Austin

 I just got back from Austin, Texas. I noticed a lot of differences and many similarities between there and Corrales, NM, even though they are separated by 13 hours of driving. The general climate is similar because the latitude is changed only a little, but many other factors makes things seem very different.

Zilker park is a good example of a human modified natural space. There was little that was natural about it, with the mammals (squirrels), birds (domestic duck), insects (wasps) and reptiles (red eared slider) all introduced by, and comfortable being around, humans. Corrales is also heavily modified, but hides it better, I guess.

Unlike in Corrales, the red eared slider is native to Austin. The Eastern grass plains act as a dry barrier to many animal migrations, both because of the flatness (birds prefer to migrate along mountain ranges) and the dryness. Sliders are very tenacious creatures and thrive in open water with a basking spot. How they survive in urban areas while all other turtles disappear is a bit complicated. The weather is perfect for turtles, with humidity and heat in the summer months of Austin providing little variation between day and night temperatures. These turtles also thrive in water that is treated with algicide and are tolerant of pollution. They are omnivorous, and reproduce readily. They are controlled by alligators, however, those are not well tolerated close to humans and all other predators are eliminated by obliging humans.

This wasp is collecting mud on the banks of the pond. Mud dauber wasps are not very common in Corrales, but do well in most urban areas. Austin has a lot of standing water, so normally this would be a problem for mosquitos, but the city does regular spraying and it seems to work. Also I noticed that while there is a lot of standing water, there is far less organic material in that water. No sediment, no clay, red mud or black muck. The geography is limestone karst, and municipal waste treatment services remove organic waste.

A Texas spiny lizard is very similar to those fence lizards found in Corrales. They are most active during the sunniest part of the day. Austin is in the triple digits for daily temperatures for July and August. The record is 112 Fahrenheit. These conditions benefit reptiles of most types.

 

 The perils of birding. This bright red color looks exactly like a summer tanager. However, birders easily saw that it was a cardinal because of the black mask across the face that is just visible in this picture.

This plant is ubiquitous in Austin's trees. Called a ball moss it, obviously, is neither ball shaped or a moss species it is related to the spanish moss we see in the high altitude forests in New Mexico. Unlike the mistletoe of the Corrales bosque, this plant is an aerophyte and relies on high humidity in the air and rainfall for water. Ironically, tree trimmers nudge homeowners to remove them from neighbourhood trees for exactly the same reasons people want to remove mistletoe from our bosque and gardens. Reading the advertisements online just provides extra confirmation to me that the biology of trees, and the industry of trees are only very loosely associated with each other.

The trees in Austin are quite arresting, with many interesting and unusual features Not found in this state. Many shrubs grow to tree size and are indistinguishable from them. The undergrowth is usually pretty thick. This plant is mexican buckeye, commonly found in areas with live oaks. The leaves are actually toxic, but for some reason no one seems to worry about it. Texas has a wet side (south and east) and a dry side (north and west) which seems to prevent many tree species from migrating into New Mexico even though they seem perfectly adapted to live  in this state and are often transplanted into gardens.

Texas mountain laurel is abundant in dry areas away from the river plains. This plant is also toxic but is noted for purple flowers that smell of grape bubble gum. In the legume family, the fruits are characteristically large and peanut looking. All legume use symbiosis to fix nitrogen into poor soils for competitive advantage.

 

This fruit is from the Texas persimmon and is actually edible, although very bitter when immature. This astringent quality is from tannins in the tree. This chemical is common in young fruits to prevent animals eating the fruits too soon before the seeds are ready to be transported. Tannin is a metabolic waste product of the plant. It is stored in the plant and often gives munching browsers a dry mouth by restricting saliva production, as well as tasting sour. The tannin is used in the mature plant as an antibacterial agent. This same property is exploited by leather makers.

 

 This bald cypress is a classic tree found in southern swamps, which includes Austin. The seed cone is classically a cypress, a small woody ball that opens to release the seeds. While it is not grown as an ornamental often, it appears to do quite well in many different conditions.

 

Wasps are some of the most adaptable insects, and they have the greatest diversity of any insect. Unlike the mud dauber earlier, these wasps chew up wood into a type of pulp and use it to build hives. They are clearly onto something, as papier-mache has been used by humans to produce everything from theaters to bullets! This wasp is using humans and their sprinkler systems as a source of water.

A different species of paper wasp is the guinea paper wasp. In New Mexico we are more familiar with the umbrella wasp species such as the variegated paper wasp. Paper wasps have begun nest building exclusively on human structures and are considered synanthropic. This term is basically the opposite of invasive.

This is a cuckoo wasp, a parasite of the mud dauber wasps. The beautiful color gives it the full name "metallic bluish-green Cuckoo wasp." A bit of a mouthful, but very descriptive.

Many places in Austin have popular swimming locations pretty close to the city centers. It seems hard to believe this interaction benefits natural ecosystems, but the karst limestone and high rainfall allows a rapid drainage system that we do not have in the Rio grande valley. This quality makes it perfect for rapid removal of sunscreen and other oily lotions that degrade habitats. Still, the vulnerable salamander that lives here does not seem to get a lot of environmental protection. The conservation story of the Barton Spring's salamander is a pretty typical legal travesty that happens when well meaning people meet legal proceedings.

The urban cityscape has rapid rain runoff from the impervious asphalt and concrete. The unique drainage features of the hills district and drainage has coined the moniker "Flash flood alley" because the water runs off hill country and is funneled quickly into the outskirts of the city by the numerous streams.

The areas of lush vegetation near the waterways and lakes allows many herbivorous insects like this katydid to thrive. The vivid green is usually effective camouflage in the tree canopy.

The limestone beds along rivers encourage crystal clear waters and small pockets of fish that are eagerly sought out by wading birds such as this little blue heron. A species I have never seen in New Mexico. The occasional flood removes sediment effectively back to the bedrock, leaving pristine pools.

Cattle egrets eat mostly large insects, the dense riverside vegetation is also a valuable nesting location for these relatively large birds. This is another animal who has benefited greatly from human's practices.

The green herons in Corrales seem to be very shy. In Texas these birds are pretty brazenly walking along river edges looking for aquatic insects and the occasional tadpole.

Cooters were introduced to south and eastern America from Africa and thrive in marshes and slow moving rivers. They are mostly herbivorous and far more shy that the red eared sliders.

This is a Blanchard's cricket frog. They are very small with a distinctive call and a very impressive jump. They are a tree frog but are not found in trees. There are also green tree frogs in Texas, but I did not get to see those on this trip.

 

There is a lot to be in awe of in grasshoppers. Their ludicrous design somehow works perfectly for their lifestyle. They can fly, hop, crawl, and even swim well. They are omnivores if they have to be. Some can morph into winged adults and swarm. They change colors and behaviors depending on circumstances

This grasshopper is a bird grasshopper and looks very different. In western Texas they occur now in large numbers in the short grass fields. Some grow to huge sizes.

The greens and blues of the water in Austin is rather startling to someone with a background of greys and browns that we see in Corrales. This river estuary is pretty deep and the water is very clear. Turtles abound here, as do sunfish. There is little algae in the nutrient poor water.

Reservoirs are a relatively rare sight in New Mexico, and are often a flood control measure. In Austin this is also the case, but these reservoirs are also sources of power and water for the nearby cities.

 

 Nine banded armadillos are slowly spreading west into Central New Mexico, but are still a novel sight. Because they are nocturnal, they are most often seen as roadkill (like this one). They are unique animals in lots of ways

Many animals benefit from humans, even as they are negatively affected by them, like road killed armadillos. Roadkill has also allowed vultures like this black headed vulture to thrive while they migrate north during the summer. In Corrales we have the red headed turkey vultures and the ravens which fill the same niche. Humans are part of the ecosystem and many animals are actively benefiting from our behaviors, sometimes in strange and unexpected ways. It remains to be seen how we might feel about some of these creatures moving in with us.