In fire pit area underneath a pallet
Very tiny little white balls. A spikey spore and interesting hyphae in the microphotographes. Thank you, Kimmie Paxton!
Spotted by Charles Paxton, growing next to other unidentified fungi In the fire pit, underneath wet cardboard. This also has yellow rhizomorphs. Smells mushroomy. FB covered in black dots.
Photo 7: x40 appears to be one of the black dots split open with cystidia (?)
Photo 8: x100 zoomed in view of Photo 7
Photo 9: x40 long structure with spores
Photo 10, 11 & 12: x40 long structure and another black dot
Photo 13: cystidia-like hyphae (?)
Photo 14: a clump of something (?)
Photo 15: spores
(all micro photos in KOH)
Needs further clarification...
With the slime mold Metatrichia vesparia
Under Southern red oak
Growing on decaying pine log in mixed forest. @loganwiedenfeld
on decaying log with dung
Swimming underwater in a small pool of water
Breached at least 8 times over the course of a few minutes
Most likely a waif.
in the absence of a trunk or stone to lean on, a capybara may be an option;
I have observed these two individuals do this twice;
see also
https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/nelson_wisnik/21258-the-friendly-capybara
Before presenting to the East Texas Master Naturalists about Teaming with Wildlife, I went and explored along this right of way north of Lindale. Saw some pretty neat plants! :)
Found by Charles Paxton in Lincoln Parish Park, Ruston, LA. Growing on decayed deciduous log near a creek in mixed deciduous/pine forest. Photo 5 showing bacciliform spores in Melzer's; photo 6 & 7 microscopic features including ascus.
Growing in soil under southern red oak on NE side. Stipes buried in leaf litter/straw. They came out of the ground easily, and didn't seem to be attached to the fragmented pieces of what appears to be truffles in the soil below them.
identified by mycologists at the GSMS winter foray
3 very flighty creatures; a bit squawky. they gathered on this tree, squawked a bit, flew to another tree, then away.
Tetracha virginica--a crepuscular/nocturnal tiger beetle. I've found dead specimens a couple of times, but got lucky the other day and found a live one. I was out walking the companion animal and this thing ran across the road, a Bluebird in hot pursuit. The Bluebird pecked at it, I think, then retreated. I grabbed it and got a stinky quinone-stained hand for my troubles. The thing would just not slow down for a photo--chilling just made it stagger in a drunken fashion, and then it raced around in its enclosure without stopping for half an hour. I gave it a fly larva from the compost to eat, but that made it pause briefly for a kill and then groom its mandibles in obvious distaste. Finally, I was about to release it, and jarred the container--it froze for a minute or so. From then on, I could make it freeze for a bit by tapping the container sharply. Unlike Cicindela tiger beetles, it showed no inclination to fly, and one reference I have seen says Tetracha fly infrequently, or are near flightless. Length about 19 mm.
Members of this New World genus were long placed in Megacephala, and that is the listing in the Encyclopedia of Life Database. (They had been described as a New World genus Tetracha in the 19th century, then put into the Old World genus Megacephala, but recently split back out. Three papers--one genus of beetles!)
This is a male--note super-huge jaws, and prominent pads on front tarsi.
Social distancing please~!!!
Not much left on Monday, but have seen some excellent photos from Sunday.
A dead squid with a slash injury at its neck. Didn't measure but the body was about 2metres without the tentacles.
Necropsy of giant squid found on a beach in Asturias (Northern Spain).
Architeuthis dux
Collected by: Tony Roach
https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_naturalsciences-object-870569
Locals claimed it before any measurements could be taken. Photo captured by Gerrie Heyns
With Heidi Eaton (so some duplication in observations).
Pretty cool oviposition behavior.
Tandem pair of Anax junius attempt to escape interaction with Trachemys scripta elegans
If you look closely it is possible to see the turtle has the just near or above the tarsus of the right hindleg in its mouth. The darners ended up escaping.
increíble espectáculo de la llegada masiva de la "mariposa blanca" a El Ejido El Águila, Cacahoatán, en la zona de influencia de la Reserva de la Biosfera Volcán Tacana
This was taking on the walk way between the two bodies of water in Restoration Park.