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Taken on Lake Creek Trail in Williamson County. In my birding by ear workshops I promote the idea that if you can invest the time to learn your local birds, then birds give back to you a way to optimize feeling strongly connected to nature in brief times spent outside. This goes for plants, groups of insect, and any area in nature observation that clicks with you and trigggers you to dive in and learn the details. This morning was a great example of this idea. In two hours covering less than one mile on Lake Creek Trail, I had multiple nature connection experiences!

Williamson County, Texas; East of Camp Tejas
6/3/2023
Zeltnera texensis

I was surprised to find a sizeable patch on the edge of this grassy field, adjacent to where an area had been disced near the two track. I have seen them near Camp Tejas before, but they are much more common in thin-soiled, rocky areas areas further downstream near the dam. One of 3 patches I saw on the day, so they did seem uncommon.

Corolla lobes about 4-5mm long x 2mm wide, tubes about 10mm with calyx almost as long. Cauline leaves about 1.5mm wide. Plants to 22cm tall, typically branching about 1/3 to 1/2 the way up the stem. No rosette.