17 de mayo de 2019

No Cut-Off for this Project

Because I cannot have a beginning and ending point longer than one year, my plan of cutting off this project and starting a new version is not feasible. Therefore, "Sniff, sniff, never mind." This project continues.

Publicado el mayo 17, 2019 02:41 MAÑANA por thebark thebark | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

02 de enero de 2019

Cut-off Date for this Project, Stay Tuned for "Mackenzie Park Wilds II" Coming March 1

My plan is to cut off new observations March 1, 2019, and to begin a new project covering the same area, to identify any changes in species present.

Everybody is invited to join in. We might try a series of bioblitzes. "Series" because plants don't get noticed much until they bloom, and flowering dates vary with species.

Publicado el enero 2, 2019 04:42 TARDE por thebark thebark | 2 comentarios | Deja un comentario

08 de julio de 2018

A Never-Ending Story...

204 Species. This finally inputs all my observations in this area to-date -- 573 -- beginning back in March and ending June 29. Because I'm the worst identifier of our group and was truly guessing at some species, the total might be as low as the 190s. Dr. E.H. added 20+ new species and 50 observations this evening and they are rock-solid IDs by one of the best, and I think the Doc is caught up as well.

I am pleased that those last observations include a favorite genus of mine, Oenothera, I had hoped to see Oxytropis lambertii stubs among the mowed-down damaged plants on the caliche knoll but just didn't spot them. Maybe somebody else can. Maybe they'll come back and bloom next year. For me and likely for others, it began and ended as a labor of love, and as with all love stories there are elements of pain and loss. But it doesn't end, does it? This project continues...

Imperfect as it is, this survey of species -- think of it as a protracted bioblitz -- establishes a baseline against which future change can be measured. And it all was up until the last month quite inadvertent; after hours of exploration and hundreds of photos I received a hint in mid-May from a city employee that change was coming and the picture has clarified only in the last four days.

Publicado el julio 8, 2018 06:52 MAÑANA por thebark thebark | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

07 de julio de 2018

Meet the Neighbors!

Starting a series of posts over on https://www.facebook.com/groups/1825012874221270/ called "Meet the Neighbors!" First one is Feather Dalea, already up. Already put up photos aplenty of Escobaria missouriensis and Lace Hedgehog cacti.

Next maybe Bigfruit Evening Primrose, sandmats, Downy Indian Paintbrush, Gordon's Bladderpods... What else?

Publicado el julio 7, 2018 10:22 TARDE por thebark thebark | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

05 de julio de 2018

Change has come ...

... to Mackenzie Park Wilds. Well, most species will survive. For a while. And "a while" is all any of us have, whether individuals or species. The trampling and grazing of bison herds and woolly mammoths didn't kill off the species that survive in Mackenzie Park Wilds. Why should informed careful disk golfers?

Since it came out that one of the observed jaguars in Southern Arizona was killed and skinned, my expectation for the planet and the variety of life on it is even more pessimistic. And we want to spread our species out into the solar system? The non-finding of radio transmissions from far far off has led to a revision of ideas about whether we are alone in the universe and fueled new speculation that intelligent life [as we define it to include us, naturally!] is unique. I think SETI has found nothing because "intelligent" species like us poison themselves and their environment. They (we) use up resources, pollute, change climate, experience internal conflicts, overpopulate, facilitate disease, decline into addictions and apathy. The outer limit for the life span of intelligent species is probably quite short, and we may be nearing the end of ours. Maybe the life span of technological civilizations is 200 years. But enough of depressing thoughts.

We have dialog about this unique Lubbock area going on Facebook. Exchange of information and views. Everybody, feel free to join in. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1825012874221270/

Publicado el julio 5, 2018 07:08 TARDE por thebark thebark | 2 comentarios | Deja un comentario

174 Species and counting!

It looks like we may go over 200 species for the area in plant species alone! Quite a tribute to the Civilian Conservation Corps that built the park and to the State of Texas and Lubbock Parks & Recreation that managed it, for allowing the area to go more or less untouched into the 21st century as a biological time capsule.

This comparatively pristine area is the crown jewel of Mackenzie Park and of the Lubbock park system. It is high time for it to be recognized as such.

We have two confirmed identifications of species not previously reported in Lubbock, Lubbock County, or the South Plains. There may be others in our data. Time will tell.

Congratulations, and thank you to our friends and supporters of this project. The work continues!

Publicado el julio 5, 2018 05:41 MAÑANA por thebark thebark | 5 comentarios | Deja un comentario

29 de junio de 2018

New Species for the Lubbock Area!

Ellen5 was looking at a photo I took of some wildflowers in the Mackenzie Wilds area and wondered whether what I dismissed as Woolly Locoweed was another species altogether. "Fortune favors the prepared mind," as Pasteur said. Ellen's mind was well-prepared while mine was not.

If confirmed, this is the first Lubbock County observation of Oxytropis lambertii, right here in Mackenzie Park Wilds. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/13895324 While it was my photo, credit belongs to Ellen5.

Publicado el junio 29, 2018 10:22 TARDE por thebark thebark | 12 comentarios | Deja un comentario

26 de junio de 2018

Conclusions So Far

Only one observation so far has been identified as being unique to our region and that is the Ranunculus which has otherwise been found only as near as Amarillo (by @amzapp ). If all plants were identified, I suspect there would be a couple more unique species. A number of little plants observed are unidentified or tentatively identified. Goodness knows I have dozens of observations I consider unidentified even when there is a label on them.

ADDED; Rarities sighted --

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9216895 Panicled Aster

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2429933 Osprey

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/13766547 Cursed Crowfoot

I am not good at grasses, either photographing them, finding them, or identifying them. @rowdius is much much better as are the others whose observations are included. I suspect we have only scratched the surface of the grasses here in Mackenzie Park Wilds.

The riverine habitat has a number of dock-like and allium-like species that are hard to identify and even when photographed and "observed" here may not be properly identified.

Also the trees. Has a single Siberian Elm been "observed" in this project? Yet there are many of them. I think there are several tree species unobserved or at least unidentified.

Birds. I've had a number of unusual birds "get away" unidentified and unphotographed in this area, two in the last week or so. You have too.

Nobody has looked at the fish and invertebrates in the stream. We got turtles but no fish, crawdads, or water boatmen.

The Escobaria missouriensis cactus is interesting. See my journal post on this species: https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/thebark/15763-missouri-foxtail-cactus-escobaria-missouriensis-observations-in-yellowhouse-canyon-lubbock-texas

Within the city of Lubbock, Escobaria missouriensis has been found wild only in this area of Mackenzie Park and around Dunbar Lake. Ellen5 found several outside Lubbock and I photographed a different species of Escobaria at Tahoka Lake. Why have none been found elsewhere in Yellowhouse Canyon? I would guess that in landscaping Lubbock canyon lakes parks the city destroyed many cactus. Why then have no Escobaria been found at Lubbock Lake Landmark? Good question. LLL has one would think been thoroughly explored.; not true of the canyon up from LLL or down from Dunbar.

Publicado el junio 26, 2018 12:36 TARDE por thebark thebark | 6 comentarios | Deja un comentario

24 de junio de 2018

Sandmats

At a guess there are 4-5 species of sandmats in this area, some as you would expect on the caliche ridges and slopes, but some springing up through the grass and leaf litter in sandy areas in a most unsandmatly way. I did not take time to ID most of my observations intending to go back over them later (sure), but thanks to Euphorbia expert Nathan Taylor for so many IDs.

Publicado el junio 24, 2018 04:11 TARDE por thebark thebark | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

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