Lajitas or bust

Had more energy yesterday, and still more today, so I determined to go check out the odonates at Lajitas. I figure for every ten I see, there are a hundred I don't see, but ten is a ten in my book.

It's the time of year for the annual Chili Cook-off. Most locals pointedly avoid leaving their homes during the cookoff (to be held this weekend west of Terlingua Ghost Town). I went once years ago, and never again. This is the 48th year for it. Already a trailer town is growing. And that doesn't count the tent village.

I had previously been told about Lajitas cutting down a bunch of pine trees that were blocking the "view," so it wasn't a surprise. I was surprised at the bat houses, though. Go figure!

I have told all the management and CEOs that a birding habitat would generate more income than the golf course, by replacing the turf with trees, and no more water usage. I've done all I can do. Lajitas could be a world birding center, but apparently this will happen only in my dreams. 

While servicing my feeders at the oasis before leaving this morning, I noticed the feeder that this Red Admiral was feeding from yesterday was very soured. I'm thinking that's what attracted him to it. This morning he didn't visit any of the feeders, maybe because they were filled with fresh solution. But I can't let them get sour. It attracts nasty black flies and makes them terribly difficult to clean. Probably not good for the hummers either.

I've been trying my best to get diagnostic photos of amberwings, both at the oasis and again at Lajitas. Hopefully, a couple I took there today will be good enough to identify at least one as Mexican Amberwing. I don't think that species has been documented at Lajitas before. Here's one of my better ones.

I need to use fill flash to reveal the shadowed part but I'm technologically challenged on things like external flash, etc. In this case, the color and pattern of the thorax is diagnostic. Too bad it's in shadow on my photos.

I took pics of one at the oasis a couple of days ago that couldn't be confirmed, but I have already documented that species there, you may recall, so no big deal, although it would have been nice.

Also at Lajitas I saw hundreds of checkerspots that I thought were Chinatis until I checked my book. They're Theona Checkerspots. Here's one on its host plant cenizo, which is abundant around Lajitas.