Joann Merritt's Essays

Golladay Grove Field Trip
October, 2002

Observations in the Golladay Grove niche of our natural world were as varied as the group of Midnats. Present were a carpenter, cowboy, doctor, housewife, librarian, nurse, oil field worker and service representative.

As our group gathered at 5-Points we were discussing the concave circular bony structure that alert naturalists had picked up the week before. This structure matched the drawing of an owl’s eye socket made to hold the eyes of owls immoveable in The Owls of North America by Allen W. Eckert. Owls can’t move their eyes, hence must turn their entire heads to look around. Bill said this type of structure dates back to the dinosaur age.

In a flat sandy area was a patch of Lemon Pectis. This plant may be small but it has a powerful lemon-clean scent. Another plant that will grab the attention of your sense of smell is the sinus-clearing Camphor Daisy. Rainfall in the area had been sufficient to give us a good plant display, especially for drought-stricken Midland.

An understory of young Hackberry trees grew beneath the older ones, many of which were dead, Sandsage was in bloom, Balsam Gourd vines had both green-striped as well as mature red fruits and Green “Cholla decorated with bright red berries lived up to its common name of Christmas Cactus. Many species of native grasses were heavily laden with seeds and will furnish food for winter sparrows.

A type of mushroom called Earthstars were found but they were black instead of being light colored and so didn’t twinkle like stars. Speaking of stars, the star of the wildflowers was a rosy-pink Palafoxia. It matches the picture of Hooker Palafoxia in Wildflowers of Texas by Geyata Ajilsvgi, but that species is not on our county list - did we find a new plant for the county?

A porcupine resting in a tree didn’t seem to mind a close inspection, deer tracks were seen, pack rat nests were mounded high and mouse complexes were around the base of shrubs. At night in this sandy habitat Kangaroo Rats leap and Grasshopper Mice howl.

Butterflies were seen high and low, the Monarchs roosted in the tall Soapberry and Hackberry trees and would sail out to greet us as we passed by and numerous small yellow Dainty Sulphurs flew up from the low vegetation.

Birds were scarce but we managed to find a Yellow-rumped Warbler, Clay-colored Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia, Bewick’s Wren and an owl. Seeing the Green Heron in this habitat was quite a surprise. As we neared the end of our walk we witnessed the changing of the guard - a dozen or so Barn Swallows swiftly flew south and just as we reached the road the first White-crowned Sparrow of the fall regally perched in a Hackberry tree.