The Hays Humm - May 2020
The Hays Humm
May 2020
Cover Photo of Summer Tanager
Tom Jones - Betsy Cross - Constance Quigley
This bucolic riparian scene is a retention pond in Cheryl Moczygemba’s Buda subdivision, holding water year-round now because of mud dams, "beaver dams," which raise the pond level high enough to make the smaller, iconic stick mounds possible; these lodges are where the young beavers are raised. Cheryl’s one of the few who have seen them. But are they really beavers?
Cheryl Moczygemba, a member of the Hays County Master Naturalist 2020 training class, shared her photos of a tenacious species of Texas wildlife near her home. The City of Buda bulldozed it all in early 2019, leaving the, uh, beaver high and dry. But by fall, they were baaack, cutting, weaving, and mudding away.
Cheryl still owes us a daytime shot of these mysterious animals; for now, we have their tracks. And no, as alliterative as it may be, those aren't Buda beavers. They're invasive nutria - smaller and lacking the wide flat tail.
Photo by Petar Milošević
The federal government defines an “invasive species” as “a species that is non-native or alien to an ecosystem” and “causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.” As a Texas invasive species, the nutria ranks #3, right after zebra mussels and feral hogs, and just before red fire ants. Yep, that’s bad. And nope, there’s no season on ‘em! Tastes like chicken.
Nutria populations have swelled and spread since the 1970s with the decline of the fashion fur trade. Prized for their thick glossy brown fur and tolerance for warm climate, they were imported to Louisiana from South America in the 1930s and bred as a more affordable “mink.” Your grandmother looked great and wasn’t telling. But as with zebra mussels and kudzu, imported for a perceived economic benefit, nutria escaped into the ecosystem during a 1940 hurricane and are now a damaging invasive in warm wet places across the southern United States. In only decades, these enthusiastic little colonizers have spread inland into streams and shallow lakes across the entire eastern half of Texas - and into large runoff containment ponds like Cheryl’s.
Photo from Peleg • Public domain
Nutria (Myocastor coypus = “beaver rat”), or the coypu, is a one- to two-foot-long, semi-aquatic, herbivorous rodent related to muskrats and the larger beavers, all members of the Echimyidae family of spiny rats. An adult 15-pound nutria looks like a small beaver, but with a bristly white muzzle, a slimmer, less flat, rat-like tail, webbed hind feet, and outrageously orange front teeth.
Those two enormous orange-enameled incisors and the large thigh muscles give nutria the engineering power to rival the beaver twice their size.
They’re built to cut and drag four-inch green willow and cypress saplings and wedge them together into their lodge mounds. Nutria also build extensive dams of small branches, grasses and mud. Working at night, a pair of nutria can destroy - eat, move, or undermine - in a week what nature or your subdivision developer spent years to design.
As suburban Buda discovered, efforts to regenerate destroyed areas are usually futile. Nutria are known to denude restored vegetation even more quickly, gorging on the new-planted seedlings and saplings. They’ve taken out hundreds of thousands of acres of marshland and floodplain along the Gulf Coast - and are now rearranging Cheryl’s backyard.
She’s had time lately to observe. “I am a school secretary and so am working from home. However, I walk my little ponds for two hours a day now!...I think most neighbors and Buda residents do not even know [the nutria] exists. Many people stick to the jogging trail and do not realize we have such wildlife in our ‘backyard.’ ...As a future Master Naturalist, I try to understand the city's point of view - especially when the beaver gnawed down one of my favorite little trees! But there must be a balance between the needs of the city, i.e., rainwater flood prevention, and the needs of animals and their ecosystem.” And that dilemma is one to gnaw on.
Read more at StateImpact for National Public Radio and at Coypu
Cheryl Moczygemba’s attention to the natural world around her and her readiness to contribute to this article are typical of the 2020 Training Class’ enthusiasm. We’d love to have your ideas and your photos. Share what you’re seeing; tell your class reporters, Steve Wilder and Mimi Cavender. They’d love to write it up. You can contact us at news@haysmn.org.
by Tom Jones
Before stay at home restrictions, a friend asked if I was interested in finding an outcrop in the Wimberley area to see the base of the Edwards Formation. That is to say, he wanted to locate the boundary between the Edwards and Glen Rose Formations. My answer was a definite yes. These two geologic layers are critically important to Hays County, and I wanted to see them in their natural setting, rather than in an illustration in the geologic literature. The younger Edwards Formation overlies the Glen Rose and is home to the famous Edwards Aquifer. The underlying Glen Rose Formation is locally known for the middle Trinity Aquifer, which includes the Cow Creek limestone. Finding an outcrop to observe the boundary between these formations was a challenge. In the Wimberley Valley, the Edwards Formation is missing except in a few areas. It has been eroded away, and the only outcrops are on the high ridges on either side of the Blanco River.
Illustration of the lower Edwards and the upper Glen Rose formations.
This is a stratigraphic chart showing the typical rock layers for both formations. The diagram was used to help locate the boundary. Ref. Hydrogeologic Atlas of the Hill Country Trinity Aquifer, 2010.
Boundary between the Edwards and Glen Rose Formations
The top of the outcrop is composed of the Edwards Formation and its massive limestone layers. Below is the Glen Rose Formation composed of a series of alternating thin limestone and softer clay layers. The boundary is between these two.
Edwards Formation on top of the outcrop
A review of the geologic literature and maps helped find possible boundary locations. Several sites were identified, but most were on private land. The goal was to find an outcrop with easy access via county roads. About a week later, we drove to a high ridge on Fulton Ranch Road to view an outcrop. The cliff created by the road cut offered a good look at the native rock layers. The uppermost section of the outcrop showed the Edwards Formation with its thick continuous limestone layer. Immediately below was the Glen Rose Formation with many thin alternating layers of hard and soft limestone. This type of layering creates the “stair step” topography common in the Hill Country. Clearly there was a change between these two sections, a good sign we had found the base of the Edwards and the boundary. The boundary is not a layer, but represents a change in the geologic formations. What we saw was a good match to the reference literature. We had found the boundary.
I am sure most HCMN are familiar with Fulton Ranch Road and the wonderful views of the Blanco River valley. You may not have noticed this outcrop, since most would be looking at the steep hill and the stunning view. The outcrop is at the beginning of the hill and is on the west side of the road. It is not a large cliff, and the thickness of the visible Edwards is less than 10 feet.
Meet Your Master Naturalist
Bob Adkins
2019 Class Texas Horned Lizard
Bob Adkins
About Myself: My love of nature started early - fishing the streams of northern Arizona with my grandfather, followed by hiking in both pine forest and desert. My first backpacking trip was at age 10, and I’ve continued to this day. As an adult in Boy Scouts of America, I backpacked at Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico three times, once with each of our children. On each trip we had a black bear enter our campsite. Again, while canoeing the boundary waters in northern Minnesota with my younger son, we had black bear enter several of our camp sites. With proper care and a bit of noise, we had no issues, and the bears decided to wander off.
You May Not Know: Conservation and stewardship have always been important to me. This conservative aspect includes a couple of antique British roadsters - an Austin-Healey 3000 and a Sprite, that we’ve owned since the early 1980s. Both were built in 1960.
Fave Master Naturalist Activity: One of the things I most like about the Texas Master Naturalist program is its broad scope. I’ve always considered myself more of a generalist, so this dovetailed quite well. If I had to choose a single activity that I really enjoyed, it would have to be the Canyon Lake Gorge hike. We liked it so much that a few months later we took our children when they were visiting.
Critter I most identify with: My wife’s family of eight adopted alliterative animal monikers as they grew up. Their house was a Zoo, and they answered the “Zimmer Zoo”. Eventual spouses, and later grandchildren, were brought into this. I appropriately was the Bear.
Tina Adkins
About Myself: I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, actually in Corrales. My favorite pastimes were all in the great outdoors - days spent riding along the Rio Grande River with my dogs and a pack lunch or training ex-racehorses for show. I obtained a BS in Psychology and Biology from University of New Mexico (UNM), but switched to Accounting and Auditing for Bob Bullock once in Austin. During my 30 years living in the Hill Country, capturing the intimacy of nature in photographs has simply enchanted me. Perhaps New Mexico isn’t the only Land of Enchantment! Tending vegetable and fruit gardens, even the tedious weeding and digging in the dirt, is rather uplifting.
You May Not Know: One of my many projects in biology at UNM was to research and locate various herptiles, such as the Jemez Mountains salamander, Arizona tree uta, mountain skink, Chihuahua whiptail, short-horned lizard, and various other frogs, toads, and snakes on a New Mexico map. Perhaps an interesting design for a quilting project? Beginning in 1984 in Austin, I initiated both a neighborhood recycling program and an Adopt-a-Highway project with our Austin-Healey car club - still a quarterly endeavor.
Fave Master Naturalist Activity: Basically anything involving flora and fauna, physical labor, restoration, collection, monitoring or categorizing. I have thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of opportunities within HCMN and would like to dabble in many different areas. Chaetura Canyon, Bamberger Ranch, and Canyon Lake Gorge were high on my list of activities.
Bird I most identify with: Until our travels to New Zealand, I had always identified with the roadrunner, the New Mexico state bird. However, I now believe in the addition of the Fantail (Rhipidura) and the Bellbird (Anthornis melanura) - the Maoris call it Korimako. I definitely identify with the Fantail, since it is a most curious and flirtatious bird with the strongest desire not to miss out on anything, and it consistently follows new activities or people. And the Bellbird, I admire for its amazingly bold songs.
Linda Paul
2019 Class Texas Horned Lizards
Linda Paul
About Myself: I’m a fifth generation Texan, born and raised in Fort Worth. I’ve lived all over the State - Austin five different times, Houston for nearly 40 years, Dallas, El Paso, where my daughter was born and I spent a lot of time across the border; Dripping Springs, and now Wimberley. My husband and I owned a large ranch in South Texas, and I spent most of my weekends there, skeet shooting, fishing, and digging cactus. I brought cacti back to Houston, where I was successful in growing them in that water! My daughter and her family - the three best Grands in the world! - live nearby. How lucky am I?
You May Not Know: At 70 years dumb, I purchased a 35’ Winnebago and traveled the US and the Mexican beaches! During my RV-ing, I regularly volunteered with Habitat for Humanity.
Fave Master Naturalist Activity: GARDENING! I’m a Master Gardener from the Gulf Coast - not applicable here! My half acre is filled with flowers - natives and roses mostly and yes, cactus! Also, I’m starting my first water garden on a grand scale. All for the birds, bees, butterflies, and all creatures.
Critters I most identify with: The Mockingbird. I like to “talk” too! Mockingbirds have such energy and happiness. And of course, Horny Toads. Oh, South Texas!
Mimosa borealis
Pink evening primrose
Monarch caterpillar on antelope horns milkweed
Texas Bluebonnet
Prairie celestial or pleatleaf
Tiger moth caterpillar on pink mimosa
Yellow-shouldered drone fly on sow thistle
Cornflower
Yellow Flax
Indian Paintbrush
Western honeybees nectaring on antelope horns milkweed
Henry Duelberg salvia (Salvia farinacea)
“In biology, nothing is clear, everything is too complicated, everything is a mess, and just when you think you understand something, you peel off a layer and find deeper complications beneath. Nature is anything but simple.”
On January 7th of this year, I finally put up a fence. A 6’3” welded wire fence with steel posts. The deer should not jump it. Yes, I know that they COULD jump it if they wanted, but they really have no reason to. Plus, if they do, the dogs would surely have something to say about it. And it would not be a very nice something.
So what does this mean for the 4 acres? How will the land respond to this change?
Two weeks after going up, I literally stumbled into a dewberry (Rubus trivialis) patch where none existed before. I wasn’t looking down while walking. I normally look down when walking in areas where I know dewberries live since they are deadly to bare ankles and toes. Later, I stepped on a few new Huisache (Acacia farnesiana) trees while wearing very old Crocs. They weren’t thick enough to keep the thorns out of my feet.
Is this what I have to look forward to? Deadly traps? Stabbing thorns?
If I give attention to the land will it be friendlier? Will it care?
What should I do? Work at restoring the natural diversity by pulling weeds, planting natives, and even do some mowing? Or let Nature figure it out?
I have lived here for 15 years and have planted some natives, some not natives, mowed in places, and not mowed in others. I have weeded and not weeded. I have worked hard for all 15 years at pulling up the doveweed (Croton monanthogynus) that was (is still?) everywhere. And I keep working at limiting the amount of sandburs (Cenchrus spinifex) that want to grow by the house and in the meadow.
And every year it seems like a new plant takes front and center. This year it is Texas wintergrass (Nassella leucotricha). Last year it was Beggar’s lice (Torilis arvensis). The year before, Texas Bedstraw (Galium texanse) overran my Henry and Augusta Duelberg salvias (Salvia farinacea). They have not really recovered, and with this year’s rampant wintergrass (speargrass) in the same area, I think they may be gone for awhile.
With the deer gone, what will prosper? Will I get even more Greenbriar (Smilax bona-nox) to stab me when I walk through the woods?
Will the Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium ensigerum?) multiply? How about the Dayflower (Commelina erecta)?
Will some of the flower seeds I spread over the years and never saw finally come up?
Will I weed? Will I mow? Will I not?
I have four-day-old puppies as I write this, so I know the answer to some of my questions. I won’t be doing much yard work or landscaping at all for eight weeks. That brings me into the summer, and then I plan to raise another litter of puppies in the fall. So for this year, I can comfortably procrastinate without guilt and just watch what happens. I will try to catalog what I find and mark its location. Maybe what I find will determine how active I am next year as well.
No matter what happens though, it will be interesting.
