Favoritos de landobaggins

The second picture is UV flora, aka Bee Vision

"This plant has traditional uses in Cherokee Native American herbal medicine; the roots are used to make a topically applied salve to help knit broken bones and as treatment for wounds, ulcers and boils; other parts of the plant are used as a tonic, to relieve indigestion, to induce sweating and to stimulate blood flow during menstruation. Not to be confused with other "snakeroot" plants such as Aristolochia serpentaria (contains toxic aristolochic acids; also known as Virginia snakeroot), Ageratina altissima (contains toxic tremetol, also known as white snakeroot), Actaea racemosa (also known as black snakeroot and black cohosh) or Sanicula canadensis (Canadian blacksnakeroot)."~Wikipedia

In an oak-juniper woodland with limestone cliffs and thin rocky soils. This area was quarried for limestone in the 1890s and is labeled "old quarry north" in a BFL habitat and land use map.

Associated species: Quercus fusiformis, Juniperus ashei, Fraxinus albicans, Nandina domestica

Squirrel (fox squirrel?) being squeezed (eaten later?) by snake. Duplicating observation per request of snake predation enthusiasts who messaged me. I was not able to determine the ultimate fate of the squirrel or the snake - just passing by.

A very proud moment for me -- this is the type location of Dalea reverchonii on Comanche Peak in Hood County.

Likely at this exact spot, Julien Reverchon, a French botanist, collected a Dalea in June of 1882. It is endemic to Walnut Clay Limestone in North Central Texas.

Read more about this cool plant here:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs144p2_002289.pdf

Had a wonderful time with iNatters at Gus Engeling WMA - journal post here: http://www.inaturalist.org/journal/sambiology/10657-gus-engeling-wma-short-notice-saturday-july-8th-wanna-come

The second stop was by the northern ponds and pitcher plant bogs. It was so hot and muggy today, and we were all drenched in sweat... Nonetheless, we spotted some amazing organisms in the heat. :)

If you could successfully take cuttings of an angophora I would - surely this would have commercial horticultural value?! A 'sport' producing stunning variegation. This plant appears to have self-sown - it's a young plant in remnant / revegetated bushland on the edge of a constructed wetland, but in no way indigenous to the area. This is a NSW/Qld species used as an ornamental in Vic, but has naturalised a bit.

The second picture is UV flora, aka Bee Vision
I saw two white-lined sphinx moths feeding on the flowers...I couldn't get a picture of sphinx moth because it's too dark.
See the tiny red sidewalk mite (Genus Balaustium)?