The is a Mulberry leaf, that just fell on the 15th. Late this yer. It is about 6" long. The leaves never make it through the night, as deer vacuum them up like they are candy. They are bonkers about the fresh-fallen Mulberry leaves. Must be something in them they just gotta have.

The key item of interest is the Meloid (Blister) beetle at bottom left of flower. This is a big fat (full of eggs) female a couple inches long. With enough bug juice to send you to the ER. Never grab an insect if you do not it to be safe. Note the orange or rusty elytra (the hard wing covers on beetles - which are the forewings). Fulvous is anouther name for the color, and the bug is Lytta fulvipennis, which means fulvous- winged, after the color). The blob to the right is a pair of flower scarabs, female trying to eat, male with other ideas on her back. I have never seen this Meloid except on Prickly Poppy flowers, both these non-native white ones, and the yellow native Mexican Prickly-Poppy. And most years do not see one. This pic was April 26, 2024, and taken by Kathy (with Mavica - floppy disk) in the yard. I got out there five minutes later and it was gone!

This Katydid came in to Kathy's candle while it burned. I presume it was attracted by the light and not the scent.

This is a moth, which like most I have no idea as to an ID. Great shape and pattern. You do not have to know the names of things to enjoy or appreciate them. Get pixels, and maybe one day you can ID it in the future.

This is the beautiful Pride-of-Barbados flower. It is not a native species, but popular in gardens. It is also known as Mexican or Red, Bird-of-Paradise. It is not an actual Bird-of-paradise, which are monocots, this is a legume like a pea. The seeds fire off and pop in a paper bag. There has been much debate around its true origins, as it was widely introduced before Euro man got to the new world. It is believed the Eastern Caribbean is the true source.

White-winged dove in threat posture. They spar by beating each other up with the downstroke of a flap. Considering that they go 0-50 mph in a few seconds or wingbeats a White-wing beatdown is likely serious. Sometimes what I presume is males pound on each other for some time, taking turns like drunks in a bar. This one was letting the half-dozen or so around know, I am bathing, you will be patiently waiting for a turn to drink, or else. They hold this pose for what seem long times to me. This must be the Great King Rat of the local White-wings.

Texas Scrub-Jay (subspecies texana).

This is a Reduviad, often called kissing bug. They bite faces. Properly well-named as Blood-sucking Conenose. These may carry Chaga's disease so I dispatch them outside when I find one. Their normal food item is rodents, here I presume packrats and cotton rats, maybe White-footed Mouse too. Little Creek Larry said there were dogs locally that tested positive for Chaga's. It is believed to be what killed Darwin.

Here is a Rufous-crowned Sparrow, which we have not been seeing much of lately. Note lack of bold wingbars or streaks on underparts, long tail with rufous in wings and tail, and the rufous crown of course.

To confirm make sure it has a whisker, that black line going down into throat from bill.

Here is the Northern Mockingbird at the birdbath. Often called Mocker for short. A spectacular mimic of other birds. The wings usually show two white wingbars as here. If wing is spread you see a big white patch too. It is mostly unmated males that sing all night. Though Chat does that here too, but are not mimics. Lots of states, including Texas, have the Mocker as their state bird. Which is funny considering how maligned it can be for keeping people up at night.

Male Golden-fronted Woodpecker needed to wash down some Pecans apparently. Months go by without one at the birdbath, but not in Pecan season. Eye much darker orange than the bright red in breeding season.

This is a moth, of course. I have no idea what type. The pink and orange is nice though. It was very small, about a half-inch. The flash nuked the wall though, so no anntanae visible.

This is a female Hooded Oriole.

This is the adult male Baltimore Oriole that was briefly at the birdbath Sept. 24.

Giant White (Ganyra josephina) Sept. 22, 2024. Most of one anyway. Vagrant butterflies are often torn and frayed. Probably travelled hundreds of miles from Mexico. Maybe the fourth one I have seen here in 21 years, but only second photographed. The first one Sept. 24, 2005 on Seco Ridge was the first ever found in Uvalde County. Some occur annually a couple hundred plus miles south in deep south Texas along the Rio Grande from Sept.- December. Remarkably this was our 100th butterfly species for the yard list. Took 11 years, and the last ten sps. took about seven or eight of that.

Looking west at sunset, Sept. 17, 2024. The bigger hill at left is the one on north side of the 1050 pass a few miles west of town.

And in case you missed the incredible excitement, here is a poor photo of the partial lunar eclipse a few hours after the above sunset.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, immature or female. The bill can appear longer than the head. Note dark green back, snow white underparts. Looks like peak fall numbers here this year were about Sept. 4-7, which is on the early side by a week.

Almost all the hummingbirds at your feeders now are Ruby-throated. Immatures and females have white underparts and throats, only the males have the color in throat, which appears black unless the light is at the right angle. This is an immature or female Ruby-throated Hummingbird. We had a hundred here this week, but today the 6th there was a major departure on the northerly winds.

Cloudless Sulphur on Red Turkscap. Most of the largeish yellow butterflies around lately are either Cloudless or Large Orange Sulphur. Males are easy to tell, Cloudless are lemon yellow, Large Orange are Orange dorsally, and yellow orange below.

Junior sent me this great photo of an Io moth, on a wall Aug. 11. I have only seen one here, and it was dead at the gas station. It is also one of our silk moths, but of the smaller group around a couple inches long. If you are local to Utopia, I don't mind seeing pics of anything neat you saw, if you think of interest.

This is the Io Moth (Automeris io) I found dead at the gas station. on Aug. 13, 2021. Note similarity of dates, a clue on when to look. The females are browner of forewing so less yellow,

This is another of the Polyphemus Moth. Note how much variation there is in the species. Compare to last weeks photo. Some species often all appear to be clones, others have high variability, such as these moths.

This is a Polyphemus Moth. On the right wing the thin dark marks are shadows from grass blades, not a field mark on the animal. This is one of a large gathering at General Store Aug. 7.

Having done the compulsory annual photo of a 'greenie' type Painted Bunting last week, this one is clearly elective. This one is so bright limish green above, I think it is an immature male, about a year old. Absolutely not a juvenile, but could be a female. They are the only green bunting in America. Just make sure it has that conical seed cracking bill like a sparrow. BTW, that is a white millet seed, aka bunting honey. Photo taken June 21.

The compulsory annual photo of a 'greenie' type Painted Bunting. Limish green above, often more olive-green and greenish white below. So, a female or juvenile, or imm. male up to a year old or so, all look fairly similar. They are the only green bunting in America. Just make sure it has that conical seed cracking bill like a sparrow.

While we are on birds in air at birdbath... this is one of our local pair of Carolina Chickadee. It watches bigger birds bathe and when they explode flapping throwing water all over, it quick flies down to hover in the shower as water goes flying. Seeing how much energy it can burn getting wet, when it can just land and sit in the water? When Kathy is watering in the yard and they are around they will show up for spray as well. Just loves a shower I suppose.

This is a White-eyed Vireo diving into the birdbath. Vireos are mostly splash-bathers, not waddling in as most birds will. Only diving into the water and splashing as they do. You can see the pale iris, yellow lores and sides. It is kinda hard to catch in the act.

Our local pair of Carolina Chickadee in birdbath.

The compulsory annual photo of a male Painted Bunting in the bird bath. No better way to attract more birds than watering them. Even a sprinkler in bushes or a tree can be very effective. This bath is a large garden pot drain dish. Change the water daily if using a bath.

This is a Nashville Warbler this spring. Usually our most common migrant warbler in spring. Yellow underparts including throat, olive upperparts, gray head, big white eyering, no wingbars or tailspots, and sometimes you can see the rufous in the central crown feathers.

This is a male Yellow-breasted Chat. They sing all day and night, but the noises are often not very 'song-like'. Honks, chatters, whistles, squawks, all sorts of sounds, many not very avian sounding. They are in their own family, related to nothing closely, a one-off gene pool. Can be nearly common in riparian habitats along the river corridor. Upperparts are olive, this photo in shade under overcast. They are the only species I have seen take Red Harvester or Leaf-cutter ants here. We sometimes have duelling counter-singing constests, one on either side of yard, because one is not enough of a racket.

Here is a male Northern Cardinal head to compare with the Summer Tanager pic a couple weeks ago. They do molt the crest once a year for a month or so. In fact their whole heads can be without feathers, showing almost purple skin. Learn the big red conical or triangular bill. Also the black surrounding bill, including chin, face, lores and extending over bill. A bird-bander said you never forget getting bit.

I know it is not a great photograph. Except for that it might be the only one of its type. At the upper right is a departing male Golden-cheeked Warbler, at left edge of bath a Golden-winged Warbler. There was only a second or two to get them in one frame together. They are both threatened species, with very little range overlap. Golden-winged is very rare in spring in the range of Golden-cheeked.

Male Summer Tanager, head. Besides male Cardinal, the other all red bird here. Vermilion Flycatcher and Painted Bunting are not red on upperparts. Note lack of crest or large red triangular bill. Note bill is not surrounded by black. Not often seen on ground, forages in trees. Females are mustard olive.

Male Yellow Warbler showing the red streaks of breeding plumage on underparts. Which can be more extensive and brighter than this. Quite the beauty!

Here is my compulsory annual photograph of a male Golden-cheeked Warbler in our birdbath. Got one frame before the Golden-winged flushed it! Probably what it is looking at, thinking, holy warbler!

This is a male Golden-winged Warbler, at our birdbath on April 30. A male Golden-cheeked Warbler flushed out of the bath upon its arrival! These are very rare here, some springs one or two get turned up by the army of birders in Uvalde and Bandera Counties in April and May. As of 2002 there was no UvCo record, and maybe one at Lost Maples. It is also a threatened species in decline. And a great yard bird! Sylvia Hilbig had one May 2012. My only prior sighting was one at the Utopia Park woods on ... April 30 (!), 2021.

Well darn if it isn't a new species photo for the site. Of one of the dullest most non-descript and furtive birds here, a House Wren. A quintessential LBJ - little brown job. Note no bold eyeline as our common Bewick's and Carolina Wren have, which are non-migratory residents. The House Wren is strictly a passage transient here in spring and fall. Two came into our bath at once, April 20. When you can sing like a wren, you don't need fancy apparel.

This is the female Pyrrhuloxia that visited the birdbath April 14. Suggests female Cardinal but is mousey (slightly brown-tinged) gray, not warm brown of base color. Note orange-yellow very curved bill. Cardinal bill is red, without strong curvature, and surrounded by black feathers. Often the bill is just a dull yellow and not this orange, presumably breeding season related. Also note very long crest and narrow red eyering. The dark on side of face below eye is disheveled feathers, not any field mark or character.

This is a lichen of some sort. I only see it on tree bark here. Can't seem to get a good picture of it, sorry.

This is methinks Lazy Daisy. The flowers of Prairie Fleabane look about the same. Pretty sure this is Lazy Daisy, as they do not open until later morning (their lazy trait). They are a low ground cover, often in patches of a hundred or two, in sunny somewhat dusturbed ground.

This is Mealy Sage. Deer ate our biggest one, all 3 dozen flower stalks!

This is a photo of no significance whatsoever.

This is a Mountain Laurel. Now is the time to take a whiff of that sweetest smell. Some are done already, but some are still going. To my admittedly somewhat unrefined sniffer it is as if a cross of Rose and Sweet Pea.

This is another unknown (to me) moth species.

This is an Anemone (Anemone heterophylla) which is called Wind-Flower if you like that sort of common Name. They are mostly white here, but in some spots there are violet ones, and rarely a magenta pink color variety. Black-chinned Hummingbirds use the fuzzy seed cotton to line their nests here.

This is a closeup of the central hindwing area of the
male Black Swallowtail which is still around the yard.

This is a male Black Swallowtail. The first butterfly that is a new emergence I have seen this year, on Feb. 11. It led me to my first flower, but which is non-native. Henbit is European, but naturalized throughout America.

This is Texas Bindweed, which is in the Morning Glory family.

This is a Scrub-Jay. Often called Blue Jay but that is a crested jay with white spots on wings and tail. Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay is the proper correct name currently, which hopefully won't last too long. The Texas subspecies, texana, is unique and in several ways obviously different from other Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay of the interior mountain west. It should be called Texas Scrub-Jay as this subspecies is found nowhere else, and is an Edwards Plateau endemic subspecies. One day it may get its due.

This is Say's Phoebe. Usually on a fenceline at edge of pasture, present only in winter (late fall to early spring). Note no streaking on underparts as female or imm. Vermilion Flycatcher, though Say's is mostly here when those are not.

Here we have some ribbon ice, from when the Frostweed burst due to cold on Jan. 15. Unfortunately I had cut ours as it looks a bit ratty as it dries, so we only got little stubs left. I knew I should have waited to see if we would get a 20F morning. It takes extreme cold to get it to pop out. Being white it is incredibly hard to photograph.

This is a Common Raven. Too bad about the branch, eh? The white is wet or something, it looks disheveled, and is shiny reflection. It is not a White-necked (now Chihuahuan) Raven.

Just to give an idea, here is a pic showing part of the yard, house and cottage, so you can get an idea of where much of the stuff being written about is being seen. This pic was May 2013, barely two months after we moved into this place. Now there are butterfly flowers around the porch and in flower beds. The yard lists are: 45 species of odes (dragons-damsels), 99 sps. of butterflies, 7 sps. of frogs & toads, 7 sps. of native lizards, 9 sps. of native snakes (two more out on the road), 20 sps. of native mammals, about 100 sps. of plants (mostly native wildflowers), and now at the 9 year point, about 230 native species of birds.