Thursday, August 16, 2012

Bastrop State Park Survey Photos for Aug. 2012

 
 

Can you Identify this toad :-)

The circular area is where a pine once stood, but the fire burned it down even through the root system....However check out the well baked mud wasp nest that surved the inferno..Must be  it was a hollow tree.

This Cottonwood and Flame Sumac are well over six feet tall, this area was barren in March.  There are zillions of cottonwood trees here, there were zero as far as I know before the fire.  There is  even a Black Willow to the left and no water nearby.

The forest of Pokeweed has set fruit everywhere. If only they were grapes.

Depiste the dry conditions, there are lots of wildflowers.   Blue waterleaf is found in damp soils and it is thriving in the ash enriched soils near the toad ponds

Houston Toad Pond

Long-tailed Skipper and American Lady nectaring on Gayfeather.

Long-tailed Skipper

Firey Skipper on Gayfeather

Aquatic color

I do not remember the name of this pastel flower....Copper Mallow?

A family of Black-bellied Whistling ducks

This is a cucurbid I do not know, not sure if it is native.
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