I hope this little giant makes it to moth. Eacles imperialis, or Imperial Moth. I think he got nipped by a bird.
Posts
Rio Grande Chirping Frogs
Some folks around Central Texas may have noticed a lot of sweet, peppy chirping throughout the nights. Not the droning grind of crickets and cicadas, more like an inconceivably pleasant Mariah Carey swallowed her squeaky chew toy. This relatively new transplant to our area is called the
Rio Grande Chirping Frog or Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides
I find their songs to be pretty soothing at night, which is a bonus because Sparkle Farm is littered with the tiny tenors.
https://tpwmagazine.com/archive/2012/apr/scout5_wildthing_chirpingfrog/
Tick tok
I’m habitually wary of anything that includes the word “tick”, but that changed this morning when I read up on the
Showy Tick Trefoil or Desmodium canadense
When my poor brain read the name, it flooded with evil thoughts of this plant playing host to a Caligula bacchanalia of microscopic, eight-legged vampires of disease.
I just had to get past the name to discover it’s a Nitrogen fixing legume that is adored by butterflies, hummingbirds, quail, turkey, and apparently me.
I think I might have a touch of Floracism, or Laura Ashley disease.
Foxglove
Today’s precious purple plant photo is of
Purple False Foxglove or Agalinis purpurea
This is the first time I have seen them at Sparkle Farm. Apparently the conditions have to be just right for them to come out of hiding.
I learned today that they are hemiparasitic, which is a completely new term for me. They have chlorophyll and do the whole photosynthesis thing, but also don’t mind stealing nutrients from the roots of other plants like Kendall Jenner.