paul_dennehy 的最愛

With Don Fraser; checking on the status of blazing stars -- there are a lot and they'll be blooming en masse in less than a month (?); a few plants were already blooming. We spent time at three sites: two along Thunder Crossing Road north of Gopher Road, and one along Gopher Road east of Thunder Crossing Road. We drove Thunder Crossing Road north to the gate at Hernando Sportsman's Club property, then turned back south. Among others, I am reporting the following animal taxa: 22 butterflies (including 8 hairstreaks and 6 yellows/sulphurs), 11 moths (including one, maybe two lifers), and 5 robber flies (including at least two lifers, I think). We also visited the area with the recently-described Small-leaved Bluecurls (Trichostema microphyllum), an Endangered species apparently endemic to the Brooksville Ridge in Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco counties; we found 4 plants, none with flowers. The weather at the start was sunny and 77 degrees, with a light breeze. The weather at the end was sunny and 94 degrees ("feels like" 100) with a light breeze. We left at 1225 at headed to Hardee's for lunch.

Last night on the road from my 2-1/2 week excursion to Colorado and back. I spent the night at the isolated Chimney Hollow camping area on Lake Meredith. It was a windy warm night without much moth activity.