Palmetto State Park

I'm not afraid to camp alone and have done it often, but sitting around a campfire alone is no fun.  When I learned one of the adventure clubs was spending a weekend camping at Palmetto State Park, I was happy to be able to join them.  It was sitting around the campfire with them that I learned of the "Ottine Swamp Thing".   After reading the story of the "thing" they said, "Now let's go on a night hike."   

Monsters?  They didn't mention this in the brochure.  I had to try to find this "thing" of which they spoke.  We hiked the Palmetto Trail by moonlight, but did not find evidence of the creature.  We did find a tree full of vultures, which was a little creepy.   

I'm jealous.  Why don't we have a "thing" in our Houston-area swamps?  Maybe we don't need to invent monsters because we have alligators.  Or maybe we used to have one until the alligators ate him.   

I suspect the swamp rabbit is the true culprit.  If he is hopping along through the palmettos, the fronds will sway.  I found this one on the San Marcos River Trail.

Also found on the river trail, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drills holes and comes back to eat the sap and the insects it attracts.        

There were a large number of vultures in this park.  I found these two Black Vultures along the Ottine Swamp Trail.

Also hanging out on the swamp trail was a Question Mark Butterfly, so named because of a mark found on the other side of his wings.  I spent a great deal of time waiting...waiting...for the wings to open for the perfect shot...not realizing he was posing with his namesake exposed.  Lesson learned.

He is beautiful.  I like the purple edging on the bottom.  

I'm linking up with Outdoor Wednesday.




The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail:  Central Texas Coast
CTC029
Date of visit:  February 15-16, 2014
Time of day:  Sunrise - noon
Temp:  60 deg F
Conditions:  Overcast, calm
Species Identified (14):  Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Northern Cardinal, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Savannah Sparrow, American Goldfinch, American Crow, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Carolina Wren