THE CIBOLO
CRAIG HENSLEY TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST
As Texas bluebonnets transition from flowers to fruit, other native wildflowers are taking nature’s stage right and left along the Cibolo Nature Center’s trails.
Taking a moment to enjoy their inherent beauty and diversity, you will witness an explosion of butterflies unlike what has been seen in the past several years.
While it isn’t unusual to see butterflies at this time of year, the sheer number of them paints a moving canvas of color as they flit between Texas thistle, zexmenia, blanket flower, greenthread and many others.
Among the largest is the black and iridescent blue of the pipevine swallowtail, our most common swallowtail, so named for the “tails” that trail from the hindwing.
See one with striking blue and you are looking at a male, one without flying along the ground, seemingly touching the grasses as it tastes for the presence of its host plant, swanflower, a member of the pipevine family, is the female.
With luck, you might also catch a glimpse of its blackstriped cousin, the tiger swallowtail or the even larger black and yellow-patterned butterfly, aptly known as the giant swallowtail.
By far, the two most common butterflies right now are red admirals and orange sulphurs. Red admirals, believe it or not, will “attack” should you invade its resting space on a woodland trail.
No, you won’t get a bruise or bleed, but you might see them fly right at you or around you, letting you know you should move along. Watch for their striking red epaulets as they sun themselves in the sunlight of the dappled woods.
In open areas, all those yellow butterflies provide several identification opportunities. Led now by the medium-sized orange sulphur, so-named for the bit of orange on the inside of the forewings — sometimes obvious, often not — these yellow butterflies are nothing short of superabundant for this is the time of year their host plants, vetches and other legumes are equally prolific, providing many choices for egg-laying.
Often overlooked are even smaller yellow butterflies, the little yellow sulphur, bright yellow and well, little — and the even smaller dainty sulphur — not so yellow, but definitely dainty in size.
These low-flying butterflies are much more common along the trails than most of us notice due to their small stature.
Add in American and painted ladies, common buckeyes, gulf and variegated fritillaries, question marks, gray and juniper hairstreaks, queens, pearl and phaon crescents, the flip-flopping of little wood satyrs, and numerous species of skippers — well, you get the picture.
During your walks along the Cibolo Nature Center’s trails for the next few weeks, I encourage you to take a break from your walk or run and let your eyes take in the rainbow of colors presented by our wildflowers and scale-winged wonders.
As I always say, you won’t be disappointed, and you’ll learn a thing or two, as well.
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