Limestone & Pumice: Buggin' Out

I think it's shift change at bug central. Now I don't see the Striped Blister Beetle any longer or the Box Elder Bug which resembles a miniature Cone Nose Beetle. Nope. Now we have another kind of beetle visiting the Big Bend Area. It's interesting but still has a catch and it has a non-threatening name for such a stinker of a nuisance. It's name is Pyrota palpalis or Charlie Brown Blister Beetle. You would think that they could name it Lucy Blister Beetle for all those pranks she played or poor ol' Pig Pen but no, they had to name it after a famous baseball player who had a penchant for laying around on baseball diamonds while being covered by a winter blizzard.

Pyrota palpalis (Charlie Brown Blister Beetle)

Bless his heart. Charlie Brown always gets the short end of the stick. And that's not the only thing that will get the short end of the stick if I see this thing resting its laurels on my bath towel again.

The Big Bend area has seen it's share of rain the past few days and it was welcomed with open arms and catchment tanks.

Stormy Skies and Cooler Temps

For two days straight it rained and poured. The cooler temperatures were welcomed by many. By cooler I do mean in the 80's.

Tule Butte in the background

...and no, the mountain in the background was not named after someone's famous butt. It's called a butte (pronounced as b-yoot).

Wonderfully toned blue skies followed the storms. And what follows the calm weather are butterflies and bees. They were all out today busying themselves with gathering their stores before the winter sets in. By winter I mean cooler weather. By cooler weather I mean 70's.

I have shown this particular plant before but I couldn't help but show it again. This is the Texas Yellow Trumpet Bush. Not to be confused with the Trumpet Vine or reddish blooms of another type of Trumpet Vine. This is native to Texas and the Chihuahuan Desert. It thrives from very little water and if given more water than usual for a desert it will run you out of town. This growth you see here is since March of this year. It attracts Hummingbirds, Humming Bird Moths, all kinds of bees, Butterflies by the boatload. It really is a spectacular plant.

I caught a photo of this Sulfur Butterfly visiting one of the blooms of the Trumpet Bush.

A close up shot of one of the blooms on the Trumpet Bush in front of the Big Bend Resort & Adventure front lobby.

Now ain't the little critter below just a cutie! I've never before been able to catch a photo of a bee in flight. I don't think this is a regular honey bee. There actually are a varied array of bees that pollinate the plants and flowers here in Texas. I just find it interesting to know about these creatures that we seem to take for granted. Without them, we would starve.