Last Sunday afternoon Hill Country Conservancy took its EPIC group on a tour of its first conservation easement property, the High Gate Ranch just south of Dripping Springs. What a beautiful property! The land was lush from the uncharacteristically wet August we've had. Here are a couple especially scenic spots:
From these high spots we got to see waves of American Snout butterflies migrating southeast-ish. I read that this species' migration is not so regular. It's often based on population explosions, and the migration is more often away from these high population areas than just south in the fall and north in the spring. I got this photo of one of them that stopped. You can see where the common name comes from!
Here's my eBird list.
Here are my photos on Flicker.
And attached are my iNaturalist observations.
Taken on Hill Country Conservancy's EPIC tour of the High Gate Ranch south of Dripping Springs.
Taken on Hill Country Conservancy's EPIC tour of the High Gate Ranch south of Dripping Springs.
Taken on Hill Country Conservancy's EPIC tour of the High Gate Ranch south of Dripping Springs.
Taken on Hill Country Conservancy's EPIC tour of the High Gate Ranch south of Dripping Springs.
See how on the right side this butterfly is advertising fake antennae. the actual head end is on the left.
Taken on Hill Country Conservancy's EPIC tour of the High Gate Ranch south of Dripping Springs.
Taken on Hill Country Conservancy's EPIC tour of the High Gate Ranch south of Dripping Springs.
At high spots on the ranch especially, we saw waves of these American Snout butteflies heading south or southeast. I read that this species' migration is not so regular. It's often based on population explosions, and the migration is just away from these high population areas. It's not always south in the fall and north in the spring.
Taken on Hill Country Conservancy's EPIC tour of the High Gate Ranch south of Dripping Springs.
Taken on Hill Country Conservancy's EPIC tour of the High Gate Ranch south of Dripping Springs.
Taken on Hill Country Conservancy's EPIC tour of the High Gate Ranch south of Dripping Springs.
Taken on Hill Country Conservancy's EPIC tour of the High Gate Ranch south of Dripping Springs.
Does anyone know what this egg mass might be from? I'm assuming leopard frogs?
Taken on Hill Country Conservancy's EPIC tour of the High Gate Ranch south of Dripping Springs.
Taken on Hill Country Conservancy's EPIC tour of the High Gate Ranch south of Dripping Springs.
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