Watershed Texas

For the past couple months I have been removing invasive Island Apple snails (Pomacea maculata) and their egg clutches because they consume aquatic vegetation and destroy wetlands, estuaries, and other habitats. They have a very high reproductive rate of up to 500 eggs per egg clutch that hatch every 10-15 days. Also the adults can mate many times after they become sexually mature (2-3 months); this quickly stimulates the creation of Island Apple snail monocultures. Island Apple snails originate in Latin America and have few predators which causes rapid overpopulation and decreases diversity of species. Their egg clutches range from pink to white and the paler the egg clutch the closer it is to hatching. These egg clutches are located on reeds, plants, and other support items above the water’s surface. I have seen them mostly on the Pickerel weed in 1A. Together we can make a difference by removing as many of their egg clutches as possible when we see them to protect the Exploration Green we have all worked hard to create.

I have witnessed the most beautiful native species while removing the invasive ones at Exploration Green and in the nursery. Whilst walking along the shore of Exploration Green’s Phase 1A East side I saw a beaming banded water snake resting in the warm sunlight undisturbed. I thank it for its role in keeping our field mice in check. In the nursery I always observe sweet wetland birds passing by the buffet for a meal. Yellow-crowned night herons, Little blues, Snowy egrets, and more know me now.

Mary Carol Edwards and I and two other volunteers staged various Spikerush plants as well as, Spider Lilies, Pickerel weed and other species for the upcoming Saturday. I earlier discovered hundreds of little fish eggs on an Upright burhead. I looked up from these baby tadpoles and was stunned by the Red-tailed-shoulder hawk regally watching me from the fence about 10 feet away. Later, I had a little frog jump on my shoulder not wanting to leave me. I was trying to move him and he would just hop around my back. It was fun cleaning up with my new little buddy on my shoulder. My enriching experiences interning with Mary Carol Edwards has been so exciting. I look forward more discoveries.