Hiatus

A long, busy day. There will be a post on Thursday which will be a rehash of my Sunday post on Google+. The next week will be played by ear, but regular posting will likely not resume until the week after, but it will resume :)

Indian Blanket

Indian Blanket, Gaillardia pulchella

Indian Blanket, also known as Firewheel, is a native annual found in the throughout most of the United States, especially the southwest, with introduction to parts of Canada and Alaska. It is drought and heat tolerant and adaptable to well-drained soil, sun, and part shade. While it blooms between May and August, it is short-lived, but it may flower longer with plentiful rains.

Field of Indian Blanket and highly invasive Queen Anne's lace

Indian Blanket is sought for sand dune reclamation sites and for roadside and meadow planting. It is also a competent native competitor to the invasive annual bastard cabbage. Not only has over-sowing Indian Blanket been shown to reduce productivity of the invasive species, but it is also a way to help eliminate environmental damage from standard control techniques.

Floodplain

Panorama of water within and heading to the floodplains.

"The plants in a floodplain slow the floodwaters and prevent much damage downstream. The deep clay soils here store water, reducing flooding. Without intact floodplains, rivers, streams, and the land around them suffer increased erosion and more damaging floods."

Simply put, a floodplain is an area of land prone to flooding. It is often flat with higher elevation on both sides and may be either very small or very large. While it can be a problem for houses build on floodplains, they play an extremely important role. The floods that occur carry sediment rich in nutrients past banks and into surrounding areas. This in turn makes for fertile land ripe for agriculture and is where some of the world's earliest civilizations arose.

Rather than be labeled as an aquatic or terrestrial ecosystem, some ecologist label floodplains as "pulsed" ecosystems - an intermediate habitat. With exception to extreme events, the "pulse" and reach of a floodplain can be predicted. The flat, fertile, predictable land is therefore considered ideal for building, but often at the cost of the health of the floodplain.

There are six criteria used to determine floodplain health:
1. The ecosystem supports habitats and viable native animal and plant populations similar to those present prior to any disturbances.
2. The ecosystem is able to return to its pre-existing condition after a disturbance, whether natural or human-induced.
3. The ecosystem is able to sustain itself.
4. The river can function as part of a healthy basin.
5. The annual flood pulse "connects" the main channel to its floodplain.
6. Infrequent natural events - floods and droughts - are able to maintain ecological structure and processes within the reach.

A healthy floodplain results in a healthy river. It is also important to understand when developing on a floodplain. Otherwise the result benefits no one.


This is a straight copy-and-paste from my post a few weeks back on Google+ which can be found here along with many, many more photos of the actual floodplain and damage at that time. The photos are from a week before even more, worse flooding. Those photos might come later as the area is currently underwater and unavailable for photographing.

Rough Green Snake

Rough Green Snake, Opheodrys aestivus

The Rough Green Snake is a relatively common snake found throughout the southeastern portion of the United States and northern Mexico. They can grow up to 81 cm (32 in) in length, but are rather slim. As an arboreal species, it can often be found foraging in dense vegetation or climbing branches along forest edges, especially near bodies of water. When laying eggs, rough earth snakes will seek out tree hollows, cavities under rocks, or other moist areas. They do not remain with the eggs. The main diet of a rough green snake consists of invertebrates including spiders, crickets, and grasshoppers.

Moth Mullein

Moth Mullein, Verbascum blattaria

Moth Mullein is a biennial native to Eurasia that was introduced to the eastern United States in the early 1800s and has since spread westward. It has naturalized throughout most states and large portions of Canada, and is considered a noxious, invasive weed and resides on the state invasive list for Colorado. With a preference for highly disturbed areas which includes pastures, vacant lots, roadsides, meadows, and open fields, moth mullein can reach 1.5 m (5 ft) in height. It is a self-seeding plant, but finches have been reported consuming the seeds. An experiment conducted by William James Beal, known as the Beal Seed Viability Experiment, found that the seeds of moth mullein are viable for at least 120 years. The experiment began in 1879 and is still ongoing. Moth mullein has also gained attention for a methanol extract with potential to successfully control mosquito larvae.

Green Milkweed

Green Milkweed, Asclepias viridis

Green Milkweed, also known as green antelopehorn (not to be confused with clumping milkweed antelope horns) is a native milkweed common in pastures, prairies, and ditches from Nebraska to Ohio and Texas to Florida.  Within Texas, green milkweed is the most common milkweed and can be found on most soils, but prefers loamy, moist soils. It blooms from April through September and can grow up to 0.9 m (3 ft) in height. There is usually only one umbel, or flower cluster, per stem, but larger plants may have more. As with most milkweeds, the sticky, milky substance is toxic, but has been utilized by certain butterfly species, most notably, monarchs. Both native and non-native bees have been known to pollinate milkweed.

Antelope Horns

Antelope Horns, Asclepias asperula

Not to be confused with green antelopehorn, Antelope Horns, also called Spider Milkweed, is a common, clump-forming native perennial milkweed found in pastures and prairies from Kansas to Texas and westward. As expected, it is a source of food for the larvae of Monarch and other milkweed butterflies. Antelope Horns blooms intermittently from March through October. It can reach heights of up to 0.6 m (2 ft) and requires little water, but it does need full sun. The common name refers to the seed pods which curve to resemble antelope horns as well as the white horn-like stamens of the flower. While milkweed butterflies make use of the toxins, the milky sap can be an irritant to humans and other animals. In addition to the butterflies, it is an often sought plant for native pollinators.