Her success rate is low.  Chewed sprouts are promptly dropped to the ground or deck below and she makes no effort to retrieve the lost clippings.  At this rate I wonder how she will ever complete her nest.

Time out to check the watering can.  We keep bowls of water for wildlife throughout the garden so no need to dip into the can.

And then back to clipping oak sprouts. 

The view from the golf course includes multiple birds and turtles.  Egrets, Cormorants, whistling ducks, Egyptian Geese?  Egyptian Geese are "introduced" in North America.  Primarily found in Florida, Texas, and California.  More study is needed here.

Whitetail deer mating season is finished and this big guy is on his own as new fawns will arrive soon.  He will naturally shed his antlers soon.

He has been injured in the flank.  Possibly in a fight with another buck.  Looks like it's not deep and will heal.

Joining Tina at "My Gardener Says..." for Wildlife Wednesday on the first Wednesday of each month.

Wildlife Wednesday December 2019: Crested Caracara

Crested Caracara birds have been residents of our woods for a number of years yet they rarely venture into the yard.  The last few weeks we have been treated to up close views of these magnificent birds commonly known as Mexican Eagles. 

A juvenile perhaps going by size and the beak is not deep orange yet.  They are raptors and members of the Falcon family so not technically eagles.

I was mesmerized as it moved from branch to branch waiting for a chance to get water from a bowl we keep out for wildlife.  One nearly flew into me the day before as I was weeding near the watering station.

Caracara birds are full time residents in San Antonio and their range extends from South Texas to the tip of South America.  Though they generally stick close to the Mexican border they have been spotted up in North Texas on occasion.

What a beauty!

It's our honor to host such magnificent birds!

I'm joining Tina at "My Gardener Says..." for Wildlife Wednesday on the first Wednesday of each month.

Butterfly Gardens for Wildlife Wednesday November 2019

It's Wildlife Wednesday and I'm bending the rules just a bit to go outside my own garden and bring you along on my garden club visit to The Butterfly Learning Center at Hardberger Park in north San Antonio.  Wildlife Wednesday is hosted by Tina at "My Gardener Says..."

Designed by Drake White of The Nectar Bar for San Antonio's Hardberger Park it's designed to highlight "mostly" native plants that support butterflies.  Drake shared her extensive knowledge of how to support butterflies in our gardens.  One of the most important things I learned was that a caterpillar inching along on the ground knows where it is going and it's best not help them out.

It's a teaching garden designed for hosting butterflies.  Red flags indicate dormant plants and remind volunteers not to dig in those spots.

So where's the wildlife?  Drake holds up a Monarch caterpillar.  Monarchs generally make their fall migration without breeding but a few do stop and breed in our area.   Love her shirt!

Close up.

Butterflies need both nectar and host plants.  Plants in the garden are labeled with names of the plants and butterflies they host or provide nectar for.  I need this false mint in my garden!  Pretty purple blooms in the fall and nice, upright foliage.

A butterfly shaped garden but where are the plants?



No plants because it's a puddle garden.  "Puddling" is just what it sounds like and provides butterflies with moisture and minerals they need.

Drake checks seeds on a Swallowtail pipevine.  It's a difficult plant to spot because it disguises itself as grass.  I couldn't even find a definitive botanical name on this one though it grows naturally in Central Texas and I have seen it in my yard from time to time.  She has placed a net bag over the flower to collect seeds.  The seeds take two years to germinate.

We were mesmerized by the massive Passiflora vine taking over the fences.  It's Passiflora incarnata x cincinnata which is not native to San Antonio though it grows beautifully here.  Good to know because when the caterpillars are out they can decimate a pretty good supply of vines.

A beautiful host for several butterflies.



The Butterfly Learning Center is open by appointment only.  Contact The Nectar Bar for more information.

There are two additional butterfly gardens at Hardberger Park you can visit any time the park is open.  One is in front of the main park building off Blanco Road and the other is near the Urban Ecology Center which is where we are headed next.

Beautifully designed and maintained by Alamo Area Master Naturalists.



Maximilian Sunflowers are good for butterflies, bees, and birds.  The fence keeps out deer but not people since the gate is unlocked when the park is open.

I was captivated by all the Texas Broomweed (Amphiachyris amoena) in the garden.  It's so light and airy and covered with tiny yellow blooms.  I found a place to collect seeds in a field near my house.  Most of the information out there focuses on how farmers and ranchers can get rid of it so I might think twice before planting.  It provides good winter cover for birds among other benefits.

While there were plenty of bees and butterflies in the gardens we visited I found it a challenge to photograph them with a group.  That means we've only had one wildlife photo of a caterpillar so far. To finish up I'll borrow a Monarch butterfly photo from a visit to my friend Melody's garden the next day.

There, that's so much better than posting one photo of an anole on a screen which is all I found in my October photos.  Maybe I'll save that beauty for another time.

Be sure to check out Tina's blog for more Wildlife Wednesday

Wildlife Wednesday: A Toadly Adventure

My task was to replace a dead/dying plant in the barrel planter when......Hello there!  We seem to have a bit of a standoff.  Gulf Coast toad, Bufo nebulifer, common in most of Texas.   A female since her throat is not pigmented with yellow.

"Was it you who drank all the Jack Daniels out of this barrel?"

"What's going on here?"  Adorable and beneficial in the garden since they devour insects.  Bufo nebulifer has a defined "V" indentation between the eyes.

Optical illusion of soil appearing in the "V" between her eyes.

"A new plant right here?  This spot is taken."

I think I know the answer.  Her look was one of confusion since she had just been tossed out of a bucket of potting mix toted from the porch about 10 yards away.  A long hop back for a toad so I coaxed her into the bucket and returned to the porch.

Happy to be home, she immediately hopped out (before I could even tip the bucket) and took off for the safety of a nearby planter.

A few minutes later, while watering plants along the nearby front walk I spotted another, smaller toad.  They are clearly happy in this part of the garden and I am happy to have them.

Be sure to check out Tina's post at "My Gardener Says..." to follow more Wildlife Wednesday stories.

Wildlife Wednesday August 2019

Nature's camouflage is fascinating and August's Wildlife Wednesday is a good time to share a few examples I've observed recently in my garden.  Wildlife Wednesday is hosted by Tina at My gardener says..." on the first Wednesday of each month.

Close observation presents many surprising opportunities to enjoy tiny wildlife.  First up is a busy bee coated with pollen cleverly disguised in yellow blooms of Twisted rib cactus.

This brown moth on a Skeleton Leaf Golden Eye seed head blends right in.

On closer look it's mostly the movement which gives it away.



Red male cardinals have a bit of a challenge trying to hide but Mrs. C is harder to spot in the fig tree.

She's out in the open now fussing at me.

Not camouflage but a strange looking bird requiring a closer look.  This one took a minute to ID but then I remembered Tina's post from a while back showing a molting Cardinal.  That's what I think is happening here.



Birds breathe through their mouth and it's more obvious when it's hot out.  Between the heat and molting this poor guy has got to be very uncomfortable.

A common garden spider (Argiope aurantia) was reeling in her prey just as I walked by and before I could focus my camera.  Her web was so close to the ground I almost missed it.

I sat down beside her and neither of us were frightened away.   She carefully rolled up her bundle which was the size of a small bee while I watched.

Nearby in the garden bees are busy.

I think both of these are solitary bees.

 
An almost transparent cicada I nearly missed has freshly emerged from an outgrown, discarded shell to the right.

A slightly older cicada on Pomegranate 'Wonderful' branch.  It was the bird's nest wrapped in a recycled plastic bag which first caught my eye.  We live near a busy road and commercial center so there's usually a supply of plastic bags around which we try to keep picked up.  I've walked by this tree a number of times without seeing the nest tucked in there.  Observing the nest let me see the cicada as well.

Cicadas usually stick around for about four weeks after emerging from the ground.  They are noisy!  Those transparent wings are cool.

Tiny anole keeping to the shade on cool stone near the hose bib.  It was smooth-skinned and I also saw a green one so these are not likely invasive brown anoles.

It's too hot for a GIF this month.  I stationed myself in the shade for a while but GIFs take time to set up.  So we'll move on to the deer report.  It's time to protect plants from antlering.  All this velvet will soon be rubbed off on whatever is handy including young trees, agaves and many other unsuspecting plants you might have in the garden.

After the velvet is gone, he will stick to the woods where his antlers will be disguised as twigs.  Right now he's here for the water we leave outside the gate during hot dry weather so he's not as shy.

The same for these ladies which prefer to rest in dappled shade.  Scratches on her hide are hoof marks from mating.

That's the wildlife report from my garden the past month.  You'll find more wildlife posts in the comments at Tina's blog.  Try a wildlife post of your own if you're a blogger.  It's fun and I'm often surprised by how many wildlife photos I've collected when I sit down to create my post.