[{"id":3411,"date":"2026-09-21T09:41:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T15:41:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/?p=3411"},"modified":"2026-09-21T09:42:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T15:42:23","slug":"october-nature-spotlight-monarch-butterfly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2026\/09\/21\/october-nature-spotlight-monarch-butterfly\/","title":{"rendered":"October Nature Spotlight: Monarch Butterfly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Monarch Butterfly (<em>Danaus plexippus<\/em>)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each fall, one of nature\u2019s most remarkable migrations passes right through Texas. Millions of monarch butterflies make their way south toward their overwintering grounds in the mountains of central Mexico, and October is prime time to watch for these orange-and-black travelers in our part of Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Texas: A Monarch Superhighway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Texas plays an especially important role in the monarch&#8217;s life cycle because it lies between the butterfly&#8217;s primary breeding grounds to the north and its overwintering grounds in Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the fall migration, monarchs travel through Texas along two primary flyways. The main route stretches approximately 300 miles wide from Wichita Falls south to Eagle Pass. Monarchs begin entering this corridor during the final days of September, and most have continued into Mexico by early November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For West-Central Texas, the second and third weeks of October can be an especially good time to watch for migrating monarchs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An Incredible Journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The monarchs we see traveling south in the fall are different from the generations that moved north earlier in the year. Several generations may be involved in the northward journey, but the fall generation makes the long trip south to Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Monarchs may travel thousands of miles during migration. Along the way, they need places to rest and plenty of nectar to provide the energy necessary to continue their journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You may even find groups of monarchs gathered together in trees or other sheltered areas in the evening. These temporary roosts provide a place for the butterflies to rest overnight before continuing south.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Milkweed or Nectar Plants?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both are important, but for different reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Milkweed is the monarch&#8217;s host plant<strong>.<\/strong> Female monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed, and monarch caterpillars depend on milkweed for food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adult monarchs need nectar. During fall migration, flowering plants become important fueling stations. Adults feed on nectar to build the energy reserves they need for their long journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Texas A&amp;M AgriLife recommends fall-blooming nectar plants such as Gregg&#8217;s mistflower, frostweed, fall aster, Maximilian sunflower, blazing star, goldenrod and flame acanthus to help migrating monarchs and other pollinators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Can You Help?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the simplest ways Texans can help monarchs is by providing habitat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plant native milkweeds for monarch reproduction and provide a variety of native flowering plants that bloom at different times of the year. During fall, nectar-producing flowers are particularly valuable to migrating adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reducing unnecessary pesticide use and preserving native vegetation can also benefit monarchs and the many other insects that share their habitat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And don&#8217;t forget to observe. October is a wonderful time to get outside and look for monarchs moving through the Big Country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Did You Know?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can tell a male monarch from a female by looking at its hindwings. Male monarchs have a small black scent patch on a vein of each hindwing. Females do not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, the next time an orange-and-black butterfly passes through your yard this October, take a closer look. You may be watching a tiny traveler in the middle of an extraordinary journey across North America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sources:<\/strong> Texas Parks &amp; Wildlife Department; Texas A&amp;M AgriLife Extension and Texas A&amp;M University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Each fall, one of nature\u2019s most remarkable migrations passes right through Texas. Millions of monarch butterflies make their way south toward their overwintering grounds in the&#8230; <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2026\/09\/21\/october-nature-spotlight-monarch-butterfly\/\">Read More &rarr;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news","entry"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"landing-template-slider":false,"landing-template-thumbnail":false,"template-flexcolumns-2":false,"template-flexcolumns-3":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"archive":false,"gform-image-choice-sm":false,"gform-image-choice-md":false,"gform-image-choice-lg":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"dluckie","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/author\/dluckie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Each fall, one of nature\u2019s most remarkable migrations passes right through Texas. Millions of monarch butterflies make their way south toward their overwintering grounds in the... Read More &rarr;","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5XuXJ-T1","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1398"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3411\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":3410,"date":"2026-09-21T09:39:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T15:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/?p=3410"},"modified":"2026-09-21T09:51:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T15:51:12","slug":"october-nature-spotlight-goldenrod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2026\/09\/21\/october-nature-spotlight-goldenrod\/","title":{"rendered":"October Nature Spotlight: Goldenrod"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Goldenrod (<em>Solidago<\/em> spp.)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When brilliant yellow flowers begin appearing along roadsides, in fields, and across natural areas in the fall, goldenrod is often one of the plants putting on the show. But this native wildflower is more than just a splash of autumn color. Goldenrod provides an important late-season food source for butterflies, bees, beetles, wasps, and other insects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Fall Feast for Pollinators<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By October, many spring and summer wildflowers have finished blooming. Goldenrod helps fill that seasonal gap by providing nectar and pollen when fewer flowering plants may be available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Texas A&amp;M AgriLife identifies goldenrods as valuable late-season pollinator plants. Their flowers attract a wide variety of visitors, including bees, beneficial solitary wasps, pollen-eating beetles, moths and butterflies \u2014 including migrating monarchs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That makes a patch of blooming goldenrod a great place to stop and watch for insect activity on a sunny fall day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is Goldenrod Making You Sneeze?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Goldenrod has been blamed for fall allergies for generations, but it has largely been a case of mistaken identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Goldenrod&#8217;s bright yellow flowers are easy to notice, so when people begin sneezing at about the same time the plants begin blooming, goldenrod often gets the blame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The more likely culprit is <strong>ragweed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Goldenrod relies primarily on insects to move its pollen. Its pollen is relatively large and sticky and isn&#8217;t well suited for traveling through the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ragweed is different. Its flowers aren&#8217;t nearly as noticeable, but the plant releases lightweight pollen that can be carried by the wind \u2014 and into our noses and eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unfortunately for goldenrod, ragweed blooms at about the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More Than One Goldenrod<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Goldenrod&#8221; isn&#8217;t just one plant. The name is used for numerous species, particularly members of the genus <em>Solidago<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Different goldenrods can vary considerably in height, growth habit and preferred habitat. Some spread by underground stems called rhizomes and can form large colonies, while others grow in more compact clumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their clusters of tiny yellow flowers, however, make many goldenrods easy to recognize when they&#8217;re in bloom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An Important Part of the Food Web<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Goldenrod doesn&#8217;t just provide nectar for adult insects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Goldenrods also serve as host plants for the immature stages of several moth species. Insects feeding, resting and hunting among goldenrod in turn provide food for other wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A stand of goldenrod can become its own busy little ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Look closely and you may find bees gathering pollen, butterflies drinking nectar, beetles crawling among the flowers and predatory insects searching for their next meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Goldenrod and the Monarch Migration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Goldenrod&#8217;s fall bloom time makes it especially valuable to migrating monarch butterflies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Monarchs passing through Texas on their journey to Mexico need nectar-rich flowers where they can stop and refuel. Goldenrod is among the late-blooming plants that can provide that energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remember the difference: <strong>milkweed is essential for monarch caterpillars, while nectar-producing flowers such as goldenrod provide food for adult monarchs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Did You Know?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Goldenrod and ragweed can grow in the same areas and bloom at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So when you see a beautiful patch of goldenrod this October, don&#8217;t be too quick to blame those yellow flowers for your sneezing. Instead, take a closer look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You might discover that what appears to be a simple roadside wildflower is actually a busy fall feeding station for some of Texas&#8217; smallest wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) When brilliant yellow flowers begin appearing along roadsides, in fields, and across natural areas in the fall, goldenrod is often one of the plants putting on the&#8230; <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2026\/09\/21\/october-nature-spotlight-goldenrod\/\">Read More &rarr;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news","entry"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"landing-template-slider":false,"landing-template-thumbnail":false,"template-flexcolumns-2":false,"template-flexcolumns-3":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"archive":false,"gform-image-choice-sm":false,"gform-image-choice-md":false,"gform-image-choice-lg":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"dluckie","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/author\/dluckie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) When brilliant yellow flowers begin appearing along roadsides, in fields, and across natural areas in the fall, goldenrod is often one of the plants putting on the... Read More &rarr;","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5XuXJ-T0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1398"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3410\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":3196,"date":"2026-07-02T21:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T03:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/?p=3196"},"modified":"2026-07-02T21:34:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T03:34:44","slug":"mesquite-trees-and-beans-a-texas-native-with-a-complicated-reputation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2026\/07\/02\/mesquite-trees-and-beans-a-texas-native-with-a-complicated-reputation\/","title":{"rendered":"Mesquite Trees and Beans: A Texas Native with a Complicated Reputation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mesquite is one of those Texas plants people either appreciate, tolerate, or work hard to manage. It is tough, drought-tolerant, thorny, and deeply tied to the Texas landscape. For wildlife, pollinators, soil, and even people, mesquite offers many benefits. For landowners, it can also create real management challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meet the Mesquite<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Honey mesquite (<em>Prosopis glandulosa<\/em>) is a native Texas tree or shrub found across much of the state. It often grows with multiple trunks, thorny branches, an open crown, and delicate compound leaves. Texas A&amp;M describes honey mesquite as a medium-sized tree that may reach up to 40 feet tall, while the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center describes it as a shrub or small tree with a broad, spreading crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mesquite is well adapted to hot, dry areas. It tolerates drought, alkaline soils, and dry conditions, making it especially familiar across West and Central Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Does Mesquite Have Beans?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mesquite belongs to the legume family, the same plant family that includes peas and beans. Its long seed pods are often called \u201cmesquite beans.\u201d As a legume, mesquite can help improve soil quality by fixing nitrogen in the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In spring, mesquite produces fragrant flower spikes that attract pollinators. By summer, those flowers develop into pods that provide food for wildlife and, when properly collected and prepared, can also be used by people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wildlife Benefits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mesquite trees provide food, shade, and cover. Texas A&amp;M notes that the seeds or fruit are eaten by wildlife and that mesquite leaves cast light, filtered shade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mesquite beans are also used by wildlife. Texas A&amp;M AgriLife notes that mesquite beans can be a common summer food item for white-tailed deer in South Texas. TPWD also notes that javelinas feed on mesquite beans, along with prickly pear, fruits, mast, and insects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For birds and small animals, mesquite can provide protective cover and nesting habitat, especially in open or dry landscapes where shade and woody cover may be limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mesquite Beans and People<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mesquite beans have long been used as a food source. TPWD notes that mesquite is one of the most common woody plants of the Big Bend and that mesquite beans can be made into food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pods can be dried and ground into flour, which has a naturally sweet, nutty flavor. Anyone collecting mesquite beans should only use pods from clean areas free of pesticides, road runoff, mold, or insect damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Friend or Foe?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mesquite is native, useful, and valuable to wildlife, but it can also become a management concern. On rangelands, dense mesquite growth can reduce grass production and make livestock or wildlife management more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That does not mean every mesquite tree is bad. Good stewardship often means managing mesquite thoughtfully rather than removing it completely. In the right place and amount, mesquite can provide shade, food, soil benefits, wildlife habitat, and pollinator resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Texas Master Naturalist Takeaway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mesquite is a perfect example of why natural resource management is rarely simple. The same tree that feeds wildlife and improves soil can also create challenges for ranchers and land managers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Understanding mesquite helps us better understand Texas itself: tough, adaptable, useful, and sometimes a little thorny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Did You Know?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Honey mesquite is native to Texas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Its scientific name is <em>Prosopis glandulosa<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mesquite belongs to the legume family.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mesquite beans can be eaten by wildlife and used by people.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mesquite provides light, filtered shade.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is drought-tolerant and well adapted to dry Texas landscapes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Managing mesquite is often about balance, not total removal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Texas A&amp;M Forest Service \u2013 Texas Tree ID: Honey Mesquite<br \/>Texas A&amp;M Forest Service \u2013 Texas Tree Selector: Honey Mesquite<br \/>Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center \u2013 Honey Mesquite<br \/>Texas Parks and Wildlife Department \u2013 Mesquite uses and wildlife information<br \/>Texas A&amp;M AgriLife Extension \u2013 White-tailed deer browse information<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-separator uagb-block-e05b0be2\"><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-separator__inner\" style=\"--my-background-image:\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Try It at Home: Mesquite Bean Jelly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mesquite beans have been used as a food source for thousands of years. Besides grinding the pods into flour, another delicious way to enjoy this native Texas resource is by making mesquite bean jelly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>About 2 pounds ripe mesquite pods (clean, dry, and free of mold or insect damage)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>6 cups water<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bc cup bottled lemon juice<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 package (1.75 oz) powdered fruit pectin<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>4 to 5 cups granulated sugar<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Directions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rinse the mesquite pods thoroughly and break them into smaller pieces.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Place the pods in a large stockpot and cover with the water.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30\u201345 minutes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to steep for several hours or overnight to extract the flavor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strain the liquid through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer. Do not squeeze the cloth if you want a clear jelly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Measure 4 cups of the strained liquid into a clean saucepan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stir in the lemon juice and powdered pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Add the sugar all at once and stir continuously until the mixture returns to a rolling boil. Boil for one minute.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Remove from the heat, skim off any foam, and ladle into hot, sterilized jars.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Process in a boiling-water bath according to current home canning recommendations for your elevation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Serving Suggestions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mesquite bean jelly pairs well with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Warm biscuits or cornbread<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Toast or English muffins<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cream cheese and crackers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Glazed pork or chicken<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Charcuterie boards<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Homemade thumbprint cookies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Harvesting Tips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the best flavor:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Collect pods after they have fully matured and turned tan or light brown.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Taste a pod before harvesting. It should be naturally sweet, not bitter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid pods that show signs of mold, insect damage, or decay.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Harvest only from trees growing away from busy roads or areas treated with pesticides or herbicides.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mesquite is one of those Texas plants people either appreciate, tolerate, or work hard to manage. It is tough, drought-tolerant, thorny, and deeply tied to the Texas landscape. For wildlife,&#8230; <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2026\/07\/02\/mesquite-trees-and-beans-a-texas-native-with-a-complicated-reputation\/\">Read More &rarr;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news","entry"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"landing-template-slider":false,"landing-template-thumbnail":false,"template-flexcolumns-2":false,"template-flexcolumns-3":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"archive":false,"gform-image-choice-sm":false,"gform-image-choice-md":false,"gform-image-choice-lg":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"dluckie","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/author\/dluckie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Mesquite is one of those Texas plants people either appreciate, tolerate, or work hard to manage. It is tough, drought-tolerant, thorny, and deeply tied to the Texas landscape. For wildlife,... Read More &rarr;","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5XuXJ-Py","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1398"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3196\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":3124,"date":"2026-05-15T12:46:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T18:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/?p=3124"},"modified":"2026-05-15T13:03:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T19:03:35","slug":"prickly-pear-a-tough-texas-plant-with-many-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2026\/05\/15\/prickly-pear-a-tough-texas-plant-with-many-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Prickly Pear: A Tough Texas Plant with Many Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-image alignleft uagb-block-9dd45a94 wp-block-uagb-image--layout-default wp-block-uagb-image--effect-static wp-block-uagb-image--align-left\"><figure class=\"wp-block-uagb-image__figure\"><a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-scaled.jpg\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-768x1024.jpg ,https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-scaled.jpg 780w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-scaled.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 150px\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Field or green prickly pear cactus with yellow and orange blooms.\" class=\"uag-image-3122\" width=\"259\" height=\"345\" title=\"Prickly Pear Cactus\" loading=\"lazy\" role=\"img\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prickly pear cactus is one of the most common native plants found around Abilene and across West Texas. You can spot it growing along roadsides, in pastures, on ranches, and in home landscapes. With its flat green pads and bright flowers, prickly pear is both useful and beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In spring and early summer, prickly pear produces colorful blooms that are usually yellow, orange, or red. These flowers attract bees and other pollinators. Later in the year, the cactus grows reddish-purple fruit called \u201ctunas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prickly pear does very well in the hot, dry weather of West Texas. The pads store water, which helps the plant survive during drought. Because it needs very little water once established, prickly pear is often used in low-water or drought-tolerant landscaping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This cactus is also important for wildlife. Birds may use it for shelter and protection, while deer and other animals sometimes eat the fruit or pads. During severe droughts, ranchers have even burned off the spines so livestock could safely eat the cactus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prickly pear can be a great addition to native gardens, rock gardens, and low-maintenance flower beds. It grows best in full sun and well-drained soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even though prickly pear is helpful and attractive, gardeners should still be careful when handling it. Besides the large spines, many prickly pears have tiny hair-like stickers called glochids that can easily get into your skin and cause irritation. Thick gloves are recommended when working around the plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People have also used prickly pear as food for many years. The fruit can be turned into jelly, syrup, candy, and drinks. Young pads, called nopales, are sometimes cooked and eaten as a vegetable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prickly pear shows that tough Texas plants can still provide beauty, food, and benefits for wildlife while handling the harsh West Texas climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Simple Prickly Pear Lemonade<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This refreshing drink is a fun way to use prickly pear fruit from the cactus growing across West Texas. The bright pink color makes it especially popular during summer gatherings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1 cup prickly pear juice<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>4 cups cold water<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00be cup lemon juice<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bd cup sugar or honey<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ice<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lemon slices or mint for garnish (optional)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Directions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Carefully remove the outer skin from ripe prickly pear fruit while wearing gloves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blend the fruit until smooth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove seeds and any remaining tiny spines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In a large pitcher, combine prickly pear juice, water, lemon juice, and sugar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stir well until the sugar dissolves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Serve over ice and garnish with lemon slices or mint if desired.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Always use gloves when handling prickly pear fruit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chill before serving for the best flavor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You can adjust sweetness depending on how ripe the fruit is.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prickly pear fruit has a mildly sweet flavor that many people compare to watermelon or bubble gum. The bright color also makes it a favorite for summer drinks, jellies, and syrups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prickly Pear Jelly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prickly pear jelly is one of the most popular ways to use prickly pear fruit. It has a bright color and mildly sweet flavor that works well on toast, biscuits, or even over cream cheese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>4 cups prickly pear juice<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 package powdered pectin<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>5 cups sugar<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2 tablespoons lemon juice<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Directions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Carefully prepare and strain prickly pear juice from ripe fruit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pour juice into a large pot and stir in lemon juice and pectin.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bring to a rolling boil.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Add sugar and stir constantly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Boil for 1\u20132 minutes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Remove from heat and skim foam if needed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pour into sterilized jars and seal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fun Fact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prickly pear jelly is popular throughout the Southwest and makes a colorful homemade gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prickly Pear Syrup<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This syrup works great on pancakes, waffles, cheesecake, or stirred into tea and lemonade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>2 cups prickly pear juice<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 cup sugar<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 tablespoon lemon juice<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Directions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bring to a gentle boil.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reduce heat and simmer for about 15\u201320 minutes until slightly thickened.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Let cool and store in the refrigerator.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tip<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The syrup can also be mixed into sparkling water for a quick prickly pear soda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Roasted Nopales (Prickly Pear Pads)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Young prickly pear pads, called nopales, are commonly cooked as a vegetable in Texas and Mexican cuisine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>4 cleaned nopales pads<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 tablespoon olive oil<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Salt and pepper<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Garlic powder or chili powder (optional)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Directions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Carefully remove spines and rinse pads well.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Slice into strips or leave whole.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Toss lightly with oil and seasonings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Roast at 400 degrees for about 15\u201320 minutes or grill until tender.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Serve as a side dish or add to tacos and eggs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Do They Taste Like?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many people say nopales taste similar to green beans or asparagus with a slightly tangy flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prickly Pear Popsicles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These colorful frozen treats are great for hot West Texas summers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>2 cups prickly pear juice<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 cup lemonade<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2 tablespoons honey<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Directions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Mix all ingredients together.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pour into popsicle molds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Freeze for at least 4 hours.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enjoy on a hot day.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Kid-Friendly Idea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Add small fruit pieces like strawberries or blueberries before freezing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fun Facts About Prickly Pear<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Texas has many native prickly pear species.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The fruit is often called \u201ctuna.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The pads are called \u201cnopales.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prickly pear blooms can be yellow, orange, red, or pink.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some wildlife use prickly pear for food and shelter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The cactus is extremely drought tolerant, making it perfect for West Texas landscapes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prickly pear cactus is one of the most common native plants found around Abilene and across West Texas. You can spot it growing along roadsides, in pastures, on ranches, and&#8230; <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2026\/05\/15\/prickly-pear-a-tough-texas-plant-with-many-benefits\/\">Read More &rarr;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1398,"featured_media":3122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[68235],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas-nature-spotlight","entry"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-scaled.jpg",1920,2560,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-225x300.jpg",225,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-768x1024.jpg",768,1024,true],"large":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-768x1024.jpg",768,1024,true],"landing-template-slider":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-scaled.jpg",432,576,false],"landing-template-thumbnail":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-scaled.jpg",204,272,false],"template-flexcolumns-2":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-scaled.jpg",249,332,false],"template-flexcolumns-3":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-scaled.jpg",167,222,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-1152x1536.jpg",1152,1536,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-1536x2048.jpg",1536,2048,true],"archive":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-400x225.jpg",400,225,true],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-scaled.jpg",225,300,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-scaled.jpg",300,400,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-scaled.jpg",450,600,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"dluckie","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/author\/dluckie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Prickly pear cactus is one of the most common native plants found around Abilene and across West Texas. You can spot it growing along roadsides, in pastures, on ranches, and... Read More &rarr;","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5XuXJ-Oo","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2026\/05\/Image-9-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1398"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3124\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1961,"date":"2024-08-06T09:35:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T15:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/?p=1961"},"modified":"2024-08-06T09:31:44","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T15:31:44","slug":"test-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2024\/08\/06\/test-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Test 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Test 2<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Test 2<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news","entry"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"landing-template-slider":false,"landing-template-thumbnail":false,"template-flexcolumns-2":false,"template-flexcolumns-3":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"archive":false,"gform-image-choice-sm":false,"gform-image-choice-md":false,"gform-image-choice-lg":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"dluckie","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/author\/dluckie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Test 2","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5XuXJ-vD","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1398"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1961\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1958,"date":"2024-08-06T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/?p=1958"},"modified":"2024-08-06T09:28:38","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T15:28:38","slug":"test-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2024\/08\/06\/test-post\/","title":{"rendered":"Test Post"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a test to see where this shows up \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is a test to see where this shows up \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news","entry"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"landing-template-slider":false,"landing-template-thumbnail":false,"template-flexcolumns-2":false,"template-flexcolumns-3":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"archive":false,"gform-image-choice-sm":false,"gform-image-choice-md":false,"gform-image-choice-lg":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"dluckie","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/author\/dluckie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"This is a test to see where this shows up \ud83d\ude42","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5XuXJ-vA","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1398"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1958\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1627,"date":"2024-03-24T19:48:52","date_gmt":"2024-03-25T01:48:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/?p=1627"},"modified":"2024-03-24T19:49:11","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T01:49:11","slug":"prickly-pear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2024\/03\/24\/prickly-pear\/","title":{"rendered":"Prickly Pear"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"http:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/03\/Prickly-Pear-March-2024.pdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"424\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/03\/Prickly-Pear-March-2024-pdf-424x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1628\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news","entry"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"landing-template-slider":false,"landing-template-thumbnail":false,"template-flexcolumns-2":false,"template-flexcolumns-3":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"archive":false,"gform-image-choice-sm":false,"gform-image-choice-md":false,"gform-image-choice-lg":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"dluckie","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/author\/dluckie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":null,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5XuXJ-qf","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1398"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1627\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1533,"date":"2024-01-14T09:46:12","date_gmt":"2024-01-14T15:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/?p=1533"},"modified":"2024-01-16T08:03:20","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T14:03:20","slug":"this-winter-look-for-the-lesser-goldfinch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2024\/01\/14\/this-winter-look-for-the-lesser-goldfinch\/","title":{"rendered":"This Winter, Look for the Lesser Goldfinch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By Christopher Collins<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">The energetic songbird is a comfort in the Big Country cold.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Big Country\u2019s first freeze of the season came on October 31, 2023, turning vegetable gardens and trick-or-treaters alike into popsicles. My crop of Black Krim tomatoes was among the casualties; in another couple of days I could have filled a bucket with \u2019em. It was especially frustrating given that the freeze happened so early\u201411 days earlier than normal, according to the National Weather Service. It felt like a cruel irony when only a week later, on November 8, Abilene scorched its way to a new record-high temperature of 93 degrees (which was not only a record for that day, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weather.gov\/media\/sjt\/pdf\/Nov2023Highlights.pdf\">for the entire month<\/a> of November).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By January, winter has blown and blustered its way into the Big Country, for real this time. Which can be mighty unpleasant. But look on the bright side: This is a great time to spot cool new birds\u2014for instance, the lesser goldfinch, a brightly colored songbird that brings cheer to an otherwise dreary season. Last winter, in late February, I managed to attract two or three to a feeder in my garden; they were mixed in with a crowd of American goldfinches and house finches. (Hat tip to Dr. Ian Shelburne for the identification.) A tube feeder filled with nyjer seed was a magnet for all of the finches, and the lesser goldfinches also appeared to be interested in a sunflower suet cake. I hope they come back this year. I\u2019ve got my feeders locked and loaded if they do.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the section below, I\u2019ll share some general information on the lesser goldfinch, including its appearance, life cycle, and nesting behaviors. If this article piques your interest, consider attempting to attract the lesser goldfinch to your own backyard feeder\u2014with their bold yellow-and-black outfit and acrobatic antics, this bird is a ton of fun to watch.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/01\/Goldfinch-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"655\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/01\/Goldfinch-1024x655.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/01\/Goldfinch-1024x655.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/01\/Goldfinch-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/01\/Goldfinch-768x491.jpg 768w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/01\/Goldfinch-1536x982.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/01\/Goldfinch-2048x1309.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>To get started<\/strong>, here are some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/guide\/Lesser_Goldfinch\/id\">basic facts<\/a> about the lesser goldfinch, or <em>Spinus psaltria<\/em>. It\u2019s a member of the order Passeriformes, which includes perching birds, and the family Fringillidae, which includes the \u201ctrue\u201d finches\u2014smallish passerines with thick beaks for crunching seeds. Finches have a widespread distribution and tend to be colorful and fun to watch. The lesser goldfinch is a native bird and is common within its range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What does it look like?<\/strong> Males have a bright yellow belly and a black back. Look for splotches of white coloration on the wingbars. Females have a dull yellow or olive coloration; their wings are black with white stripes. It is the smallest of the finches, weighing between 8 and 11.5 grams.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Where does it live?<\/strong> The lesser goldfinch can be found all along the Pacific seaboard and into Mexico and Central America, where their range stretches into the Peruvian Andes. This is the only goldfinch that breeds in Texas. You can find them in the hottest and most humid half of the state: from Midland, near the border with New Mexico, to Victoria, halfway up the Gulf Coast. The Big Country appears to sit on the eastern periphery of <a href=\"https:\/\/ebird.org\/species\/lesgol\">their native range<\/a>, making sightings sparser here. The bird\u2019s natural habitat is open woodlands, where it seeks out seed-producing plants. It is readily attracted to feeders, especially seeds of plants from the Asteraceae family (e.g. sunflower, thistle, daisy).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What are its behaviors? <\/strong>Lesser goldfinches can gather in large flocks\u2014numbering several hundred birds\u2014while feeding. They don\u2019t seem to have a problem congregating with other finches. Like mockingbirds, lesser goldfinches sometimes incorporate <a href=\"https:\/\/travisaudubon.org\/murmurations\/texas-naturalists-notes-by-bill-reiner-goldfinches-and-siskins\">snippets of songs learned from other birds<\/a> in their own calls. Researchers have documented the lesser goldfinch mimicking 31 other bird species.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Where does it breed?<\/strong> In warmer climates, the lesser goldfinch doesn\u2019t migrate much before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.audubon.org\/field-guide\/bird\/lesser-goldfinch\">building a nest and raising chicks<\/a>. Farther north, breeding populations of goldfinches travel to New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona to nest. The male courts the female with a fluttering, chirping display; the female builds the nest and incubates the eggs mostly by herself. She lays 4 to 5 pale blue eggs that hatch after 12 days. Nestlings are fed by both parents.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why do I like it? And why should you?<\/strong> To me, the lesser goldfinch is a bright spot during the drudgery of winter. Their distinctive black-and-yellow coloration allows them to stand out from the sparse winter foliage. They\u2019re even brighter than the American goldfinches, whose males will still be wearing their (relatively) drab winter coat, only changing into their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/guide\/American_Goldfinch\/photo-gallery\/306710541\">stunning spring colors<\/a> after they\u2019ve flown the Big Country coop for points north. Their acrobatic little hops and jumps are fun to watch. I like that they\u2019re the only goldfinch that breeds in Texas\u2014it makes them feel more like a neighbor, or an old friend, coming by to say hello.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/01\/goldfinch-2-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"671\" src=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/01\/goldfinch-2-1024x671.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1535\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/01\/goldfinch-2-1024x671.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/01\/goldfinch-2-300x197.jpg 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/01\/goldfinch-2-768x503.jpg 768w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/01\/goldfinch-2-1536x1007.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2024\/01\/goldfinch-2-2048x1343.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Christopher Collins The energetic songbird is a comfort in the Big Country cold.&nbsp; The Big Country\u2019s first freeze of the season came on October 31, 2023, turning vegetable gardens&#8230; <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2024\/01\/14\/this-winter-look-for-the-lesser-goldfinch\/\">Read More &rarr;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1441,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"landing-template-slider":false,"landing-template-thumbnail":false,"template-flexcolumns-2":false,"template-flexcolumns-3":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"archive":false,"gform-image-choice-sm":false,"gform-image-choice-md":false,"gform-image-choice-lg":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"annabellemoore","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/author\/annabellemoore\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Christopher Collins The energetic songbird is a comfort in the Big Country cold.&nbsp; The Big Country\u2019s first freeze of the season came on October 31, 2023, turning vegetable gardens... Read More &rarr;","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5XuXJ-oJ","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1441"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1533"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1533\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1495,"date":"2023-09-20T18:35:27","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T00:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/?p=1495"},"modified":"2023-09-20T18:38:43","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T00:38:43","slug":"testing-a-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2023\/09\/20\/testing-a-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Testing a Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This is just a test to see where this blog goes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is just a test to see where this blog goes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news","entry"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"landing-template-slider":false,"landing-template-thumbnail":false,"template-flexcolumns-2":false,"template-flexcolumns-3":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"archive":false,"gform-image-choice-sm":false,"gform-image-choice-md":false,"gform-image-choice-lg":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"dluckie","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/author\/dluckie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"This is just a test to see where this blog goes","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5XuXJ-o7","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1398"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1495\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1381,"date":"2023-09-19T08:48:33","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T14:48:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/?p=1381"},"modified":"2023-09-19T08:48:36","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T14:48:36","slug":"my-baby-dinosaur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2023\/09\/19\/my-baby-dinosaur\/","title":{"rendered":"My Baby Dinosaur"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">By Randy Deming<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last fall I spotted a baby dinosaur under a picnic table. I did not tell anyone because I was afraid I would repeat a mistake I made a few years ago before I learned to use the iNaturalist app. I once spent the good part of an afternoon watching cute little baby hummingbirds. I took some pictures and showed them to some friends. One of them laughed and said, \u201cThey are not birds. Not even closely related. They are sphinx moths!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before I repeated another mistake, I posted the picture of my baby dinosaur using iNaturalist and discovered that it was a wheel bug Arilus cristatus. This insect looks a bit cretaceous because of a spiked wheel on its back which makes it easy to identify. In my mind it looks like a 1.5-inch stegosaurus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"http:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2023\/09\/wheel-bug.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2023\/09\/wheel-bug-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1379\" srcset=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2023\/09\/wheel-bug-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2023\/09\/wheel-bug-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2023\/09\/wheel-bug-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/files\/2023\/09\/wheel-bug.jpg 1171w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wheel bugs belong to the order \u201cHemiptera.\u201d Insects in this order are characterized by a triangular structure on their thorax called a \u201cscutellum,\u201d and by piercing, sucking mouthparts. Some species use these mouthparts to feed on the contents of leaves, stems, and seeds, while others, such as the wheel bug, feed on insects, drinking bodily fluids and liquified tissues. They are able to do this because they have a long sharp proboscis which they use to stab their prey and inject enzymes which liquify the innards which the wheel bug then sucks out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wheel bugs are beneficial insects for this reason. They prey on beetles, aphids, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, and stink bugs. Gardeners are excited to find these guys because they not only feed on harmful pest, but their presence indicates a healthy environment. This is because wheel bugs are at the top of the food chain. Finding these insects means all the other food web levels are intact and pesticides are no longer necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though these friends of the garden are shy and retiring and seldom bite humans, they will defend themselves if mishandled. Bob Androw from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History described a bite on his thumb in this manner,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cThe initial bite was not terribly bad, but unusual, feeling like a tiny electrical shock. In less than a minute, however, a sharp, burning sensation began spreading the length of my thumb. The pain reached a crescendo in about 5 minutes and stayed at that level for several hours. The next day the burning pain had subsided but was replaced with a dull throbbing ache that felt like I had hit my thumb with a hammer.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We can avoid repeating Bob Androw\u2019s experience by not handling these insects. The saying, \u201cYou leave them alone, they will leave you alone,\u201d is especially true for wheel bugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the spring, the female wheel bug will lay 40-200 eggs, which will then hatch as red and black nymphs \u215b cm long. After laying her eggs, the female dies. The hatched nymphs will then go through five molting stages before becoming adults. The characteristic wheel is missing at the nymph stage. As they mature, they will lose their bright red color and take on a more greenish gray color which gives them good camouflage for stalking their prey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am thankful these baby \u201cdinosaurs\u201d are only 1.5 inches long and do not have an aggressive temperament. We do not need to build a \u201cJurassic Park,\u201d or spray their environment with harmful chemicals. The key is to simply leave them alone so they can do their jobs of keeping harmful pests out of our gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Resources:<br \/>\u2022 Androw, Bob, \u201cSo Just What is a Wheel Bug,\u201d Carnegie Museum of Natural History. https:\/\/carnegiemnh.org<br \/>\u2022 Bohrod, Ryan, \u201cThe Wheel Bug in Your Garden,\u201d https:\/\/insectslehighvalley.com\/ April 20, 2016<br \/>\u2022 Wheel Bugs: \u201cThe Terminator in the Garden,\u201d https:\/\/soilsalive.com\/ March 26, 2015<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Randy Deming Last fall I spotted a baby dinosaur under a picnic table. I did not tell anyone because I was afraid I would repeat a mistake I made&#8230; <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/2023\/09\/19\/my-baby-dinosaur\/\">Read More &rarr;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1441,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news","entry"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"landing-template-slider":false,"landing-template-thumbnail":false,"template-flexcolumns-2":false,"template-flexcolumns-3":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"archive":false,"gform-image-choice-sm":false,"gform-image-choice-md":false,"gform-image-choice-lg":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"annabellemoore","author_link":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/author\/annabellemoore\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Randy Deming Last fall I spotted a baby dinosaur under a picnic table. I did not tell anyone because I was afraid I would repeat a mistake I made... Read More &rarr;","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5XuXJ-mh","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1441"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1381"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1381\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/txmn.org\/bc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]