Biodiversity Blog
BFL is proud to host Science Under the Stars
Starlight twinkles through the trees and crickets serenade in the distance as families, students and others with a thirst for knowledge gather outside at The University of Texas at Austin's Brackenridge Field Laboratory (BFL) for another evening of Science Under the Stars. The free, monthly public lecture series was founded and is run completely by...
Wildflowers of Texas: The pink evening primrose - Oenothera speciosa
The pink evening primrose is a native Texas favorite that is sown by the highway department in most parts of the state; either scattered or in great masses, it is an integral part of the spring roadside floral displays. A fairly small, generally sprawling plant, it is also quite happy in diverse other open habitats, including lawns. The flowers, wh...
The Daily Species: Bumble Bee Fly (Laphria macquarti)
On the left is a bumble bee. On the right is... not a bumble bee. Laphria macquarti is one of the larger and more spectacular mimics of common bumble bees in the southeastern United States. These agile predatory insects are in the robber fly family Asilidae, and like most robber flies, they catch prey in mid-air. Their beelike appearance likely det...
The Rough-stem Rosinweed - Silphium integrifolium var. asperrimum
This rather tall sunflower is found primarily along streams on the Edwards Plateau and in north-central Texas. Although the leaves are sandpapery to the touch, they are relished by deer and other browsing wildlife. Flowering months: July and August. Photo: Dexter image collection, Plant Resources Center.Wildflowers of Texas project: http://www...
Wildflowers of Texas: The angel trumpet, Datura Wrightii
A large white flower with a long tube is usually the telltale sign of a flower that blooms at night, since it is often adapted to pollination by long-tongued hawkmoths that only fly in the near-dark. Such is the case of the impressive (to about eight inches long) and beautiful flower of this species of jimsonweed. The fruit it produces is like a sp...
Wildflowers of Texas: The prairie nymph, Herbertia lahue
This gorgeous flower makes a brief springtime appearance in Texas coastal prairies. It varies on color from blue to lavender. Flowering months: March, April, May. Photo: Dexter image collection, Plant Resources Center.Wildflowers of Texas project: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/exhibits/wildflowers/index.html
The Daily Species: Lesser Siren (Siren intermedia)
The Lesser Siren (Siren intermedia) is a slender-bodied aquatic amphibian that spends its days burrowed in silt and debris at the bottom of slow waters. Sirens have a small pair of front legs but lack hind limbs, a loss thought to help them more easily swim through reeds and plants. During drought, they can secrete a protective mucus that cocoons t...
The Daily Species: Western Ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus)
The Western Ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus) is a non-venomous species commonly found across the eastern half of Texas. This species can be highly arboreal and is adaptable to a wide range of habitats. Because of this versatility, they feed on a variety of prey (small mammals, birds, reptiles) that they kill by constriction. Ratsnakes are so...
Focus on Biology - Science Imaging Contest 2017
The Department of Integrative Biology is pleased to announce the second annual Focus on Biology science imaging contest! Focus on Biology celebrates visual explorations of our research in the form of photographs, micrographs, figures, and illustrations. Contest winners and honorable mentions will be printed and displayed during a Department of...
The Daily Species: Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
One of North America's most abundant butterflies, the pipevine swallowtail develops on the leaves of Aristolochia pipevine, sequestering the plant's potent toxins so as to remain poisonous to their own predators. The photographs of the hatching eggs (above) and adult butterfly (below) are public domain images created at UT ...
The Daily Species: Diamond Killifish (Adinia xenica)
Adinia xenica is called the Diamond Killifish because the body profile is roughly diamond shaped with a pointed snout. These small fish occur in coastal waters from the Florida Panhandle west to Corpus Christi in fresh, brackish, marine and hypersaline water less than two feet deep and having emergent vegetation. You would think these pretty l...
A new microsporidian is the first described pathogen of tawny crazy ants
A new study describing the first pathogen to be found in tawny crazy ants has been published by the Invasive Species Research group at BFL and is co-authored by USDA scientists. This is an important discovery given the national prominence and attention of these invasive ants. The pathogen is a new genus of microsporidian parasites that infects the ...
National Report Highlights Brackenridge Field Lab
Brackenridge Field Lab’s national reputation—as a premiere site for research on invasive species, evolution and behavior, biodiversity, climate change and drought, as well as for education and outreach—was underscored with the lab’s inclusion in a report by the National Academy of Sciences on the critical role of field stations. Th...
Regents approve plan to expand Stengl Lost Pines Biological Station
The UT Board of Regents approved a plan to expand the 208-acre Stengl Lost Pines Biological Station. Read more at My Statesman >>
