Skip to my Lou in the parking lot

Took an uneventful walk on the trail under Jupiter Road and on west. The natural trails were way too muddy on my Friday afternoon off. My brain was whirring (but it's pages weren't loading).

Getting back to the parking lot, I found all the action was within a few yards of my car. Folded-wing skippers were having a departmental strategic planning session. I loved the velvety green and brown body and the puppy-dog eyes. This was the largest skipper. Most were all dusky or mostly ochre.

The polka dot appearance of the prickly pear eventually clicked on a memory of insects on the cactus plants at the Dallas Arboretum's Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden last fall. Sometimes my brain works like fat fingers in an old card catalog! Those succulent-eaters were pretty devastating. I hesitate to call them "pests", but I was cheering for the cactus side in that game.

RMCAG fall 2014

What was eating the parking lot prickly pear? Turns out, that cactus is a busy village, like Saturday night on main street at the county seat....

Leaf footed bug square dance

Great colors for a knitting project.

So who will munch the succulent suckers? Stay tuned!

© 2014-2015 Nancy L. Ruder