You can count on seeing certain insects year after year.
An example is the insect that caused the webbing on this Texas Mountain Laurel. Can you spot it?
Here’s a closer view. This photo has two insects in it.
This is the genista caterpillar. Once it completes the pupal stage, it will turn into a small brown moth (Family Pyralidae).
How do you think the moth finds the Texas Mountain Laurel plant?
This week the mystery seeds are hidden in cones.
Hint:Â The plants that produce these cones are found only in a very limited area, but they have a giant impact.
Edit: The answer is up.
Did you guess the seed of the week last week? Let me give you another hint. When these seeds are ripe, they shoot out of the pods. Tick, tick, clack, they hit the side of the house.
From the lupine flowers, come the ripening fruit,
which then brown as they dry. When the pods are dry, and the sun warms them up, pop! The seeds go flying. You can see some of the curly, open pods at the bottom of this stem.
I have a couple of previous posts about lupines. Here’s one that shows the seedlings close up.
More recently, I showed some bees pollinating the lupines.
As you can see, lupines are a favorite around our house.
Do lupines grow where you live?
For more information, see Roberta Gibson Writes.
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