Hiatus (Busy)

Feast for the Northern Raccoon.

Work has kept me extremely busy the past number of weeks and it might still for the weeks to come. I'm hoping for this hiatus to only last two weeks, but it will be a waiting game (based on work). If it goes as planned, I may have posts again beginning of July!

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

Black-tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus

Contrary to its name, the Black-tailed Jackrabbit is not a rabbit, but a hare, a separate species, and one that can be found throughout a large portion of the western and central portions of the United States and Mexico. Unlike a true rabbit, hares are larger with longer ears, less social tendencies, are born fully developed, and as they often live on open plains, rely more on their speed. The Black-tailed Jackrabbit is no exception, able to reach 48-56 kph (30-35 mph) over zigzag course and able to spring 6 m (20 ft) at a bound.

Black-tailed Jackrabbit found in scrubland habitat.

Their agility can often be seen during breeding season as males and females will leap and chase after each other with the male hoping to catch, and therefore mate, with the female. They will have 3 or 4 litters per year with up to six young who are on their own after their mother stops nursing 3 days later. Black-tailed Jackrabbits are most likely found in desert scrubland, prairies, farmlands, and dunes, and will consume all types of plant matter, especially as the majority of their water comes from what they consume.

Chihuahuan Raven

Chihuahuan Raven, Corvus cryptoleucus

The Chihuahuan Raven is the size of a crow, but with the shape of a raven, and, as with many birds, vocalization is easiest for distinction. They can be found year round throughout most of Texas, parts of Arizona and New Mexico, and south into Mexico with preference for dry grasslands, arid regions, scrub, and yucca flats. Unlike its Common Raven cousin, the Chihuahuan Raven is more sociable and can often be seen in flocks of up to several hundred during winter. The base of the feathers of the Chihuahuan Raven is also white, unique in North America, but not uncommon in other crows and ravens around the world, and is difficult to see without aid from the wind. Their nest of twigs, often those of thorny mesquite trees, may be reused in subsequent years. The female will lay an average of five eggs and both parents bring food to the hatchlings. Chihuahuan Ravens are omnivorous and will consume anything from insects and grains to carrion and frogs. They can sometimes be found near garbage or landfill, or else sitting on a pole.

Hiatus (Week)

Rio Grande chirping frog, Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides

It's another long, busy week so there will be no new posts this week, but they will resume again next week!

Cloudless Sulfur

Cloudless Sulfur, Phoebis sennae

The Cloudless Sulfur is a common butterfly that can be found throughout the southern half of the United States down as far south as Argentina, but can be found in the West Indies and may reach as far north as southern Ontario. While a permanent resident in the tropical regions, Cloudless Sulfurs do migrate during autumn and spring, going south and north respectively. Unlike Monarchs, Cloudless Sulfurs fly at lower altitudes while migrating. This makes migration easier to observe, especially in autumn when numbers are generally higher, but also make them more vulnerable and likely to be killed crossing roadways. The adults prefer to feed on tubular flowers such as bougainvilla, cardinal flower, hibiscus, lantana, and morning glory, but the host plant for the caterpillars are the Cassia species in the pea family. Cloudless Sulfurs breed in disturbed open areas and many can sometimes be seen drinking from mud puddles.

Spiny Orbweaver

Spiny Orbweaver, Gasteracantha cancriformis

Orbweavers, as mentioned before, are found throughout the world and vary in size and appearance, but they are all associated with the classic orb web and, more often than not, it is the female that is larger and more colorful than the male. One such distinct species found throughout most of North America, including some of the islands, is the Spiny Orbweaver, also known as the crab spider, jewel box spider, and smiley face spider. While the colors may include white, orange, yellow, black, or red, the females, about 5-9 mm (0.2-0.35 in) in length and 10-13 mm (0.4-0.5 in) width, all have six pointed abdominal projections referred to as spines. The males, while also with some color variation, are only about 2-3 mm (0.8-0.12 in) in length and lack spines, but may have posterior small humps.

Female spiny orbweaver in the shade of a grapefruit tree.

The spiny orbweaver can be found in woodland edges, nurseries, and gardens, but are also commonly found in citrus groves. The lifespan for this species is short with males dying approximately six days after successful sperm induction to females, and the females die soon after depositing her egg sac of 100 to 260 eggs. When they hatch, the spiderlings will remain in the carefully constructed egg case for 2 to 5 weeks of age. When they leave, they are considered mature. New webs are constructed each night for structural security, always with tufted silk that some studies suggest could be warning flags for birds so they do not fly into the web and destroy it. As with other orbweavers, the spiny orbweaver waits for pray to land in her web in which she will paralyze it and eat it, if smaller than her, but if it is larger, she will wrap it in silk before carrying it to the center to consume. Although their colorful appearance and spines may have an anti-predator function, spiny orbweavers are harmless to humans and are often considered a beneficial species.

Hooded Oriole

♂ Hooded Oriole, Icterus cucullatus 

The Hooded Oriole is a medium-sized oriole found in the southwestern United States during summer and in western portions of Central America during winter. The bright orange and black of the males gives this bird its common name as the pattern makes it look as though he's wearing a hood. As with many other songbirds, the females and immature males are more drab, an olive yellow with dusky wings for this species. Nests are most often found in palms or large yucca sewn to the underside of a large leaf, but have also been found in moss and mistletoe clumps. They forage on insects, berries, cultivated fruits, and nectar, and are sometimes seen at hummingbird feeders. Although their population is currently stable overall, there is a notable decrease in the Lower Rio Grande population likely due to cowbird nest parasitism.

White-veined Dutchman's Pipe

White-veined Dutchman's Pipe, Aristolochia fimbriata

White-veined Dutchman's Pipe is a South American trailing vine that prefers indirect sun to partial shade. It is drought tolerant, evergreen in warmer climates, and blooms from Spring until Autumn. The unique shape of the flowers allows for guaranteed pollination as insects as drawn by the stench into the tube of the flower. In order to escape, the insect must navigate downward pointing hairs which result in a coating of pollen. The growing popularity of White-veined Dutchman's Pipe is its ease of growth and its contribution to the Pipevine Swallowtail population; similar to monarchs, Pipevine Swallowtails feed specifically on Aristolochia spp. for its noxious chemicals which they incorporate into their defense mechanism. The common native species, Woolly Dutchman's Pipe, with thicker leaves better suited to large batches of swallowtail larvae, is not as easily accessibly to home gardeners at this time.

Rio Grande

View of the Rio Grande River

The Rio Grande begins as a clear, spring and snow-fed mountain stream in Rio Grande National Forest at 3650 m (12,000 ft) above sea level and ends in the Gulf of Mexico. It is the fourth longest river system in the United States, the twenty-second longest river in the world, and is estimated to be roughly 3 million years old. It cuts through New Mexico and becomes an international boundary once it reaches the junction of Chihuahua and Texas, at the site of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. The recognition of the Rio Grande as an international boundary comes from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) which ended the Mexican War, but the issue of the exact boundary was not solved until the banco treaty of 1905. It wasn't until the 19th century that the name Rio Grande for the whole river became the standard in the United States; previously, it was known as the Rio del Norte in the upper portions, and in Mexico, it is still usually known as the Rio Bravo. In 1997, the Rio Grande was designated as one of the American Heritage Rivers.

There is a fair amount of history associated with the Rio Grande, but rather than type it all up, I will simply redirect you to one of the cited links above for a good summary (found here).

Whitethorn Acacia

Whitethorn acacia, Acacia constricta

Whitethorn Acacia is a native, multi-trunked tree or shrub found within the desert areas of the southwest that blooms with small, yellow balls of fragrant flowers. It is drought, cold, and heat tolerant tree that can reach 6 m (19.7 ft) in height and live up to 72 years old. Upon a top-kill, such as by fire, whitethorn acacia will sprout from the root crown. It will commonly flower once in spring and once in fall. The short-lived flowers are most often pollinated by honey bees while the seeds are consumed by quail, rats, mice, and occasionally deer. Native Americans would grind the beans into a meal for food, and use the beans, leaves, and roots for digestive, respiratory, and dermal symptoms.

Osprey

Osprey, Pandion haliaetus

A raptor that prefers live fish, Osprey are commonly found near shorelines and banks throughout most of North America and South America during different times of the year. They are large with slender bodies and narrow wings. They have a distinct marked kink in their wings creating an M-shape when seen from below.

Distinctive M-shape similarly seen when flying.

With a lifespan of around 20 years, Osprey may travel more than 160,000 migration miles during their journey from the Americas, with breeding grounds in North America and wintering grounds in South America. Unlike other hawks, osprey have a reversible outer toe and barbed pads to held them catch their prey of fish; however, if a Bald Eagle is nearby, it may chase the Osprey and force it to drop its catch. Similar to other raptors, Osprey were seriously endangered until the ban of DDT in which the Osprey has since made a remarkable comeback.


Note: As I said I would earlier, I'll post my decision here. The next post will be for a month hiatus, but as I will hopefully have some new animal and plants to share later, I will continue posting. In the meantime, while I'm on hiatus, I will be resharing some old posts on Google+, and with over 415 posts on this blog, there is no telling which ones I'll choose!

Mexican Olive

Mexican Olive, Cordia boissieri

Sometimes known as Anacahuita, Mexican Olive is a small tree that historically grew no further north than the lower Rio Grande Valley counties. It has successfully been grown as far north as Austin, but the colder winter cause some die-back, and it cannot tolerate a colder climate as the roots will freeze. Mexican olive has large, evergreen dark leaves with constantly blooming showy, white trumpet-shaped flowers with petals resembling crepe paper. In addition to being a great hummingbird plant, butterflies frequent the blooms and birds, deer, and cattle enjoy the fruits and leaves. While the fruit is edible for humans, they are not considered palatable and are not recommended to be consumed in large quantities. Although regular watering is necessary for establishing, Mexican olive is drought tolerant and needs little care after establishing making it a popular choice for highway planting.

Busy (Hiatus)

Another week of no posts due to conflicts. I'm considering simply switching to every other Tuesday and Thursday until something changes (if it does), but for now I am unsure. I'll likely decide next week, and when I do, I'll include it on the post this upcoming Thursday.

Laguna Atascosa

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge

Laguna Atascosa is a National Wildlife Refuge located on the coast of far South Texas. Established in 1946, the refuge encompasses more than 97,000 acres of freshwater wetlands, coastal prairies, mudflats, and beaches - a convergence of temperate, subtropical, coastal, and Chihuahuan desert habitats. The refuge includes the more recently acquired Bahia Grande Unit and the South Padre Island Unit.

Sunset along Scum Pond Trail of Laguna Atascosa

It is a designated Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) which, along with Rancho Rincón de Anacahuitas in Mexico, hosts at least 100,000 shorebirds annually. Within the National Wildlife Refuge System, Laguna Atascosa has the most recorded species of birds. In addition, it hosts the largest population of ocelots within the United States with a current estimate of 50 ocelots. Other unique species within Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge include the Aplomado Falcon, Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle, and the Redhead Duck, part of the reason for its original establishment. More common species that can be found at the refuge include the Texas Horned Lizard, Couch's Kingbird, Plain Chachalaca, American Alligator, Brown Pelican, and the exotic Nilgai. With such a variety of species present and many endangered, the refuge is a center for conversation and recovery efforts for many.

Couch's Kingbird

Couch's Kingbird, Tyrannus couchii

Found in southern Texas into Mexico, Couch's Kingbird is a medium-sized songbird similar to the Tropical Kingbird, best distinguished by song. Couch's Kingbird prefers thorn forests, brushy clearings, and tropical forests, but can be found in suburban areas. They are a permanent resident within its range although some individuals may move south during colder winters. Their diet may include small fruits, but is mainly insects which they catch by watching from a perch. Little is known about their breeding and nesting behavior, but is assumed to be similar to the Tropical Kingbird.

Busy (Hiatus)

Sunset at Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge.

It's another busy week so there will be no posts this week. While I'm keeping to the same schedule this year of trying to post every Tuesday and Thursday, do not be surprised by the increase of hiatus posts, either. I'll try to give you some nice pictures while you wait, and this one you'll see again, soon!

Brown Pelican

Juvenile and Non-breeding Adult Brown Pelicans, Pelecanus occidentalis

Brown Pelicans, the darkest plumed of the pelicans, are large, stocky seabirds found along warm sea coasts and rarely inland. Unlike other pelicans, the brown pelican dives from the air to obtain its food, the force of impact stunning small fish which are easily scooped up. While the fish are small, brown pelicans typically eat approximately four pounds of fish a day including menhaden, herring, mullet, silversides, and minnows, although those on the west coast rely heavily on anchovies and sardines. The juveniles retain their overall brown appearance until around 3 to 5 years of age to which their plumage turns to a white head and neck, but with a brown nape and neck gained during breeding season. The Brown Pelican both congregates in large flocks and nests in colonies. The females generally lay 2 to 3 eggs with incubation shared by both parents. To keep the eggs warm, the parents use the skin of their feet, essentially standing on the eggs. Unfortunately, this contributed to their near extinction in the 1960s and 1970s as DDT thinned eggs cracked under the weight of the incubating parents. Thankfully, the Brown Pelican has since made a strong and stable return with the most current IUCN status of 2012 listing them as Least Concern.

Plain Chachalaca

Plain Chachalacas, Ortalis vetula

The Plain Chachalaca can be found in the far South Texas and is the only member of the family of guans, currasows, and chachalacas, a family which contains approximately 50 species with many of endangered status due to hunting. They are most often found in small groups of 3-5 individuals with a preference for scrubland, thickets, and forest edges. They are non-migratory and known for their loud call, especially during breeding season. Unlike most other galliform birds, the Plain Chachalaca is mostly arboreal earning it the common name Mexican Tree Pheasant. They have been known to feed upside-down to pick the ripest fruit from a tree, but will also feed at seed feeders. The precocial young can fly short distances within a week of hatching and cling to tree branches as soon as they dry.

Note: While not the best photo, there are more than five within the photo and at least one visible by tail feathers. With luck, I can provided an updated, better photo in the future.