Fishing at Oak Point

Three great blue herons and about the same number of people were fishing this morning before the pond stocking. I like the new mowed access points to the pond that replace the fishing pier. They let walkers, photographers, and other visitors get closer to the water. This is from Parks & Rec's facebook page:

For all you fishing enthusiasts, get your gear ready. We will be stocking the pond at Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve on Monday afternoon, Oct. 31 with 6”-8” large mouth bass. Just a reminder, fishing regulations at Oak Point fall under the jurisdiction of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which means anyone 17 yrs and up (with certain exceptions) has to have a valid fishing license to fish in ALL public waters in Texas. Additionally, you can keep the fish you catch from the pond according to the TPWD fishing regulations. However, it will be next year before these ones will be big enough to catch and keep. For those of you who are new to the sport of fishing, free pole rentals are available at the Oak Point Park Nature & Retreat Center but you need to bring your own bait. To learn more about fishing regulations, please visit this link:
http://tpwd.texas.gov/…/general…/general-fishing-regulations.

 In other Halloween news, all the spiders were working on decorations. 

Long-jawed orb weaver

Funnel web spider

High overhead spider!

© 2014-2016 Nancy L. Ruder

Brave Sneelock is back!

Phidippus audax spiders were celebrating fall in North Texas just like me. The weather finally gets below eighty degrees and you just want to run through the grass, sun yourself, play peek-a-boo on the metal railing down by the dam, and show off your iridescent green fangs. When one Bold and/or Daring Jumper dragged a captured bee off between the cactus spines while two skipper butterflies watched, I was pretty sure there was going to be a jumping spider BBQ tailgate party. According to iNaturalist these spiders are audacious. For jumping spiders these are large, the females up to 3/4 inch long, and they get extra style points for black and white fur, stripes, and spots. They also like to be YouTube stars.

Sneelock is probably my favorite Dr. Seuss character, ahead of even the Pale Green Pants:

Through pots full of lots of big Stickle-Bush Trees
Slides a man! What a man! On his Roller-Skate-Skis!...

© 2014-2016 Nancy L. Ruder

Viceroy

Too muggy to feel like autumn in the woods yet, sad to say. Several weeks of news and gripes to work through with my walk buddy this morning. Added to that the feeling that I've missed most of prime butterfly season at Oak Point. So here is the only photo catch of the day, a viceroy, that monarch mimic:

Viceroy missing scales

For sure? Yes, for sure. Viceroy.

Viceroy Oak Point in June 2013

Viceroy October 2015, probably Environmental Education Center

Viceroy in August 2014 Dallas Arboretum wetlands

Compare a monarch on mistflower:

Environmental Education Center October 2015

And a queen on mistflower for comparison, also a common butterfly in North Texas:

November 2012 Heard Nature Center

© 2014-2016 Nancy L. Ruder

Beware snakes and cyclops

Polyphemus giggles. Medusa needs a haircut before the wedding reception.

Many a sailor has lost his way, but the bobcat has lost its trail. Instead of Bobcat Trail there's a big gravel road. The road's only a third of a mile long, but the gravel is large and chunky economy size. What's up with this?

Where Bobcat Trail used to meet Willow Springs

   

Drainage?

Hackberry butterfly soaking sun on the rock road

   

Rock road goes all the way to Jupiter Road.

The road leads to Jupiter Road near the site of the old beaver dam. Will the road be a permanent fixture in the nature preserve? Much as I understand that the primary function of the preserve is to manage floodwaters, I get grumpy when humans mess with my special place. It must be a romantic/transcendentalist artist bias. I'm okay when the beavers mess with the arrangement of water features in the preserve. I'm happy to observe fallen trees and their decomposition that reminds me I'm dust to dust. Still, it really hacks me off when people alter the park. I've only just gotten over the whole zip-line installation, and now this! Still, I hear the siren song of October.

© 2014-2016 Nancy L. Ruder