The LLELA Excursion
A few days ago I was invited by @sambiology to go to out to the LLELA out in Lewisville to help look for a very interesting Damselfly that was not like anything we have ever seen before. I went out there on Saturday along with @briang @brentano @mchlfx and several others to look for this illusive Damsel. I arrived at 10:10 and when I arrived I didn't find my crew so my aunt and I decided to head down to one of the trails to see if we couldn't find my team. Along the way I couldn't help but noticed the huge swarms of grasshoppers that were around the area. Every time they would hop they would look like little Sulfur Butterflies due to the way their wings looked when they hit the sun light. I also encountered a Punctured Tiger Beetle which was digging in the sand looking for something to snack on. It was a very nice morning but it was soon going to be very hot but I didn't mind. We walked by the river and caught sight of a Bald Eagle flying around the river. It was pretty cool to see one up close. The closest I have been to a Bald Eagle was at the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center back in 2015; they have that nesting pair down there. Anyway still not catching sight of my team we decided to turn back and then we ran into Michael Fox and he asked if I was the man they were looking for and I said yes and he explained what was going on. As it turned out a few of the team were running late but I didn't mind. I got to see that Bald Eagle which is a bird I hardly ever get to see. Back in the 90s and early early early 2000s Bald Eagles were very hard to come by. Now they are almost everywhere around the rivers and lakes. Anyway Michael gave me a life to the welcome center and he introduced me to the rest of the staff and then we headed down the path. We didn't go on the trail head we cut into the pass a little bit but met the rest of the team later on. There was a lot of stuff out there Saturday. There were tons of dragonflies and a few Damselflies, several butterflies, and several other interesting insects. Along the way Michael and I talked about different things and watched for dragonflies and I must say I enjoyed talking with him. He is very knowledgeably. With these kinds of meet ups that involve iNatters; you tend to learn a lot from them. I remember Michael saying you cant' learn half of the stuff that you learn from iNaturalist users in school. I have to say that is very true. We headed down into an area near a clearing and we saw the biggest Shelf Fungus I had ever seen. It was really awesome. About the time we made it up there Sam and the others made it to our locations and met up with us. We showed Sam and the others the Shelf Fungus and it took them by surprise. It was like the scene in the first Jurassic Park where Ellie and Allen were looking at the Brachiosaurus in the first few minutes into the first move. Not the same but our reactions to that shelf fungus were very close to that which was funny. The look on Sam's face was priceless. It was a great day at the LLELA we found I don't know how many things that I had not seen on my life list before. This week in general I have made my species total 684. My total in observations from this trip and Sunday's mini excursion with my mother is now 1558. This has been the best iNaturalist year I have had yet. It sure has indeed been one of the busiest years I have had. The LLELA is such a beautiful place; it is so beautiful I could spend a lifetime there. It is my kind of place. I didn't know we had a marsh up there that far up. It is truly a hidden gem if I have ever seen one. Out of all the parks I have been to in my lifetime the LLELA is one of the very best. It has a little bit of everything much like the Fort Worth Nature Center. It really took my breath away for a time. After we looked around the forest it was time to take a trip down the Bittern Trail. That was an experience. It was nice and sunny and spending time near the river was just what the doctor ordered. It was so blue and sparkling and teaming with life. At one sunny patch we saw that there were a whole bunch of American Rubyspot Damselflies. That is a species I have not documented yet on my life list. Those guys were so beautiful. They were one of my absolute favorites on the trek. I also got to see my first baby American Bullfrog. Normally I just see the adults but let me tell you it was amazing. It was also a good day for a little bit of natural drama. We encountered at least three types of Robber Flies all with something to eat. It was a day when nearly everything seemed to be hungry. Then on the bitter trail I remember getting a photo that was unlike anything I had ever captured in my life. There was a butterfly on a plant at the marsh and me and this one guy were looking at it and we noticed that there was something up with it. It was not acting right but we soon found out that there was a Bold Jumping Spider that had killed and was in the process of eating it. It was indeed a day for natural drama. We also found a Beaver Skull and a nearly complete Armadillo skeleton that was all crushed but a lot of it was still intact. It was kind of a crazy day but it was fun. I even got to see my very first Green Tree Frogs out in the wild. When the word Tree Frog comes to mind I often am thinking about the Red-eyed Tree Frog that lives in the rain forest. I have heard stories of people finding them in Texas but I guess seeing it for yourself makes it a little more believable. They are so cute the way they tuck their legs under their bodies and just hang out on the grasses and other marsh vegetation. I really had a lot of fun seeing all the cool wildlife here. We found about 34 or so different species on Saturday. I cant' wait to go back to the LLELA center. I may have to plan a trip there when it gets to being peak Dragonfly season. I may also have to take a few birding trips there during the winter months or the spring months before it gets way to hot for them. I think I might be able to find a good cross section of life in the spring if I get there at the right time. I really enjoyed the hike we got to see some pretty neat and exciting creatures. So with that said I guess I take my leave for now but I have another BioBlitz to go on next weekend so there is much more to come to this journal. This is Zachary Chapman AKA galactic_bug_man signing out. Live Long and Prosper folks.
Havainnot
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Hyla cinereaHavainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
This is the first time I have seen this species of frog. Today was a very special day for me and my life list. These guys were everywhere clinging to anything they could find in terms of vegetation. These guys are super cute. They are one of the coolest frogs I have ever seen. Normally when I think of "Tree Frog" I think of South America and more in particular Red-Eyed Tree Frogs but these Green Tree Frogs live in Texas.l I would not have believed it possibly if I have not seen it myself.
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Hetaerina americanaHavainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
These guys were everywhere today. I have not seen this one before. This guy was a very pretty one. I don't think I have seen this species before. I just love the red spots on these. We hiked around a really nice sunny patch and they were there just resting on the vegetation and the rocks. It was a very pretty scene. I like the areas around rivers that have a bunch of plants and rocks; they are great for wildlife. Just to sit and watch these guys was so cool. I loved today's hike at the LLELA Nature Preserve.
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Alaheimo EmesinaeHavainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
Not sure just how @sambiology found this sucker but he did. I know this is an assassin bug but I am not sure the real name of this guy but it is really interesting. I would have totally missed this. It was very thin and long. It was not a stick insect but indeed an Assassin Bug. This was so cool to see. A new one to the life list. This one is so wild looking.
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Cicindela punctulataHavainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
This guy was found when I first arrived on scene. I went down this trail before everyone showed up not really knowing where they were. I would see not one but two Tigers this trip. I am not sure which one this is but it looks like a Punctured due to the lack of detailing but I am no expert on these guys. There were a bunch of these guys out in the sand digging and looking for stuff to eat. I love Tiger Beetles they are one of my favorite groups of insects.
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Sympetrum corruptumHavainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
This guy was resting on a twig when we found him. It was a very neat one. I have seen the Female of this species but I have not seen the Male yet. This was one of the most common on our trip. We encountered quite a few odes but for species count there were not many for this time of year but still it is nice to get the oldies and goodies. The American Rubyspot is actually new to the life list but this one is not. still it was a very pretty and interesting. I have not really got photos of theses guys to really see all the incredible details. This one is cool. Sorry I was unable to get a proper side shot.
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Härkäsammakko (Lithobates catesbeianus)Havainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
Just a young one but in time he will get bigger; much bigger. This guy was just laying in the mud not doing much this is the last of the three species of frogs we observed yesterday.
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Ancyloxypha numitorHavainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
This was a very pretty one but I wish the Quality would have been better. This is one I have not seen before. This little guy was hanging out by the river's edge and was just chowing down on nectar when he wasn't fluttering about. This was one of the prettiest skippers I have ever seen. It was a very nice amber color and was just super pretty. I love butterflies and I didn't know there was anything called a Skipperling which was very fascinating to learn. I learn so much on these hikes and stuff it is awesome to do BioBlitzes with more experienced iNatters.
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Limenitis archippusHavainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
Didn't realize we actually got Viceroy Butterflies. This is a totally new one on me. I have now seen all the Monarch members in the US. The Monarch, Queen, and Viceroy have all made it to my life list. This was one of the coolest finds on our trek. I thought that this species was more prominent in northern regions but we saw quite a few at LLELA yesterday. I think that these were so cool.
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Cicindela repandaHavainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
This was the second Tiger Beetle we were able to find. I was going to ID it myself but the website I use for identifying Tiger Beetles is down. This one was again on a sand trail digging and probing for prey. It was mainly green and purple. With some cream colored detailing on him. It was pretty small but average Tiger Beetle size. This one was very interesting. Defiantly not at Punctured Tiger.
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Havainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
This guy was shown to me by @sambiology. This was a new one for the both of us. This guy was very small and had a crazy amount of stripes on him. It was a really cool little insect. I have not seen this one before. It was one of my favorites on this trek we went on. It was so cool. I just love the leg stripes.
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Rikkikäävät (Suku Laetiporus)Havainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
This was a huge Shelf Fungus. The second photo here is of the underside. I am sorry for the poor quality of the second photo it was kind of close. This shelf was the largest I have ever seen. It was about two of three foot wide at the bottom. It was crazy big. It was all fleshy colored and it smelt like cheese or something weird. It was most impressive. I remember seeing @sambiology and his reaction to this. I have to say I felt the same way about this. It was huge. It was on a fallen log and Michael Fox and I were the first ones to see this.
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Amerikanmajava (Castor canadensis)Havainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
We found this Skull out in a clearing. This was defiantly a beaver skull. I wish this was live so I could have added it to the life list but it is kind of interesting to see the Skulls and bones of some animals. We saw this and the skeleton of an armadillo not too far from this skull. You can see a little bit of the Teeth and the large openings on the side.
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Havainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
This guy was another one found by @sambiology. This one was very cool because he had little nodules on the sides of his antenna or as Sam said he had clubs on his antenna. This thing was very interesting. He had very long legs and really long antenna. This guy's body over all was really quite small. Sam had it in his net and he took it out just to give us a closer look.
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Phylloscelis atraHavainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
Not sure if this dude is technically a plant hopper or what but this was an odd one found by @sambiology. I must say this was an odd one. It had one odd little critter. It was very stripey and had very odd looking legs. This was one I have defiantly not seen before. It was by far one of the weirdest insects I have ever observed in my time on iNaturalist. I wounder what else might be out in the tall grasses. I need to do more sweep netting for sure. This one is so cool!
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Heimo DictynidaeHavainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
This one was a very small but a very cool spider. It was black, white, and brown. It was one I haven't seen before. This trip has been great for my life list for sure. It was so much fun. This one was a very cool experience. This guy had a really nice pattern to him and it was very awesome.
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Vyötiäinen (Dasypus novemcinctus)Havainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
This armadillo skeleton was completely messed up. It was all crushed in some places but still it was a very unique opportunity to study the bones of the armadillo. The bony armor plating was very interesting to me. I found that to be even more interesting than the skull. It was so cool to see two partial skeletons in one day. This is something I hardly ever seen when I hike alone. I have seen one jaw bone of a Virginia Opossum back in 2015 when I first started down this journey. I hardly ever find bones that are not on a lake bed which are mainly fish. I mean mammal skeletons are always so hard for me to find. I just love studying bones and stuff. In order to understand an animal you kind of have to take a lesson in their bones and stuff. Armadillo skeleltons are so interesting I have never seen the full body skeleton I have only seen skulls at programs and stuff. To see this out in the wild was very cool.
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Havainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
Was trying all day yesterday to get this shot. This one was one I have not seen yet. This was some kind of sweat bee. It had a light green body with a yellow and black striped rear end. This thing was a very beautiful creature. It was very fascinating. I found this guy on the Bittern Trail.
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Suku HeteropogonHavainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
Yesterday was certainly a day for Robber Fly Drama. This was the first one and as for all of them they all had something to eat. It was just one after the other. They were all different though. This was quite the day for this kind of action. I have a picture on facebook with a Bold Jumper eating a Gulf Fritillary. Everything seemed to be just a little bit hungry. It was a wild day at the LLELA.
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Suku HeteropogonHavainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
This one was a little bit smaller than the first and a lot more hairier. It was a very fuzzy guy.
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Suku HeteropogonHavainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
Not sure if this is a Hanging Thieves Robber but it was hanging in a weird position that made us all wonder. It was a great day for Robbers. This was a tripple kill feature right here. I have two others on here too. I have enough photos now to start a things eating things album. That is just a joke but hey they are some of my best photos yet. I just live for these kinds of predator and prey interaction. This is crazy cool stuff. Almost forgot to upload these.
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Suku AnomalonHavainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
This was a little Ichneumon Wasp that @sambiology caught yesterday at the LLELA. This guy was extremely thin and and one of the most interesting wasps I have seen. Normally my parasitic wasps are much larger than this one but heck this one was very very small. It was so small I could only call this thing cure. It was one of the most memorable finds to the day.
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Havainnoija
galactic_bug_manKuvaus
This guy was one of the assassin bug or Broad-headed bug groups this thing was very cool. I may have seen this one before but I am not sure what the name is right of hand because I have not seen this before. It was very interesting I think this was the one that bit @sambiology but I am not sure if it was or not. He did get bit and dropped one of these guys but I am not sure if this is the one. There are about two candidates that may have bit Sam but I am not sure which one.
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