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"Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place."              

Kurt Vonnegut.

 

 Studying nature is awesome at asking what is it that is important in your life. Is it beauty? Rarity? Developing potential? Is remembering the past, being in the present, or planning for the future your priority? How will we cope if it turns out we need to do all of it?

Heidi's raspberry patch is not being used this year. No kids running around picking raspberries and blackberries. Now the field has head high grasses and all sorts of exotic creatures are thriving, completely protected and hidden from our view. Reports from California say the blackberry harvest was shortened to less than a week from a typical three weeks, so I can't really blame them for management decisions. Personally, I feel watering the weeds yields hidden secrets in nature we have forgotten.

 

 This poor picture of a Coopers hawk is rubbish, but shows a great view of those broad stripes on the tail that define this common bird. These hawks thrive because they are adapted to hunting near to bird feeders. Most other hawks are slowly being edged out by human development because they do not benefit from humans.

This bunting is watching warily as we get too close to her nest. Nesting close to a bird feeder is not a great plan for success for this species, as the increased traffic also attracts predators and nest robbers, reducing reproductive success.Those lessons that actually stick with us, we learn most often by failing. At least, in nature it does.

 

This bird is using a wall light as a roost in an abandoned niche of an academic building.  Would seem like a bad choice, but it is completely undisturbed and the light attracts insects at night. Couldn't have been better designed for this species.

Fledglings are growing. The drop in temperature this week means bird nesting behaviors are very important. This nest needs a mom to regulate temperature and moisture. This bird's nest is a bit further south than it should be according to the developed range maps, as animals continue to adapt to a changing world.

Most people do not look closely at ants. The one's that do, are usually trying to kill them. Ants can also teach us a lot. These are acrobat ants because they have a pointed "gaster" that they can point in many directions. They hunt wasps by scent and attack using venom. They are often seen carrying large insects back to their nests along scent mediated trails. These are drinking honeydew from aphid "farms". The lesson that they teach? Well, that's up to you. They are not dangerous, or destructive to humans. Most information about them online comes from pest control companies...

Long necked flowers like this ipomopsis are prefect for large moths and hummingbirds. The white color is attractive to moths in the evenings. The fact that this arrangement works so perfectly between two unconnected species, and is completely a lucky interaction between mutations, chance, and time, causes some philosophical headaches...

This is a plant that is a non photosynthesizing parasite is called broomrape. Basically mistletoe on roots instead of branches. The how's and why's of a "predator" plant are very vague in the literature. I have noticed that, in general. The internet and biological science are hazy at any question that starts with "how" and "why"... The other interesting parasitic plant, dodders, are out in force along Loma Larga ditches.

Metallic flea beetles have flash mobs on selected plants where they mate and eat in a frenzy before predators find them. Most of these beetles can only be separated to the human eye by the aedeagus. The beetles themselves use pheromones and smell. The term "flea" is because they do jump to avoid danger.

 

 Metallic blue is a popular beetle color. Notice the bright legs on this jewel beetle Lampetis drummondi. This family of beetles has some of the most species in it, over 15,500 different described species.

This robber fly is pretending to be a bumblebee, which is it's preferred prey. It obviously isn't one, because it held still long enough for me to take a picture... it looks like a fake teddy bear but is quite dangerous to large flying insects.

This actual bumblebee held still only because it was raining and the insect was taking a nap on some lavender, one of it's favorite flowers.

Monsoon rains are good for bringing out juvenile reptiles like this baby lizard. Many people also report the predators, like coachwhips and hognose snakes are also out, chasing these juveniles down.

This spadefoot was a tadpole a week ago. It is amazing how much they can survive. Not only in the inhospitable desert terrain, but this temporary puddle is in a parking lot in Rio Rancho city center. This water is contaminated with motor oil, lead, and tire dust. These frogs will continue to survive as long as there are no fish and the water puddle lasts 2 weeks.

Unusually, this hornworm is eating an elm tree. At this stage of development these caterpillar can strip a tomato plant in one night. While it looks like it has many legs, only the three pairs at the front are "true". Evolution can have a sense of humor sometimes.

The colors on many of the butterflies are pretty spectacular. This is another purple hairstreak. There are many species out dancing in the weeds along the banks right now. The eggs may survive the coming mowing to repeat the cycle. Weeds are a completely vital part of the beauty of the natural world. The fact that weeds persist, in spite of all human efforts to remove them, is a genuinely heart warming part of nature that links our past and future to our critical present. I for one love the fact that I do not know how everything works. Not being in control, and yet the world continues to work (mostly) fine is quite liberating for the soul.



 

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 Nature is a complex beast with a lot of nuance. Most people would like things to be simpler. The problem is, the simple answers are often wrong. The bigger problem is decisions that are made on the basis of the too simple answers often are exactly the opposite of what is needed. We don't need more conservation businesses taking charitable donations, we need more people who are stewards of their own world.

Water is a complex issue that is part of our ecology. For example, the dry river state would be "natural" if we didn't have dams to delay water release downstream. While it is true that we are in a long term drought, and are using water faster than we can replace it, it is also true that this crisis is neither the worse it has been (2004 gets mentioned often here) or wouldn't be this bad if some upstream dams were not being drained and repaired (El Vado).

While dead fish get attention in the city's fishing community, no one will talk about how the new grass  growing on the dry river beds should lead to a bumper crop of desert cottontail rabbits next year. This will likely lead to a reciprocal growth in bobcats.

Cormorants usually fish in deep, still water. However, they adapt well to these shallow pools where the bigger fish can no longer hide.

Small pools and backflows where there was once a river will benefit the survival of these small toads the most. Natural wetlands have returned, at the expense of riverine riparian habitat. A moments reflection will tell you most people would prefer the stabilized river to unpredictable mud and sandbars, which is what we usually have. There is an imbalance between the spoken wishes of people (natural), and their overt uses of a riparian habitat (pretty and predictable).

The first of the fall fruits are coming as the flowers turn into fruits. This apple is not going to be sellable, but is never the less a bountiful harvest. I know the coyotes will be looking for them soon, along with skunks, porcupines and children.

Cholla cactus produces a beautiful flower and gets nothing like the attention from most gardeners that it deserves. Bees are crazy for the pollen.

Wild chokecherries are usually found more to the north of our state. We have some in Corrales. These stone fruit are edible, but not everywhere within its range. While I am not advocating eating a potentially poisonous fruit, I know many people who will say this fruit is both non-poisonous, and tasty in the Southwest.

Flowers make some crazy structures and are ludicrous in their designs. They are the result of a very successful partnership between plants and insects. A flower's only goal is to be effective by any means necessary in sexual selection. Luck mixed with huge rewards usually produces unexpected results.

I am still figuring out what these nectaries on the Russian thistle actually are. They could be an oil, which is not unheard of in some plants. While the flowers are small, I don't see them associated with this bead of liquid. The chemical salsoline is isolated from this plant and has some odd porperties. In fact, the Russian thistle is a pretty impressive plant overall, and totally under appreciated because of it's faults.

 

 At night, there are far more insects on tumbleweeds than a person would expect. This is likely a moth species, but I'm not sure which one.

Milkweed is growing rapidly in the South end of the Corrales preserve. Made famous by the monarch caterpillar, this plant is liked by many insects. If you look closely you will see the aphids crowded around the stalk. The name comes from the sap, which is bitter and reduces browsing damage.

The New Mexico Olive has some trees producing their abundant drupes already. They are actually juicy at certain parts of their life cycle.

puncture vine is universally hated by those who find the goat-heads in their shoes or bicycle tires. These plants produce viable seeds as soon as they begin growing, ensuring the next generation is always around. This makes the plants literally impossible to eradicate permanently, short of fire, which is not recommended ever, but especially in the current dry conditions.

 

 This is a chyphotes genus of wasp and is a native. It might be a parasitoid of sun spiders, but actually little is know about the family and only one wasp has been found in a spider's nest. You can see the short stinger on the end of the abdomen.

Last night has many species of insects calling; cicadas, crickets and katydids are very active on warm summer nights. This cricket cricket species grows to surprisingly large sizes in the open desert and hunts smaller insects occasionally.

This odd insect is a common tree cricket, very hard to get a decent picture of due to their shyness. They seem much more slender than the heavier ground crickets, but are clearly related.

The desert has a few nasty surprises, but less that the average person would think. It is hard to find a rattlesnake, for example. I did run across this centipede. By the fall, they will be joined by the large desert tarantulas.

Along with milkweed, there are dogbane plants in the Corrales South end. This attracts metallic dogbane beetles. These beetles share a mutation in their cells with the monarch butterfly and is also found on milkweed, totally safe from the plant toxins.

Corrales has more butterflies that people often realize. It's just that most species are only here for a very short time, and are very small. This one is some sort of buckeye species. The numbers and varieties of butterfly are dwarfed by the closely related moth species.

One of my favorite butterflies is this great purple hairstreak butterfly. The caterpillar feeds exclusively on broadleaf mistletoe. The name comes from the streaks on the hindwings that serve to confuse predators as to which way the butterfly is facing.

We only conserve that which we consider to be useful. Just like a disappearing river attracts attention, a disappearing monarch population also attracts concern. But if no one is watching for disappearing moths, would anyone even bother to get worried when everything else is also a disaster? I guess we will only find out after the fact. That is a pretty dangerous way to care for a planet. This moth is in a genus called Anavitrinella, probably the common gray.

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 There are not many raptors in the Bosque visible to me right now. However, this could just be the fact that they are harder to see during their nesting season, or it could be that during the summer there are less birds migrating through the bosque. I worry that each year there is quantifiably less and less real estate for these birds to rest and recuperate in.

 

An unusual raptor is this Mississippi kite.  I watched it over several days hunt sphinx moths and carry them back to this perch to eat. The slim build and sleek feathers look very different than the Cooper's hawk and red tailed hawks we usually see.

 

 The low river levels are threatening to dry up any day now. However, some animals like this heron are grateful for the isolated pools created by low water. The neck shows the classic "double C" musculature that gives this bird fast striking power with that large bill.

This egret can fish the same area as the heron and is not competition. It hunts smaller fish and insects with a beak designed to be more like tweezers

Nesting is what birds are best at. These swallows are patiently waiting for the parents to return. This nest is safely tucked up under the eves of the Corrales fire department away from snakes, cats, and predatory birds.

 

The young toads are not so lucky. This young wood house relies on stealth and camouflage to hunt small insects and avoid predators. Being active at night helps avoid some predators.

The young spadefoot frogs live in the dry desert and hide underground during the day. They can live off the muscle in their tail as it is resorbed. Because desert water evaporates quickly, they develop into frogs much faster than other species.

Bullfrogs live in an permanent wetlands environment with many predators, including others of their own kind. In these environments, being the big frog in a small pond is beneficial.

 Wetlands can be a rich environment, especially for invasive species, but they have to be tough and adaptable. This red swamp crayfish is one of the toughest and is found at the end of Andrew's lane in large numbers. This species can survive anything and eat anything as long as there is mud as some point in the year.

Right now by the river there is a lot of mud. Some of it quite deep. Notice the pool is muddy. This should have settled out, but the tadpoles are stirring up the clay as they feed on the red algae that is visible on the shoreline as the water retreats. Muddy water attracts predator's attentions.

Looking closer, the round circles in the mud are where the tadpoles excavated small holes as they ran out of space. While rare, there is examples of this in the fossil record. On left of the picture is a track of a heron patrolling the water's edge. As the clay begins to crack, the newly emerging frogs are found hiding in those depths to avoid desiccation in the sun.

Tough conditions are also opportunities for the animals that survive. This crayfish tried hunting the trapped tadpoles, but finally succumbed when it didn't burrow into the mud soon enough.

In the height of summer, there are many insects out and the pollination circus is in full swing. Some plants, like lavender and cactus, are pollinated by a limited number of species. Other plants like sunflowers and Spanish lace are pollinated by a dizzying variety of weird insects.

Also in that mix of activity are other insects, like this robber fly. It specializes in catching unwary insects on their way to popular flowers, these insects can tackle most large insects such as grasshoppers and dragonflies.

This is a bee mimic, it also catches insects but usually is focused on bumblebees in flight. There are also wasps that mimic bees and prey on them. It can get very confusing.

Many plants are focused on producing seeds. Some drop seeds early like this aster. If this looks a lot like a dandelion, that is because they are also in the aster family.

 

 The common sunflower in blooming right now in places that the seeds have been scattered for birdseed. These plants support an amazing variety of wildlife. From birds, to subterranean mammals, and a cloud of pollinating and sap sucking insects. It will produce the seeds on the flower head in the fall after the petals have fallen.

 

The variety of wasps is impressive. There is a distinct daily order to the visitors to these large plants. Flies are most likely in the morning, then wasps, beetles and ants visit during the heat of the day, and the smaller mosquitos and midges are there in the evenings. Many insects are also courting in the leaves nearby.

This meadow salsify is showing the classic ray pattern of the aster family of plants. Sunflowers are also in this group. Most asters attract bees and almost any pollinator. The pollen and nectar is very accessible in the central pod.

This Indian paintbrush, on the other hand, is a parasitic plant and the color isn't even coming from a flower structure, they are leaves that have been modified into orange petals. Red is attractive to hummingbirds and the plant has no landing pad for insects to home in on, favoring pollinators that hover when feeding.

Out in the hot sun the rocky mountain bee plant is very distinctive, with tall stems and showy flowers. This plant has a wide range over the US is is much admired by gardeners, except for the other common name; stinkweed.

The west mesa is not a place where many domestic bees can be found, but many wasps are likely to be seen anywhere that has flowers. This Thynnid wasp is not often seen in our area. Almost all solitary wasps are harmless, even if they have prominent stingers, like this one, their minds are absorbed on other things.

 

A very different looking wasp was in the sunflowers in Corrales. This is a scoliid wasp species, very common. The russet thorax with stiff hairs is often used as a defense against large ants that protect the aphid colonies found in the terminal buds of growing plants

 This same color and shape is in this velvet ant, which is another type of wasp. The heavy hairs are necessary as these wasps lay their eggs next to underground insect nests and often have to run a gauntlet of angry ants. They have thick exoskeletons, stiff hairs, bright warning colors, bad smells and females care a potent sting. All velvet ants seem to live a very active life.

 

 Long horn beetles, like this Stenelytrana gigas belong to a family that has 35,000 different species. Almost all of them chew wood for a living. Some in this family grow a body that is 6.5 inches long.

 

 This specimen is a Moneilema gigas. The yellow neck collar is pretty distinctive. These warm temperatures definitely bring out the largest of the bugs. This beetle is found in open desert terrain after dark.

The desert floor is a very weird place at night. Most people assume it is just a vast space full of nothing, but that is not true. The moths are active in pretty dense numbers, in weird colors and shapes. The desert floor is an easy place to hide in, so most people miss what is out there on summer nights. Some animals, like the kangaroo rat move so fast then can only be heard, but not seen, and good luck trying to get a photograph!

 Russian thistle, aka tumbleweed, aka Salsola tragus is from Russian originally. It has become the quintessential America plant. It harbors an impressive amount of life and also quite a few secrets. In small amounts it is edible, but in large amounts it is poisonous from oxalate compunds. The stems seem to exude a slightly sticky liquid that is definitely not sugary but appears to be related to the tiny flowers found on these plants that attracts many small moth species.

Say's stink bugs are found everywhere there is soft green plants, including many gardens. I think they are very colorful and worth looking at, but they are a pest to most people.

 

 Right now there seems to be lizards everywhere in Corrales. Their numbers would be lower, but many of their natural predators avoid human inhabited areas. Coachwhips and roadrunners avoid Corrales bosque areas, allowing the lizards to have full rein on the ground and in the trees.

 

 The parking area at Alameda is neither as big, or as busy as the Bachechi Space on the Albuquerque side of the bridge. Being undeveloped, many people would improve it. Here, old asphalt was put into a pothole in the mud to "improve" the parking area. Likely some contractor thought this was a good idea for the community. Unfortunately, this means the current community of triops and spadefoots that usually grow and thrive in this little oasis will no longer continue to do so.

This is just one little spot in a parking lot. However, this same idea is being planned for the whole of the interior drain in Corrales, from The Corrales Bosque trailhead, all along Andrew's lane for several miles to Wagner's lane northwards. This will eradicate thousands of species and limit access to many thousands more during migrations. Good for the community, while further shrinking the real estate available to all.