pfau_tarleton's Journal

Observations made

Identification portal

Horned lizards are obscured, so here are our horned lizard observations.

If you're reading this, you're invited!

Formerly, this post was for Lake Palo Duro, but due to extreme dought conditions there we've relocated the event for this weekend to 3 Rivers Ranch.

👉 3 Rivers Ranch website

👉 iNaturalist Project

👉 Property boundary map (green polygon is "public area", but we have access to areas outside this--I've indicated some areas of interest outside the public area with yellow pins. These are walk-in only. If parking along paved road, park well off pavement to avoid semi-truck traffic.)
Green pins indicate mothing locations Friday and Saturday nights.

👉 Facilities map (higher resolution version of facilities map)

A variety of overnight lodging is available. Car/tent camping and a coed bunkhouse is no cost. Other housing options are available, but you'll need to cover the cost of those. See their website for more information about those options.

Covered pavilions are available along with an air-conditioned classroom/kitchen facility.

Lynn (@rlseman) is Master Naturalist with the Rolling Plains Chapter and will be our "guide" (point of contact for information) as she knows the property well. Cady the property manager will be on site until 4 pm Friday. There will be a single liability waiver that everyone needs to sign (I assume it will be kept in the classroom/dining hall).

🐍 Rattlesnakes and 🐗hogs are abundant, so take great precaution everywhere you go.

Let's try to keep arrival/departure times between noonish Friday and 1 pm Sunday.

👉👉👉 Please sign up here:

I'd like to do mothing Friday near the cabins and Saturday at the far-south pavilion area (we can drive down there). I've placed green pins at those locations on the property boundary map (above).

Leave a comment and sign up (link above) if you're interested in attending, and tag folks in the comments that you'd like to invite.

@amzapp, @andrew498, @anewman, @annikaml, @ashliepoland, @bacchusrock, @baxter-slye, @beschwar, @bosqueaaron, @brentano, @butterflies4fun, @calinsdad, @cameralenswrangler, @castlegrande, @centratex, @chandlerdavis, @chasingchickens, @currenfrasch, @connlindajo, @cynodon, @dhalter, @dillon_kyle, @eaneubauer, @elliottbucknall100, @elytrid, @ejburns, @franpfer, @gcwarbler, @gwaithir, @hannah_pepper, @hillisdm, @ldennis, @immortalwhat, @inhat83, @isaaceastland, @jcochran706, @jeff_back, @jeffmci9, @jellyfishmambo, @jgw_atx, @jnemoebright, @jocobirder, @joshua_tx, @jotol, @jpwb2023, @k8thegr8, @knightericm, @kimberlietx, @kucycads, @lorimalloy, @lovebirder, @lulubelle, @mammelton50, @megachile, @mpintar, @mikaelb, @mikef451, @nathantaylor, @obrienweb, @oddfitz, @observerjosh, @paige186-gwmn, @paloduro, @pufferchung, @pynklynx, @prairie_rambler, @rkostecke, @reidhardin, @rkostecke, @rlseman, @rorieo, @rymcdaniel, @sagaciousoctopus, @sambiology, @sam_dragon-moore, @sandrahorton, @sonoresmore, @starrgirl, @summervillenature, @tadamcochran, @tayne909, @texasnaturetrackers, @wendelia
@brandonwoo, @willingarden, @jstuntz, @jhamby, @jotol

UPDATE
Here's the link to observations made during the event:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2026-05-08&d2=2026-05-10&project_id=birdwell-clark-ranch&verifiable=any

And here's a link to the identification modal (showing only those that are not Research Grade, which can be changed in the filters):
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?d1=2026-05-08&d2=2026-05-10&project_id=birdwell-clark-ranch&verifiable=any

I'll give folks a couple of weeks to get observations uploaded, and a couple of more weeks to get identifications. Then I'll write up a report for the property owners.

Dedicated iNaturalist observers eager to document as many species as you can are welcome to join us at the Birdwell and Clark Ranch, a 14,200-acre property of tall grass prairie, river bottoms and brushy draws located in north central Texas in Clay County on the Little Wichita River east of Henrietta (video here). The ranch is a conservation easement with the Texas Agricultural Land Trust. TALT promotes the conservation of open space, native wildlife habitats, and natural resources of Texas’ private working lands.

UPDATE: we'll have an empty house available for us to gather--this will be our headquarters. It has a restroom, three bedrooms, kitchen, porch, etc. It's centrally located and indicated with a blue pin on the property map.

Tent and car-camping, but there is a house with bedrooms if needed (i.e. poor weather).

Ranch road conditions. The main ranch road is gravel, but washed in places. It's not muddy, but it's bumpy. For secondary (non-gravel) roads, please avoid using them unless they are obviously well-used. Don't take the path less taken.

• Property boundary map.
• Google map here.
• Street-view of ranch entrance (off US-82).

Sign-up sheet:
https://drive.proton.me/urls/CWN1W6KRHG#e0l71HHiE0qS

Tag folks that you'd like to invite.

If anyone is hosting (or knows of) Texas events for 2026, please let me know and I'll compile them here.

This Google map documents past, planned, and potential bioblitz locations (organized by either Sam or myself).

Date(s) to avoid:

• Apr 24-27: City Nature Challenge
• Oct: Texas Master Naturalist conference

Scheduled events:

• May 8-10: Birdwell and Clark Ranch on the Little Wichita River east of Henrietta, TX (video here)
• May 29-June 1: Palo Duro Lake - do not confuse this with Palo Duro Canyon!

DFW events

Potential events in the queue (or planning stages):

• TBD: Roger Fawcett WMA (off I-20 west of Fort Worth)

I'll post an individual journal post for each event as the date approaches.

Here's the scenario: you posted an observation, identified it, and then someone comes along and gives a disagreeing ID. There's a good chance your original ID was incorrect. But possible that the disagreeing ID was incorrect. Those observations slip under the radar easily, and it's been difficult to find and revisit them. Until now!

You can now filter observations with a disagreeing ID.
https://www.inaturalist.org/blog/112991

Here's a link with all the options you need to show these observations--just change the user ID at the end of the URL:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?reviewed=true&quality_grade=casual%2Cresearch%2Cneeds_id&disagreements=true&user_id=pfau_tarleton

ID guides and curation resources

Insects

• Bombus (only the "easy" species) in southern half of U.S. [ID guide | ID modal]
• Apiomerus assassin bugs in the U.S. [species | ID modal]
• Stenopodinae assassin bugs in U.S and Canada [ID modal]
• Zelus assassin bugs in the U.S. and Canada [ID guide | species | ID modal (U.S. and Canada)]
• Perillus stink bugs in the U.S. [species | ID modal]
• Alydidae (broad-headed bugs) [Notes on Alydus ID | ID modal (U.S. and Canada)]
• Cactus bugs (Chelinidea) [ID notes]
• Mantidflies in the U.S. [species | ID modal (U.S. and Canada)]
• Moths of the genus Microtheoris [ID guide | species | distinguishing characters | ID modal]

Plants

• Arabidea species in TX [ID guide | species | ID modal]
• Agalinis (false foxglove) species in TX [ID guide | species | ID modal]
• Anemones (the wildflowers) in TX, OK [ID guide | Pollination ecology | ID modal (TX, OK, KS, NM]
• Krigia (small yellow dandelion-like flowers) [ID guide]
• Penstemon guadalupensis and albidus vs. cobaea [ID guide]
• White rain lilies in TX [ID guide | ID modal]

Mammals

• Geomys (gophers) in North America [ID information | species]

Misc.

• ID modal for things identified only as Arachnids (can edit filter to display observations identified to a different range of taxonomic ranks--first rank box is the highest rank, second rank box is lowest rank). I have it sorted to show oldest posts first.
• And, of course, one can change the focal taxa and location (e.g. things only identified as beetles in TX). I have it sorted to show oldest posts first.

My projects and stuff

• My Tiny Beetle Club (<= 3 mm)
• Anemone "pilosa"
• Carolina anemones of DFW
• Potential pollinators of Anemone
• Water beetles of the U.S. (change location to whatever you wish). These include the following groups: Hydrophilidae, Dytiscoidea, Haliplidae, Gyrinidae, Scirtidae, Noteridae, Amphizoidae, Hydroscaphidae, Lutrochidae, Dryopidae, Elmidae, Heteroceridae, Limnichidae, Psephenidae, Sphaeriusidae.
• Multiple observations of same individuals: life cycles
• Observation set of undescribed Epiblema BG 1886487 [completed looking through 2020 observations]

Really interesting things

• Display gall species in your area (via North American Galls project)
• ARThropod project - Unintentional art made by arthropods and photographed by humans

Timberlake bioblitz events

• May 9-11, 2025
• October 21-23, 2023
• June 23-25, 2023
• April 8-10, 2022
• Oct 16-17, 2021
• June 11-13, 2021
• Oct 4-6, 2019
• May 17-20, 2019

ID guides created by other folks

• Excellent collection of identification guides by @lisa281
• Notes on Texas Petrophila [Moth] Identification
• Artificial Key to Cisthene Moths of Texas
• Common North American Noctuid Moth Identification
• How to photograph mushrooms for ID
• Texas Woolly Oak Galls
• Key to Rubus spp of Texas (Dewberries, blackberries, and brambles)
• Key to the Mallophora of the United States
• Fly Guide
• kimberlietx's collection of skunk-like moths
• Broomweeds - @rymcdaniel's guide to differentiation of Gutierrezia texana and Amphiachyris in North Central Texas
• Woolly oak galls of Texas
• How to photograph crawfish for identification

iNat Tips & Tricks

It's recommended not to agree to an ID just because someone else gave that ID--only ID things based on your OWN knowledge and research. Let two knowledgeable folks take it to research grade.

iNaturalist Explorer

• A website to perform search queries that aren’t available in the current iNaturalist Explore and Identify pages
• See forum post here where it was introduced.

Browser extensions

• Add Score Image and Crop buttons, plus expose CV scores as percentages and individual CV for each image

View specific life stages of a taxon or observations with sounds

• Larvae: Go to the observations of the species of interest and paste this code at the end of the URL: &term_id=1&term_value_id=6. Monarchs for example: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=true&taxon_id=48662&term_id=1&term_value_id=6
• Nymph: &term_id=1&term_value_id=5
• Pupae: &term_id=1&term_value_id=4
• Eggs: &term_id=1&term_value_id=7
• Sounds: &sounds

Adding annotations

• Filter observations (in the Identify modal) which don't have annotations (change taxa and place as desired). Click the Annotations tab and use drop downs or keyboard shortcuts (keyboard icon in lower left) for adding annotations .
• For flowers, chose "no evidence of flowering" if not flowering in order to remove it from future filtering as an observation needing annotation.

Misc.

• View life list Click icons next to names to view observations
• A neat way to view observation updates by @pisum
• How to work with Places of Interest
• Accurate geotagging when on an observing trek
• Link multiple observations of same individual over time
• Adding photos to a journal entry
• View comments.
• Search comments (enter search term in URL).
• Search comments that tag me. Enter your own username in the URL. Note, this does not find tags in identifications, just those in stand-alone comments (bummer).
• View your ID stats (separate parameters with &)
• View your own observations in "Identify mode". Enter your own user ID number or go to Identify mode directly and filter by Your Observations. The main trick here is that you also have to select the "Reviewed" check box, because most of your own observations will have been "reviewed" by you already.
• Limit "Identify" to a bounding box or circle. First, go to Observations map view and use the tools to draw a rectangular or circular boundary. Then, modify the URL by adding "/identify" between "observations" and the question mark, like such: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?lat=37.02724743953357... https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?lat=37.02724743953357...
• In "Identify" mode, you can sort by "random" or "date added/ascending" (filter) and it will mix up new and old observations or show older posts first (good for snagging some older ones that tend to slip by otherwise).
• Display observations of taxa for which you've added an ID (you can change taxa using the species box). This is useful when you know you've identified something before but forgot the name.
• Are you a maverick? Insert your own user ID in the URL.
• Check your observations marked as casual. Insert your own user ID in the URL.
• How to use iNaturalist's search URL's
• URL filter to see what species you haven't documented yourself (replace your user_id in the URL, and change taxa and place to suit your needs)
• Find your longest iNaturalist observation streak
• Something that few people will ever need to do, but here's the URL to download a species' taxon range map. However, it's a slightly simplified version of the KML file iNat has stored. https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/0000/range.kml [change 0000 to the species ID number]
• List species counts for a taxa within a region (modify URL to fit needs)
• Query to list species sorted with least observed first for a particular place and taxa. This particular query is set for Timberlake Biological Field Station and State of Matter Life. Click the number of times observed link to access the observation(s). One can find the ID number of a place by adding .json to end of URL of a place (like this). Thanks @pisum for this and other tools.

Observation fields I use

• First at Timberlake - First-time observations of a species at Timberlake Biological Field Station
• Florida mantidfly
• Similar observation set: Undescribed Epiblema BG 1886487
• Similar observation set: Hogna 'incognita'
• Similar observation set: Big-eyed Hogna
• Tiny beetle club (<= 3 mm long)
• Striped Gelechioidea: undescribed species
• Anemone pollinators
• All of my observations to which I've added an observation field value.
• Bom pen yellow scutellum

There is a region of Texas where Penstemon identification is difficult (west-central TX). Observations in this area of critical features will be important to help clarify the morphological variation within and between species. An undescribed species is possible, or hybrids. We just don't know yet.

Here's a previous journal post focusing on two species and a link to photos/descriptions of key details that need to be documented (along with a map):
https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/pfau_tarleton/77925-penstemon-guadalupensis-and-p-albidus

Please share and tag if you know of folks in or traveling to west-central TX.

Independence Creek observations are here:

• Observations from the bioblitz will autopopulation into the Independence Creek Fall 2025 Project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/independence-creek-preserve-fall-2025-bioblitz
• Observations: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?project_id=independence-creek-preserve-fall-2025-bioblitz&verifiable=any&place_id=any
• Identification modal (filtering out Research Grade): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?project_id=independence-creek-preserve-fall-2025-bioblitz

Some notable observations:

• First record on iNat of this bug: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/322334318
• New record of dwarf crownbeard for the area: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/322469205
• Undescribed species of moth: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/323227967
• A very narrow endemic plant: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/322473317
• Second record on iNat of this rove beetle : https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/322522903
• Some of us saw bear scat: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2025-10-17&d2=2025-10-20&lat=30.462874928585208&lng=-101.77553754494787&radius=27.9634457079759&taxon_id=41636&verifiable=any
• Threatened taxa that we documented: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2025-10-17&d2=2025-10-20&lat=30.407224256097813&lng=-101.76867108986974&radius=27.9634457079759&threatened&verifiable=any

Diamond Y observations are here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2025-10-17&d2=2025-10-20&lat=31.004670947231546&lng=-102.92165899305644&radius=1.0192765721862747

Map showing locations of these two properties here

• Independence Creek Preserve website [Map of property] [iNat Project] [iNat Observations page]
• Diamond Y Preserve website (optional day trip--no facilities--gate code to be provided at IC bunkhouse) [iNat Observations page]

🚫 Aquatic sampling not permitted.

All roads shown on the map are driveable currently, though the minor roads may require high clearance.

The Bunkhouse at Independence Creek has 5 bedrooms, 2 full baths, and a full kitchen. There are 16 beds in all the rooms. Some are bunk beds and there is 1 queen and 1 full. The living room has a large couch and futon where some folks could sleep. One bedroom is empty and some folks could throw air mattresses down if they wanted. The smaller bathroom has a shower, sink, and toilet as well as a washer and dryer. The larger bathroom has a shower/bathtub, two sinks, and a toilet. The kitchen is fully functional with all necessary cooking utensils.

There is also ample room outside if someone wanted to pitch a tent.

In terms of rules, there can be no collecting or sampling of any natural or cultural resources without a scientific research permit from TNC. If y’all are just doing photo vouchers for iNat, then no permit is required.

• Undescribed species of bug: There's a potentially undescribed species of bug that I encourage folks to look for and collect (I'll provide containers). Sam found this one beneath a rock, so let's look under rocks (I have a permit for collecting these).
• Dark spiders like this one.

If anyone is hosting (or know of) events for 2025, please let me know and I'll compile them here.

This Google map documents past, planned, and potential bioblitz locations.

Date(s) to avoid:

Apr 25-28: City Nature Challenge
Oct 16-19: Texas Master Naturalist conference

Scheduled events:
March 21-23: Bamberger Ranch (hosted by Texas Nature Trackers; participation limited)
April 18: blacklighting at Lloist Clifton Quarry, Clifton (reach out to @bosqueaaron)
May 9-11: Timberlake Biological Field Station iNat Gathering/Bioblitz
May 16-19: Bioblitz and river cleanup at Little L Ranch, Glen Rose (Hosted by Rio Brazos Chapter of Master Naturalists)
July 18: blacklighting at Lloist Clifton Quarry, Clifton (reach out to @bosqueaaron)
August 15: blacklighting at Lloist Clifton Quarry, Clifton (reach out to @bosqueaaron)
Sept 19-22: Independence Creek and Diamond Y (Nature Conservancy properties; bunkhouse available)

Potential events in the queue (or planning stages):

TBD: Roger Fawcett WMA (off I-20 west of Fort Worth)
TBD: Large ranch on Little Wichita River east of Henrietta, TX

Events in DFW area:

https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/sambiology/104260-inaturalist-gatherings-2025

For the 2025 season, February 6th was when the first person documented on iNat Anemone berlandier in bloom in Texas. Last year by this date, there were over 200 observations of this species in bloom in Texas. State-wide winter drought to blame? Fewer people observing this year?

The award this year goes to @ronstephens:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/260840257

Gophers are burrowing mammals that push up mounds of soil as they excavate. The current status of Baird's pocket gopher in the Gulf Coastal Plain of southeastern Texas (including the greater Houston area) is unclear. According to the Mammals of Texas, "Baird's pocket gopher has declined dramatically in the coastal prairies around the western edge of Galveston Bay. Land clearing and land subsidence have removed many of the low mounds characteristic of the coastal prairie at the turn of the century, and this gopher no longer occurs around Clear Creek and toward Houston."

However, there have been iNaturalist sightings of this species in the Houston area.

It would be a valuable contribution toward our understanding of this species if observers in the greater Houston area (including coastal counties from the Brazos river east) would keep an eye out for gopher mounds and document them.

One place I know they occur is adjacent to FM 2004 on the east side of Chocolate Bayou, near the INEOS plant (map). In the 1930's, gophers were documented on the north side of Texas City and just north of the Houston Space Center and along Clear Creek near League City--but they haven't been reported there since. They also should occur near Winnie and have been reported south of Anahuac (east of Trinity Bay).

Mole hills are often confused for gopher mounds, and I have some tips for distinguishing them. But observations of both are valuable. Post the pics regardless and we can identify them. If there are multiple mounds in a group, be sure to photograph the group as well as individual mounds. This helps confirm the ID.

If you know observers who might be interested in participating, please tag them here!