Favoritos de scarletskylight

Dallas County, Texas; Cottonwood Park in Richardson
4/13/2021
Geranium texanum

Small patch on small mound on northeast side of park, mowed quite short, like most of the park. This specimen was only about 3cm tall, though I did find some slightly taller ones later.

As part of my search for Geranium texanum around Texas in 2021, I did sometimes use information from herbaria specimens to guide my search. A couple of specimens at the UT herbarium(Correll 18752, Correll and Johnston 22444) from the late 1950s in Dallas county were remarkably specific as to their location, a place called Stults Prairie on the SW corner of Coit Road and Belt Line Road. I have no idea what the area looked like in the 1950s, but the location now is of course completely developed. Though there is a trail of some sort running through the area, I set my sights on the somewhat larger Cottonwood Park about a block to the east. Of course, my heart sank to see that it was yet another heavily mowed city park, but G. texanum can actually survive in these conditions, and I did surprisingly find two patches in the park - this one mostly in flower on the north side and another patch completely in fruit on the south side. I am glad that at least one plant from the old Stults prairie still survives in the area, how precariously.

Brushy Creek/Champion Park
4/21/2017
Geranium sp.

I saw a number of these Geraniums around Williamson county in 2017 and unknowingly took shots of them in previous years as well. At first glance they look like G. carolinianum. However, they have 5 purple anthers instead of the 10 yellow anthers of G. carolinianum.

The only Geranium I have found in the literature which has only 5 anthers is G. pusillum. However, other characteristics of this plant, such as the pubescense on the sepals and pedicels and also the petal shape is different from what is described for G. pusillum. In fact the pubescence on these plants is a much better match for G. texanum (minute appressed hairs abaxially on the sepal veins mostly with retrorse appressed hairs on the pedicels), which is what I thought these plants were until I noticed the 5 purple anthers.

As mentioned, I have seen them in various places around Williamson county from out near Camp Tejas in the western part to Brushy Creek and Berry Springs more centrally and also Granger Lake in the east. However, though they appear to be somewhat common in Wilco, I have not been able to find any other Geranium observations in Texas on iNat that seem to match these (though only a small percentage of observations have photos good enough to use). Anyway, I thought I'd tag some of the frequent observers of Wilco plants and the surrounding areas to keep their eye out for this one. If anyone happens to have any other clues what it might be, that would be great, but I'd also like to see if the range is any greater than what I have seen.

I'm worried about the longevity of this species at this location. It's not a common find in urban areas and is at risk of permanent removal from human activity. There were several of these growing near the road that are now gone. The area gets regularly mowed, and some organisms been removed or disturbed by the process of fiber optic cable lines going in (see last image). I observed three organisms remaining, all along a steeply eroded embankment where they are undisturbed by human activity. However, a municipal project to replace soil with human-made erosion control has already been performed or is in progress along nearby embankments. If that occurs here, the native plants along this embankment may be permanently removed. I wonder if plant rescue is ever done in cases like these or if I'm overthinking the impact.

Unsure if prairie remnants occur near creeks, but this area likely has never been plowed due to flood plain potential. Nearby meadows are hilly and were historically used for dairy operations.

This is a long note, but I want to have this information for posterity.

This problematic invasive from tropical America also goes by the name, famine weed. It spreads aggressively and releases chemicals into the soil that inhibit the growth of other plants. Pollen from the plant interferes with seed set in tomatoes, beans and other crops and causes respiratory malfunctions in humans. As if that isn't enough, many people are susceptible to contact dermatitis from this troublesome, poisonous plant.

Source: Wikipedia

There are some scattered populations of famine weed at the Ladd Preserve, mainly in the field alongside Danieldale Road. This plant should be high on the list for immediate selective elimination before the population explodes and management becomes increasingly difficult.

First two pics show two species for comparative purposes.

Specimen on right: Note V-shaped base of flower, less dense branching, longer/narrower petals compared to Amphiachris (left; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/34926032).

Photo 1:
Whoops! Left The Trash Can Too Close To The Screen Door
I have a baby possum that has learned it can climb up the door screen to get on top of my trash can. On this trash day I forgot to move the container out of reach of the screen. It was 5 in the afternoon when I caught the baby up there again giving me that innocent face.
Photo 2:
This Is What The Lil Guy Was After
The reason he goes there is because he can smell the cat food up there. I have neighbors who leave their cats outdoors. Can't keep them off my property. The only way I have found to keep them from eating the squirrels, birds, and lizards in my yard is to keep food up there so they are never hungry. That also keeps the cats drawn to my back yard (my bird feeders, fountains, flowerbeds and birdbaths are in the front) This lil cutie wants some of that free food.

Photo 3:
Oh No! You're Taking My Food Away
This is the look I got when I scooped up the cat food and moved it. Then I scooped up the baby and released him back on the ground. I feel like a big meanie but he needs to learn how to forage for his natural food on his own. That will lead to better survival skills.