SUMMARY OF WARBLER WOODS AND ITS FLORA AND FAUNA
WARBLER WOODS
126 Acres
40 acres of open grasslands
80+ acres of woodlands, including savannah areas and areas with heavy understory and brush
2 houses with yards landscaped for birds and butterflies
2 water wells
2 small ponds with permanent water, 1 more that fills with heavy rains
Many water features and feeding stations for animals
Roads and trails throughout
Four (usually) dry creek beds form headwaters of Town Creek
Artifacts from 1800s German settlers, including square nails and 12-ft dug cistern
Stone artifacts from earlier Native Americans
GEOLOGY
Pecan Gap, four miles down dip of Balcones Escarpment
PLANTS/HABITAT
Trees: Live Oak/Cedar Elm/Hackberry/Ashe Juniper/Texas Persimmon/Mountain Laurel
Understory: Wafer Ash, Soapberry, Eve’s Necklace, Bumelia
Brush: Kidneywood, Brasil, Colubrina, Elbow Bush, Mesquite, Huisache, Spiny Hackberry, Agarita, Prickly Pear
Grasslands: Bluestem species and other grasses
220 Species identified
Unusual plants include Texas Almond, Eve’s Necklace, Striped Coral Root Orchid
BIRDS
230 Species observed, including 36 Wood Warblers
Unusual birds for this part of Texas include Common Pauraque, Buff-Bellied Hummingbird, Golden-cheeked Warbler, Black-capped Vireo, Brown Thrasher, Yellow-Green Vireo, Zone-tailed Hawk, and Yellow Rail
MAMMALS
Unusual sightings include Bobcat and Ringtail Cat
BUTTERFLIES
60 species observed
Unusual butterflies include Zebra Heliconian, California Sister, Streaky Skipper, White-striped Longtail
DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES
Species list pending, but species include Darners, Clubtails, Skimmers, Meadowhawks, Pondhawks, and Saddlebags.
OTHER ARTHROPODS
Many, most unidentified, but Include beautiful orb-weaver spiders, unusual bright blue larvae of a Sawfly, and many beetles, walking sticks, grasshoppers, ants, wasps, scorpions, chiggers, etc.
REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS
Species list pending, but species include Western Diamond-back Rattlesnake, Indigo Snake, King snakes, Rat snakes, Bullfrog, Leopard Frog, Treefrog, Gulf Coast Toad, Green Anoles, Fence Lizard, Gecko, and skinks.
Wow! I’m looking at everything on your website again this a.m. (originally to identify a bird visitor with this morning’s coffee) and am so immersed in your site———-W O W——I almost feel like I’ve been to your place. Have not been yet—a few near misses as we say, but can’t seem to coordinate my days off with weather and someone to go with—-Keep up the awesome website for those of us who live thru the computer!!! —–what a blessing you are to have this and share it—Thank you!
God bless you!
Susan