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Yellow-crowned night heron on the lookout for edible food items in Pilant Slough in Brazos Bend State Park
Seven-foot-long alligator beside the Spillway Trail at Brazos Bend State Park. About fifteen minutes or so after I passed by this beauty I returned, to find that it had changed position to face the other direction. It was a warm afternoon, so it may have been contemplating moving into the water.
Golden silk spider (Nephila clavipes, a.k.a. banana spider and golden orb weaver) chowing down on a dragonfly
Small wildflower growing beside the trail from the nature center to Elm Lake in Brazos Bend State Park
Mr. and Mrs. Banana Spider, a.k.a. Golden Silk Spider, a.k.a. Golden Orb Weaver
The female is the larger of the two, which is the case for most spiders. The male usually keeps on the opposite side of the web from the female, as she often eats him after they mate. Such is the fate of the males of many spider species.
The American lotus is a large flower, probably the largest wildflower in Texas, with blooms up to two feet (60 cm) in diameter. It grows on a stalk high above the water, with a seed pod in the blossom's center. When the flower dies, the stalk bends over, allowing the seeds to fall out of the pod so they can resume the cycle next year.
Credit goes to Gene for this one. This was one of the larger gators that we saw at Brazos Bend. According to one of the park staff, it was hunting at the time. They drive their prey into shallow water and corner them. He did give Gene that come on down look though.
The green, algae looking stuff, is actually a plant that is named duckweed.
Oh, and finally summer is over!
Wilted wildflower beside Elm Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. I don't know what these flowers are, but I think this wilted look is normal for them.
I wasn't paying very close attention when this gator walked out in front of me, crossing the Spillway Trail from Pilant Lake to Pilant Slough in Brazos Bend State Park.
American coot perched on a piece of driftwood in 40 Acre Lake, Brazos Bend State Park
A close look at the bird's toes reveals flaps of skin attached to them. When it swims, the flaps flare out when the bird pushes back against the water, helping to propel it in much the same way a webbed foot does. Many people see the birds swimming on top of the water and assume they're ducks, which they clearly aren't.
Vultures - mostly black vultures - in a tree and on the ground beside Creekfield Lake, Brazos Bend State Park
In Southeast Texas the appearance of mushrooms is a sign of impending autumn. These are beside the trail around Creekfield Lake in Brazos Bend State Park.
Young gator - roughly three years old - beside the trail around 40 Acre Lake in Brazos Bend State Park
A great-horned owl eats a squirrel (the squirrel's tail is visible just below the bird's tail) in a tree beside the HQ of Brazos Bend State Park
Cypress knees are part of the root system of the bald cypress tree. They probably help anchor the tree in wet ground and help the tree survive its roots being mostly submerged. Most trees can't live in water like this, but bald cypress trees do just fine. They are the state tree of Louisiana and are found throughout the South.
A yellow jacket builds a nest for its eggs at one of the fishing piers in Brazos Bend State Park. These wasps can produce a very painful sting and have even been known to kill people who had allergies to their stings.
If it were a pot o' gold, it would be appropriate for St. Patrick's Day, but alas, it's not.
A group of young gators such as this is commonly referred to as a pod.
A young alligator looks like it's trying to climb a log to get out of the water. In reality, it's dozing while trying to catch a few rays at water's edge.
In Brazos Bend State Park, Texas