Birds and Berries

 

 A flock of over wintering Cedar Waxwings

Several species of birds overwinter in Texas during the colder months of the year, since food is typically more abundant here than in the northern parts of the country.  While many types of seed can provide nourishment when insects are not available, it is the berries that draw in large flocks of American Robins (Turdus migratorius) and Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum). 

American Robins are fairly large songbirds that are easily identified by a dark gray head, lighter gray back, yellow bill, and a rusty orange belly.  Throughout the fall and winter months they switch their diet from worms and insects to several types of berries, and often band together to form large flocks.  Look for them roosting in trees in moist woodland areas where berry-producing trees are shrubs are common, from November through mid-April.

American Robin

Cedar Waxwings are medium-sized songbirds with a sleek, silky look.  They are identified by a pale brown head with a crest that often lies flat, a narrow black mask outlined in white, a lemon-colored belly, and soft gray wings and tail. The tail is always tipped in bright yellow, and the wings have red waxy tips but they are not always easy to see. They also congregate in large flocks and are usually heard before seen, emitting a high-pitched trill as they fly about, from November through May.  They typically eat fruits year-round, depending on what is available.

Cedar Waxwing

In central Texas, overwintering American Robins eat berries from a variety of native plants, including Escarpment Black Cherry, Roughleaf Dogwood, Flameleaf Sumac, Ashe Juniper, Yaupon, Possumhaw, and Virginia Creeper.  In winter, Cedar Waxwings have a high preference for the berries of the Ashe Juniper, but will also eat the fruits of American Mistletoe, Texas Madrone, Roughleaf Dogwood, Yaupon, Possumhaw, and Coral Honeysuckle.

Ashe Juniper

It is important to note that these birds will also eat the berries of non-native, invasive plants such as Ligustrum species, Nandina, and Japanese Honeysuckle.  Since these unwelcome plants largely spread by bird droppings that contain the seeds of these fruits, replacing them with the native alternatives listed above is a responsible way to help safeguard against that spread.

Yaupon

From time to time, these birds can become intoxicated if they eat too much fruit that has fermented. Berries and other fruits can ferment in late fall and winter when frosts and freezes occur, which concentrates the sugar in the berries. When these cold periods are followed by warmer weather it accelerates the breakdown of the sugars into sugar alcohol, at a more potent level than might normally be present.  

Possumhaw

Like humans, drunken birds show signs of irregular movement and the inability to avoid obstacles, and some immature birds even risk the chance of death through alcohol poisoning.  Recent research shows, however, that birds such as Cedar Waxwings may have some natural protection against drunkenness due to their fairly large livers (for birds), as those livers can more effectively break down the alcohol to safely remove it from their bodies.

Each year, the numbers of American Robins and Cedar Waxwings present during a central Texas winter can fluctuate wildly.  In some years, when ample rains produce berries in copious amounts, these birds will appear in large flocks. But during drought years when berries are scarce, especially on junipers, these birds are found in much lower numbers.

The Blush of Fall

Plateau Agalinis, an Edwards Plateau endemic

Certain seasons bring to mind certain color palettes, such as the pastel-colored wildflowers of spring, or the deep orange and red leaves of fall.  But did you know that there are some native plants that bloom pink well into the months of autumn?  They include both Plateau and Prairie Agalinis (Agalinis edwardsiana and Agalinis heterophylla), Small Palafoxia (Palafoxia callosa), and Marsh Fleabane (Pluchea odorata).

Plateau Agalinis, also called Plateau False Foxglove and Plateau Gerardia, is a 1- to 3-foot tall erect, bushy plant with an airy texture that is endemic to limestone hills with thin soils on the Edwards Plateau region of Texas.  It has light green stems, narrowly linear leaves to 1.25 inches long, and pink funnel-shaped blooms from August to October, on stalks as much as 1.25 inches long.  

Plateau Agalinis, showing the long stalk

Also called Prairie False Foxglove, Prairie Agalinis looks very similar to Plateau Agalinis except that its pink funnel-shaped blooms are on short stalks up to 0.2 inches long and its leaves are slightly larger.  It blooms from June into October in grasslands and fields or in open woodlands near streams, often on more moist soils.  Both of these Agalinis species are in the Figwort Family, and are host plants for the Common Buckeye butterfly.

Prairie Agalinis, showing the short stalk

Common Buckeye adult

Common Buckeye caterpillar

Small Palafoxia or Small Palafox is a 2- to 3-foot tall upright, airy plant in the Aster Family, with sticky-hairy stems and solitary flowers on slender stalks that grows best in full sun on dry, gravelly soils.  Occurring from August to November, its half-inch wide pink blooms consist only of disk (not ray) flowers, and the narrow, linear leaves are covered in fine hairs giving it a gray-green appearance.

Small Palafoxia

Also called Sweetscent, Saltmarsh Fleabane, and Shrubby Camphorweed, Marsh Fleabane is an erect, branching plant to 3 feet tall, with simple toothed leaves, and dense, flat-topped clusters of pink flower heads from July to October.  It is in the Aster Family, and it prefers to grow at the water’s edge or in low drainage areas in moist soil.  It gets several of its common names from the sweet smell of the blooms and leaves, attracting many species of butterflies and bees.  It is also a host plant for several small moths, including the Southern Emerald.

Marsh Fleabane

Southern Emerald

As you walk the local trails, wander through the meadows, and explore the water’s edge during these weeks of cooler weather before the first frost, you just might come across the somewhat surprising pink blush of fall!

Glorious Goldeneye

 

Plateau Goldeneye

From late September to November our roadsides, woodland edges, and meadows are brimming with the profuse yellow blooms of Plateau Goldeneye (Viguiera dentata).  Also called Toothleaf Goldeneye and Sunflower Goldeneye, this native plant is extremely drought tolerant, prefers well drained soils, and grows up to 3 feet in full sun and to 6 feet in partial shade.  It can be found throughout central and west Texas, and into New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico.

Blooms appear at the tips of long, branched stalks

Plateau Goldeneye is a bushy, much-branched plant that tends to grow in colonies.  The yellow daisy-like flowers are numerous, 1.5 inches wide, and appear at the tips of long, slender, leafless stalks.  These composite flowers have a button-like central cluster of fifty or more tiny yellow disk flowers surrounded by 10 to 14 golden yellow ray flowers with notched tips and nearly parallel veins. 

Each ray flower (petal) has a notched tip and somewhat parallel veins

The green leaves of Plateau Goldeneye are triangular with a broad base, tapering to a point, and toothed or serrated along the edges.  They can vary from 1 to 6 inches in length, and can be attached to the stem in either alternately (near the base) or oppositely (toward the tip). As fall approaches, their typical rich green color turns more of a gray-green, and the plant starts to develop flower buds around September.   

Leaves have roughly serrated or toothed edges

Throughout its growing season, Plateau Goldeneye attracts many types of pollinators, especially bees, and is one of the preferred host plants for the Bordered Patch butterfly. In fall and winter, spent flower heads provide good forage for Lesser Goldfinches and other seed-eating birds, as each flower produces numerous achenes, or small, dry single-seeded fruits that do not open to release the seed.  If left to its own devices, Plateau Goldeneye reseeds readily under favorable conditions, but it is easy to manage.

Bordered Patch

Lesser Goldfinch

The Aztec/Nahuatl people called this plant Chimalacate, and in several Mexican states infusions of Plateau Goldeneye are used as an antibacterial treatment for baby rash.  A pharmaceutical study in 2008 confirmed that a compound extracted from this plant does indeed show antifungal properties. Plateau Goldeneye is in the genus Viguiera in the Aster family, and is named in honor of the 19th century French botanist and physician Louis Guillaume Alexandre Viguier.  Regardless of this plant’s history, enjoy the glorious blooms it provides us in the fall, along the roads and trails of central Texas!

Late Summer Skimmers

The quiet waters of a pond like this make great dragonfly habitat

Dragonflies are conspicuous visitors to various bodies of water, especially in the warmer months of the year.    These visitors include members of the largest family of dragonflies, the Libellulidae, otherwise known as the skimmers. Skimmers can be large and colorful, some with distinctive wing patterns, and are often seen perching on twigs and branches.  In late summer, especially after summer rains, some locally common but not often observed species can be found around newly refilled ponds, including the Gray-waisted Skimmer (Cannaphila insularis), Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami), and Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta).  

Found in shady or marshy ponds, typically with tall reeds or cattails, the male Gray-waisted Skimmer has greenish-blue eyes, a white face in front and metallic blue on top, and a dark brown or black thorax divided by several pale stripes.  Its abdomen is pruinose gray on the front half and black on the back half, and its wings are clear with extreme dark only at the tips.  Females and juveniles have a yellow-orange abdomen marked with dark brown or black.  Gray-waisted Skimmers are often found perching in the shade at the tips of vegetation, with their abdomen held nearly parallel to the perch.

Gray-waisted Skimmer, male

The male Needham’s Skimmer has reddish-orange eyes and face, and a thorax than is orange in front and paler or more tannish on the sides. Its abdomen is reddish-orange with a dark dorsal stripe down the length, and its orange wings are somewhat darker along the leading edge.  Females and juveniles have brown eyes and faces, a yellowish-brown thorax, and their abdomens are yellow with a dark stripe running down the middle.  Needham’s Skimmers are typically found perching low on vegetation or overhanging the water’s edge.

Needham's Skimmer, male

Most often seen around marshy forest ponds, the male Slaty Skimmer has dark eyes and a metallic blue or violet face, and both the thorax and abdomen have an overall slaty-blue pruinescence.  The wings are typically clear, but can have a pale bluish stripe along the leading edge.  Females and juveniles have red-over-gray eyes and a pale face, a cream-colored thorax with broad dark shoulder stripes, and a black abdomen with yellowish-orange markings. Females also have more prominent dark wing tips and develop a pale pruinosity at maturity.  Males perch on top of tall grasses and sticks most often in sunlit areas.

Slaty Skimmer, male

Check out your local pond or body of water before the end of September, and you just might be rewarded with a sighting of these less common, late summer skimmers!

Beat the Heat

 

Flame Acanthus is a hot weather bloomer.

The heat of the Texas summer is enough to make everything wilt, but there are some native plant species that truly thrive in these unrelenting temperatures and drought-stricken conditions.  These plants include Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii), Flame Acanthus (Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii), Violet Ruellia (Ruellia nudiflora), and Western Ironweed (Vernonia baldwinii).

Turk’s Cap, also known as Drummond’s Turk’s Cap, Wax Mallow, Mexican Apple, Manzanita, and Sleeping Hibiscus, is a spreading shrub to 4 feet high, with large green leaves on upright stems.  Bright red flowers atop the stems are twisted into a whorl from which protrude red stamens.  These flowers are a natural source of nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies, and it is a host plant for the Turk’s-cap White-Skipper butterfly.  The resulting fruit is red and marble-sized, and edible for animals and humans alike. Turk’s Cap is the perfect plant to grow under trees that tend to shade out non-native turf grasses, as they form a natural cover and provide much needed color from May all the way to November.

Turk's Cap

Turk's Cap fruit

Turk's-cap White-Skipper

An airy, spreading shrub to 5 feet tall, Flame Acanthus has tender lance-shaped green leaves and tubular red flowers that open to 4 lobes and occur along terminal spikes.  Blooming in full sun from June to October, it attracts both hummingbirds and butterflies, and is also known as Hummingbird Bush, Wright’s Acanthus, and Mexican Flame.  It is the host plant for the Crimson Patch, Elada Checkerspot, and Texan Crescent butterflies. The fruit is a small, hood-shaped capsule with seeds attached to a hooked stalk that helps to eject them from the capsule when it dries and splits open.

Flame Acanthus

Flame Acanthus seed capsule

Crimson Patch

Violet Ruellia is an erect herb that is woody at the base with few branches, growing to 2 feet tall.  The dark green leaves are oval-shaped, and the trumpet-shaped violet flowers at the ends of stalks open at sunrise and fall from the plant in early afternoon, from March all the way through October. Also called Wild Petunia, it does well in sunny areas and is a host plant for the Common Buckeye butterfly.  One of its’ subspecies is a host plant for the Malachite butterfly, a south Texas species rarely seen in central Texas.

Violet Ruellia

Common Buckeye

Often stout and forming colonies 5 feet high, Western Ironweed has hairy unbranched stems, large green leaves with serrated edges, and loose clusters of bright purple blooms at the apex of each stem.  From July to the first frost, these fuzzy blooms provide nectar for various types of pollinating insects and the seeds nourish several species of birds.  Also called Baldwin’s Ironweed, it is the host plant for the Parthenice Tiger Moth.  While this species’ growth can be aggressive, it flourishes if allowed to spread in larger, open, sunny areas.

Western Ironweed

These native species can (and often should) be pruned back in winter as they can get too leggy.  They have low water needs once established, and can tolerate hot temperatures and still continue to bloom.  They are the perfect plants to beat the heat, benefit our local wildlife, and provide much needed color in your own native summer garden!

Summertime Skimmers

The female Comanche Skimmer looks very different from the male (pictured below).

The heat of the summer is often a good time to search for dragonflies, specifically the skimmers, which comprise the largest family of dragonflies.  They are generally the most obvious, too, as they are frequently seen around ponds lakes, and streams, and perch conspicuously on twigs, bushes, and branches. 

Skimmers are often large and colorful with distinctive wing patterns, and many species of skimmers are sexually dimorphic, meaning the males and females of the same species are different in appearance.  Males frequently develop pruinescence or exhibit a frosty or dusty-looking coating when mature, while most females have little to no pruinescence at maturity.  In our area, some of the less common species include the Gray-waisted Skimmer (Cannaphila insularis), Checkered Setwing (Dythemis fugax), Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami), and Comanche Skimmer (Libellula comanche).

The male Gray-waisted Skimmer has greenish-blue eyes, a face that is white in front and metallic blue on top, and a dark thorax divided by several pale stripes.  The wings are clear except for dark extreme tips, and the abdomen is black on the back half and pruinose gray or white on the front half, which gives rise to its common name.  Females and juveniles have reddish-brown over blue-gray eyes, and the abdomen is yellow or orange with brown or black in between segments.  These skimmers prefer shady, marshy ponds, lakes, and streams, particularly those with cattails or tall reeds, and are on the wing from June to September.

Gray-waisted Skimmer, male

From mid-April to mid-December, you can find Checkered Setwings, as they are widely distributed and sometimes locally abundant.  The male has bright red eyes and face, a reddish-brown thorax with obscured dark stripes, and clear wings except for a large patch of brown coloring near the base.  The abdomen is black with two pairs of pale streaks at the base of each segment, giving it a checkered black-and-white appearance. Females and juveniles are similar, but often have a paler face and a pale thorax with narrow dark stripes.  These setwings favor slow-flowing streams and rivers, ponds, and generally open areas with tall vegetation but little canopy.

Checkered Setwing, female

Male Needham’s Skimmers have reddish-orange eyes and face, thorax orange in front and paler on sides, and wings that have orange veins along the leading edge and clear along the trailing edge, giving them a somewhat bicolored appearance.  The abdomen is reddish-orange with a dark dorsal stripe down its length.  Females and juveniles have brown eyes and a pale face, yellowish thorax, and abdomen yellow throughout with the same dark dorsal stripe as the male.  On the wing from late April to early October, this skimmer prefers marshy ponds and lakes, and is often found perching low on vegetation surrounding or overhanging the water.

Needham's Skimmer, male

Comanche Skimmers can be found on the wing from May to mid-October, around springs, seeps, and sluggish areas of clear-running streams.  The male has aqua-blue eyes, a white face, and both thorax and abdomen with a uniformly blue pruinescence.  The wings are clear but for a bi-colored black and white pterostigma, a group of specialized cells in the leading edge of the wing towards the wing tip.  Females and juveniles have reddish-brown to pale blue eyes and a pale face, a cream-colored thorax with broad dark shoulder stripes, and a mostly yellow abdomen with a broad dark dorsal stripe running down the length.

Comanche Skimmer, male

Brave the heat during these hot months of the year and take a walk around a pond, stroll along a stream, or be on the lookout when on the lake, because you just might see one of these interesting summertime skimmers!

Undervalued Vines

  The uncommon Plateau Milkvine is often mistaken
for the more common Pearl Milkvine (above).

Every species of native plant has its purpose, and while many are valued by humans for their fragrant flowers and foliage, those that are valued for their role in keeping the earth’s nutrient cycles intact should be regarded as having the highest value.  Those nutrient cycles need to be protected through plant preservation or restoration, as they are what provides nourishment for the lifecycles of our native wildlife and protects the health of our ecosystems.

Even among those folks who are familiar with many native plants that perform this role, there are some little-known species that are often overlooked and under appreciated.  In Central Texas, there are a few species of vines in the Milkweed family that many fail to notice, including Star Milkvine (Matelea biflora), Plateau Milkvine (Matelea edwardsensis), and Bearded Swallow-wort (Cynanchum barbigerum).  

Star Milkvine, also called Purple Milkweed Vine, is a relatively common vine that grows in pastures, prairies, and other open ground, usually in chalky soil throughout Central and North Texas.  This small, trailing vine to 2 feet has five-petaled, star-shaped, deep purplish-brown flowers that are 0.5 inches wide.  Blooming from March to June, the flowers occur in pairs along the trailing stems that radiate from a central rootstock, and arise from the axils of the opposite, triangular leaves.  The flowers, leaves, and stems are all quite hairy, as is true of many members of the Milkweed family.  Its habit is to grow low among grasses, often in areas that are mowed, so it is frequently passed over by humans, but is a useful host plant for Queen and Soldier butterflies and a nectar plant for several species of bees.

Star Milkvine has low-growing stems that radiate out
from a central rootstock.

The unusual flowers of Star Milkvine occur in pairs.

Soldier

Sometimes mistaken for the more common Pearl Milkvine, Plateau Milkvine is a vine to 3 feet that is endemic only to the Edwards Plateau of Central Texas.  This uncommon vine shares the same twining habit of Pearl Milkvine, but its leaves, while similar, generally have a somewhat wavy edge, and its flowers are bell-shaped instead of flat. Additionally, its 0.7 inch wide greenish-white flowers do not have a pearl center, and its petals are not solely reticulate-patterned, having parallel veins in their lower halves and centers, and reticulate or networked veins only on the edges or margins.  Blooming in April and May, this vine can be found on gravelly soils in open woodlands, often climbing on other plants, and is a native host plant for Queen butterflies.  Due to indiscriminate land clearing, this plant is listed as ‘vulnerable’ in terms of its conservation status in Texas.

Plateau Milkvine is a rare cousin to Pearl Milkvine.

The flowers of Plateau Milkvine distinguish it
from Pearl Milkvine.

Queen

Growing up to 8 feet long, Bearded Swallow-wort, also called Thicket Threadvine and Aphid Vine, is a delicate vine that climbs on shrubs and small trees in open woodlands, in thickets, and along roadsides and fencerows in the Edwards Plateau and South Texas. It has small glossy lance-shaped, opposite leaves to 2 inches long, and from March to August, tiny creamy-white flowers appear in loose clusters from the leaf axils.  These flowers are 0.25 inches wide, bell-shaped, and have five distinctively hairy or ‘bearded’ recurved petals.  Five similar species in this genus are present in Texas, but this is the only one with ‘bearded’ flower petals.  Aphids are often found on this plant, giving rise to one of its other common names, and it is the host plant for the Obscure Sphinx Moth (Erinnyis obscura).

Bearded Swallow-wort is a rather delicate climbing vine.

The fringed or 'bearded' flowers
of Bearded Swallow-wort.

Obscure Sphinx

Whether it is due to their scarcity or diminutive stature, it is easy to miss these vines.  While they might be undervalued by humans, they are quite valuable to our native wildlife!

Introduced Invaders

 

Closeup of a Bastard Cabbage bloom

Spring brings new growth to all types of plants, including those species known as non-native invasives.  Non-native plants, also called exotics, are defined as plants ‘growing in a place that is not the region where they naturally grow’, and invasive plants are defined as plants that are ‘both non-native and able to establish on many sites by growing quickly and spreading to the point of disrupting native a plant community or ecosystem’.  

While plants that are non-native or invasive can be problematic, when a plant is both non-native and invasive, it can quickly outcompete native plants.  These invaders can produce copious amounts of seed easily transmitted by wind, water, or birds, thrive on poor or disturbed soils through aggressive root systems, have an early growth season or produce growth-inhibiting chemicals, and ultimately disrupt natural nutrient cycles of wildlife.  

In Central Texas, the species that cause the most harm to the local environment include Ligustrum (Ligustrum sp.), Nandina (Nadina domestica), Chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Chinese Tallow (Triadica sebifera), Bastard Cabbage (Rapistrum rugosum), and Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica).  Most of these species have been introduced to the United States via the nursery trade as ornamentals, and unfortunately many are still sold today.

Ligustrum or Glossy Privet

Ligustrum or Glossy Privet, native to China, Japan, and Korea, is an invader of roadsides, thickets, open woodlands, and disturbed areas.  This evergreen tree to 40 feet has simple green, glossy pointed leaves.  It is widely cultivated and frequently escapes to invade and dominate the woodland understory, as its abundant purple-blue fruits are easily spread by birds and other animals.

Nandina or Heavenly Bamboo

Nandina or Heavenly Bamboo, native to China and Japan, is an invader of landscapes, roadsides, and other cultivated areas.  This erect, multi-stemmed shrub to 8 feet has compound green leaves to 12 inches long that are tinged with red in winter.  It spreads by escaping cultivation through underground root sprouts and animal-dispersed seeds, and quickly forms a colony.  Additionally, its shiny red fruits are toxic to small children, pets, and some grazing animals.

Chinaberry

Chinaberry, native to parts of Asia, is an invader of roadsides, thickets, open woodlands, and disturbed areas.  This deciduous tree grows up to 50 feet and has compound green leaves to 24 inches long.  Lavender blooms distinguish it from the similar but native Western Soapberry (Sapindus drummondii), which has white blooms.  It spreads on site via fast-growing root sprouts and over longer distances via bird-dispersed seeds from its golden-yellow fruits.

Chinese Tallow

Chinese Tallow, native to China and Japan, is an invader of cultivated landscapes and other moist areas.  A deciduous tree that grows to 60 feet, it has diamond-shaped leaves with elongated tips that turn orange-red in fall.  It reaches reproductive age in as little as three years, producing prolific amounts of seed that is readily transported by birds and water.  It is difficult to eradicate once established, and can effectively transform a native habitat into a monoculture.

Bastard Cabbage

Bastard Cabbage, also called Common Giant Mustard and Turnipweed, and native to southern Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, is an invader of meadows, fields, roadsides, and other disturbed areas.  This many-branched herb grows to 5 feet, with clustered of small lemon-colored flowers at the tips of branches.  Its seeds germinate early in spring, quickly covering the ground with a dense blanket of leafy rosettes that block sunlight from reaching seedlings of native plants.  It reseeds rapidly and forms large monocultures.

Japanese Honeysuckle

Japanese Honeysuckle, native to Japan, is an invader of thickets on disturbed floodplains, creeks, and river banks.  This climbing, sprawling vine grows to 80 feet, with simple oval leaves and tubular white flowers that turn butter-yellow as they age.  Choking out other species by girdling or by blocking out sunlight through overgrowth, its plentiful seeds are easily dispersed by birds and other wildlife.  It is not to be confused with the native, much less aggressive White Bush Honeysuckle (L. albiflora). 

Replacing these non-native invasive plants with native plants help restore natural habitat, preserve and produce much-needed soil, protect fragile waterways from erosion, and as a result, keep vital nutrient cycles intact for all forms of wildlife.  Natives are already adapted to our soils and climate so they require little to get established, are naturally hardy and disease-free, and they provide food, shelter, and places to raise young for local insects (especially pollinators), birds, and other wildlife.  Natives are also a beautiful reminder of the unique natural heritage of Texas, so please consider to replacing your non-native invasive plants with natives today.  Once established, you’ll be amazed at how they bring your landscape to life!

INVADER                                NATIVE REPLACEMENT(S) - some ideas...

Ligustrum species                    Escarpment Black Cherry, Mexican Plum

Nandina                                    Yaupon, Possumhaw, Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum, Sumacs

Chinaberry                                Western Soapberry, Oaks, Redbud, Mexican Buckeye

Chinese Tallow                          American Sycamore, Black Willow, Texas Ash

Bastard Cabbage                      Mistflowers, Salvias, Sages

Japanese Honeysuckle            White Bush Honeysuckle, Coral Honeysuckle