To know a place: Oak Point Nature Preserve: camouflage

Showing posts with label camouflage. Show all posts

5/01/2017

ABC perfect visit to OP

A

About improvements at the park: I'm excited to see this step in the master plan underway..

Anticipating: "New concrete recreational trail approximately 0.5 mile in length connecting from the Nature and Retreat Center to the Oak Point Amphitheater parking lot. This trail will include a prefabricated corten steel pedestrian bridge over Rowlett Creek and a scenic overlook in the wooded area on the west side of the creek. A portion of the trail will be built as an above ground boardwalk system through a sensitive environmental wetland zone."

The map on this sign is available here. The text is available here.

B
Bees and basket flowers

Some very large native bees with black abdomens as shiny as patent leather Sunday School Mary Janes in the noontime sun declined to be photographed.

Basket flowers return and make me ridiculously happy, almost as glad as spring's herald, the trout lilies.

C

Caddo Trail sightings:

Skipper

Snout

Camouflaged moth:

Can you spot it?

D

Dicksissels were calling their loud "dick sissel cham cham cham cham" in the low meadow.

This dam spider, a long-jaw, is dressed up in its best jasper bolo tie, reminding me of my Granddad.

E

Etiquette question: What is the proper way for a turtle to eat a fish larger than itself? No photos of this bizarre sight down at the dam, but I do have a red admiral butterfly dining upside-down.

10/18/2015

Hiding in plain sight

I love these little butterflies! They are some of the first in the spring, are plentiful in the meadow all summer, and perfectly dressed for Halloween parties. I am pretty sure they are the common Pearly Crescentspot, but years ago I dubbed them Tiffany Butterflies because they remind me of Tiffany lamps. I must have been reading Susan Vreeland's Clara and Mr. Tiffany at the time. If I hadn't seen this one landing on the copper leaves I never would have spotted it.

Oak Point Oct. 29, 2014

The photos below were the first I took of a very cooperative "Tiffany Butterfly" at Oak Point, April 5, 2011.

8/09/2015

Ask your doctor if you have low OP

Getting out to the nature preserve on a Sunday morning while it's still below ninety degrees might be the cure for what ails you. It sure improved my outlook on life, bumping up my curiosity level, and provided relaxing photo cropping hours.

The trails still show the impact of the water flow during the May flood, but now the scoured dirt is also baked and cracked by the hundred plus days of early August. Sounds were 50% buzzing insects and 50% squirrels scraping and gnawing on pecans. Good-sized fish scowled up at me from the shallow green waters of Rowlett Creek.

At first the Caddo Trail seemed lacking in life. Rounding a curve I spotted seven moths a-sleeping low on the bark of a tree. Nearby trees had similar numbers of moths snoozing on the shaded bark. I'm still awed by their camouflage adaptation.

The moths were just sharpening my vision for the bonanza of three skinks. One declined to be photographed or sign autographs. The other two cooperated, then dropped off the bark and scurried into hidey holes at the base of their trees.

9/16/2014

There's so much more to life

Life cycles are so amazingly complex and simple and graceful and violent -- and that's just the photographers jostling for position!

The unfolding drama on the passiflora vine continues. Sunday a gulf fritillary caterpillar began the process of forming a chrysalis.

Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden

September 15, 2014 RMCAG

Another chrysalis, same fence

What is going on inside that chrysalis? The transformation is almost beyond comprehension. Here's just a snippet of the changes to the digestive system between caterpillar and butterfly from the Living With Insects blog.

Had a rare chance to walk at Oak Point Monday, and spotted just a few fritillaries. This one was the most cooperative:

Near the lake September 15, 2014

Oak Point August 5, 2012 Gulf fritillary

Spring Creek trail near the 75/"George Bush" interchange

Camo fritillary October 22, 2013 Spring Creek trail

Sensitive folks should avert their eyes:

Fritillaries mating October 3, 2012 near Plano, TX

Also October 3, 2012

7/17/2014

Oak Point with Crockett and Tubbs

Something about grasshoppers says Eighties. It's the RayBans and pastel unconstructed linen jacket attitude. That's why I cheer for the spider drug lords to wrap Sonny up in a silk juice box to suck out his innards.

May 28, 2014

You may need a little Phil Collins fix about now.

Aug. 22, 2010 near the dam.

Richardson, TX, Sept. 7, 2012

This big dang grasshopper on the Renner/Spring Creek trail in Richardson is pondering the pink paint covering the bridge graffiti and thinking linen jacket thoughts. The argiope spider below is wrapping a large grasshopper for a snack later.

July 5, 2010

7/13/2014

Catocala musings continued

"Catocala derives from the Greek 'kato' meaning below and 'kalos' meaning beautiful, and refers to the brightly coloured hindwings of the underwing moths."--Arkive.org

Just about the best thing besides walking at Oak Point Nature Preserve is wallowing in Greek and Latin root words.

I also like the description of these moths as "cryptically colored" My blog muse sent me a link to annual population variation information, but I broke the server somehow.

Here are some good links about Catocala moths:

So far I've learned that annual populations of Catocala moths can vary because of grass fires or spraying for gypsy moths.

7/03/2014

Catocala wears camo pants

I spy with my little eye a moth that is big and perfectly camouflaged. Many catocala moths have brightly colored underwings that startle a person. At rest on trees in the daytime with underwings hidden, catocalas are extremely difficult to spot. Then when you get close, they fly toward you seeming as big as a bat or Wizard of Oz flying monkey. Landing again they flash a confusing moment of bright color, and then totally disappear.