I'm including an observation of this low, fleshy, pale green (to pinkish) Sedum since it has been long established as a waif on the roadside of Salton Drive. I'm still not sure which species it might be, but probably a non-native species.
Medina River Greenway
There are many differences between Vachellia farnesiana (Huisache) and Vachellia schaffneri var. bravoensis (Huisachillo) other than the obvious differences in fruit, although noticing these differences requires some attention to detail.
The most reliable way to distinguish these two taxa besides the fruit is examination of the leaves. V. farnesiana has a petiolar gland that is partway down the petiole from the most basal pair of pinnae, meaning there is a noticeable gap between the lowest pair of pinnae and the gland on the petiole. And the petiolar gland tends to be small, not prominent (raised), and doesn't really stand out in coloration. By comparison, V. schaffneri var. bravoensis has the petiolar gland immediately adjacent to the most basal pair of pinnae (no gap present), the gland is usually also slightly larger, prominent, and is more noticeable due to its red coloration. These traits are visible in the first photo of this observation.
V. schaffneri var. bravoensis also tends to be smaller to much smaller than V. farnesiana at full maturity, the inflorescences tend to be somewhat more yellow (yellowish-orange rather than orange), the twigs tend to have a minor zigzag habit, the nodes tend to be more swollen/enlarged, the leaves tend to have less pairs of pinnae on average and the pinnae sometimes are slightly recurved (bent backwards), the paired spines are slightly different and often noticably sharper to the touch, and the flowers have a slightly different scent than V. farnesiana - more complex and even more pleasant than V. farnesiana. Hopefully you noticed all the "tends to" and "often" in this description rather than speaking in absolutes. It is more reliable to identify these taxa based on the petiolar gland characteristics than all the aforementioned traits put together.
Fell out of a tree this morning and squawked excessively. Stopped a bit, then started up again and flew off. Suspect fledgling?
Neighbor says this is a sharp-shinned hawk.
Looks different than surrounding Sedum nuttallii
with @jmvanel and @cliftonladd
It's weird to see Aster blooming in spring.
There are records that this species is growing here at the refuge.
Regen on a disturbed site; a utility corridor that was scraped down to a limestone dipface. These little junipers all bear adult foliage, even though some of them are only 10-20 cm tall.
All of these passionflower leaves are on the SAME vine! At first I thought the yellow leaf was a birdwing passionflower but most of the rest of the leaves look like a yellow passionflower. Yellow passionflowers are WAY more common in this area in my experience.
Associated species: Myriopteris alabamensis, Parietaria pensylvanica, Toxicodendron radicans, Ptelea trifoliata, Callicarpa americana, Celtis laevigata, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Tinantia anomala
Several plants were found just inside the fence-line north of Power-line Pond. Part sun, sandy loam soil. Associated plants: Cynodon dactylon, Bromus catharticus, Oenothera speciosa, Callirhoe involucrata.
Exploring some unfamiliar Milam county roads for possible clues and enlightenment about location sites for the BRIT georeferencing project.
Made some observations in the church yard near the Sand Grove Cemetery.
Exploring some unfamiliar Milam county roads for possible clues and enlightenment about location sites for the BRIT georeferencing project.
Made some observations in the church yard near the Sand Grove Cemetery.
A lone phlox that happened be white was observed apart from the other pink phloxes in the area.