Biodiversity Walk April 2016
Early in each month, I take a walk and see how many different species I can spy in an hour or two. Here are some of the ones who held still for the camera yesterday. You can click on a picture to see a larger image.
Anole. I saw 3 total.
Red-bellied Woodpecker. I also saw a Downy.
White-breasted Nuthatch. This one was very exciting, because it is a new species here on the farm, bringing our total to 88!
Red-tailed Hawk. The picture is blurry but at least it is good for ID purposes.
Cloudywing butterfly. It is in the skipper family and is about one and a half inches across.
This wolf spider was only about an inch long, about half the size of the ones I usually see. It has lost two back legs.
I think this is a stink bug, Perillus, but I don’t know the species.
Little Wood Satyr butterfly. For the last two weeks, I have seen dozens flying around every time I go for a walk.
I believe this is an Oklahoma Clubtail dragonfly, but it might be an Ashy Clubtail. I saw several of these.
I saw tons of bees, but I don’t know their names, and they won’t stay still long enough to get good pictures.
The bees were all after these yaupon blossoms, which are very tiny, only a few millimeters across.
I believe this is a Scudder’s stick mantis, Oligonicella scudderi. It had wings which means it’s a male. I read about it in the great book Insects of the Texas Lost Pines.
Chipping Sparrow.
All in all I saw 13 species of birds, 3 reptiles, 1 amphibian, 3 arachnids, and 11 species of insects I could identify.
Thanks for taking me along. I have a red-bellied woodpecker that likes the trees right outside my kitchen. Its red patch is large and nearly iridescent, it’s so bright. Fun to see it.
I have time to take you on virtual walks because you have done studio organization virtually for me! What I mean is, reading your posts about organization, insurance inventories, etc., makes me feel as if I had already accomplished those things too! (In reality, they are on my to-do list.)
!!!
The wolf spider no doubt lost it’s 2 hind limbs getting away from a predator! I always like to see what other species you have your way, versus what we have here. Sure need to get more books on insects and birds!!