The LLELA Excursion
A few days ago I was invited by @sambiology to go to out to the LLELA out in Lewisville to help look for a very interesting Damselfly that was not like anything we have ever seen before. I went out there on Saturday along with @briang @brentano @mchlfx and several others to look for this illusive Damsel. I arrived at 10:10 and when I arrived I didn't find my crew so my aunt and I decided to head down to one of the trails to see if we couldn't find my team. Along the way I couldn't help but noticed the huge swarms of grasshoppers that were around the area. Every time they would hop they would look like little Sulfur Butterflies due to the way their wings looked when they hit the sun light. I also encountered a Punctured Tiger Beetle which was digging in the sand looking for something to snack on. It was a very nice morning but it was soon going to be very hot but I didn't mind. We walked by the river and caught sight of a Bald Eagle flying around the river. It was pretty cool to see one up close. The closest I have been to a Bald Eagle was at the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center back in 2015; they have that nesting pair down there. Anyway still not catching sight of my team we decided to turn back and then we ran into Michael Fox and he asked if I was the man they were looking for and I said yes and he explained what was going on. As it turned out a few of the team were running late but I didn't mind. I got to see that Bald Eagle which is a bird I hardly ever get to see. Back in the 90s and early early early 2000s Bald Eagles were very hard to come by. Now they are almost everywhere around the rivers and lakes. Anyway Michael gave me a life to the welcome center and he introduced me to the rest of the staff and then we headed down the path. We didn't go on the trail head we cut into the pass a little bit but met the rest of the team later on. There was a lot of stuff out there Saturday. There were tons of dragonflies and a few Damselflies, several butterflies, and several other interesting insects. Along the way Michael and I talked about different things and watched for dragonflies and I must say I enjoyed talking with him. He is very knowledgeably. With these kinds of meet ups that involve iNatters; you tend to learn a lot from them. I remember Michael saying you cant' learn half of the stuff that you learn from iNaturalist users in school. I have to say that is very true. We headed down into an area near a clearing and we saw the biggest Shelf Fungus I had ever seen. It was really awesome. About the time we made it up there Sam and the others made it to our locations and met up with us. We showed Sam and the others the Shelf Fungus and it took them by surprise. It was like the scene in the first Jurassic Park where Ellie and Allen were looking at the Brachiosaurus in the first few minutes into the first move. Not the same but our reactions to that shelf fungus were very close to that which was funny. The look on Sam's face was priceless. It was a great day at the LLELA we found I don't know how many things that I had not seen on my life list before. This week in general I have made my species total 684. My total in observations from this trip and Sunday's mini excursion with my mother is now 1558. This has been the best iNaturalist year I have had yet. It sure has indeed been one of the busiest years I have had. The LLELA is such a beautiful place; it is so beautiful I could spend a lifetime there. It is my kind of place. I didn't know we had a marsh up there that far up. It is truly a hidden gem if I have ever seen one. Out of all the parks I have been to in my lifetime the LLELA is one of the very best. It has a little bit of everything much like the Fort Worth Nature Center. It really took my breath away for a time. After we looked around the forest it was time to take a trip down the Bittern Trail. That was an experience. It was nice and sunny and spending time near the river was just what the doctor ordered. It was so blue and sparkling and teaming with life. At one sunny patch we saw that there were a whole bunch of American Rubyspot Damselflies. That is a species I have not documented yet on my life list. Those guys were so beautiful. They were one of my absolute favorites on the trek. I also got to see my first baby American Bullfrog. Normally I just see the adults but let me tell you it was amazing. It was also a good day for a little bit of natural drama. We encountered at least three types of Robber Flies all with something to eat. It was a day when nearly everything seemed to be hungry. Then on the bitter trail I remember getting a photo that was unlike anything I had ever captured in my life. There was a butterfly on a plant at the marsh and me and this one guy were looking at it and we noticed that there was something up with it. It was not acting right but we soon found out that there was a Bold Jumping Spider that had killed and was in the process of eating it. It was indeed a day for natural drama. We also found a Beaver Skull and a nearly complete Armadillo skeleton that was all crushed but a lot of it was still intact. It was kind of a crazy day but it was fun. I even got to see my very first Green Tree Frogs out in the wild. When the word Tree Frog comes to mind I often am thinking about the Red-eyed Tree Frog that lives in the rain forest. I have heard stories of people finding them in Texas but I guess seeing it for yourself makes it a little more believable. They are so cute the way they tuck their legs under their bodies and just hang out on the grasses and other marsh vegetation. I really had a lot of fun seeing all the cool wildlife here. We found about 34 or so different species on Saturday. I cant' wait to go back to the LLELA center. I may have to plan a trip there when it gets to being peak Dragonfly season. I may also have to take a few birding trips there during the winter months or the spring months before it gets way to hot for them. I think I might be able to find a good cross section of life in the spring if I get there at the right time. I really enjoyed the hike we got to see some pretty neat and exciting creatures. So with that said I guess I take my leave for now but I have another BioBlitz to go on next weekend so there is much more to come to this journal. This is Zachary Chapman AKA galactic_bug_man signing out. Live Long and Prosper folks.