July, 2017: back in the field for insect and plant ecology studies in northern New Mexico and southwestern New Mexico. Special focus on host plants for selected Nemoria species and larval collections from oak. Photos of selected habitats and landscapes click here. For photos and identifications of specific plants of research interest from this trip (including SW oaks) click here.
Geometrid larva on privet leaf, Chama River Valley, Abiquiu, NM.
Erthryostemon mexicanus (formerly Caesalpinia mexicana), flowering in sage grasslands, Gila NM. This showy species is a native to extreme south Texas and northern Mexico, but is grown as an ornamental shrub (Mexican Bird of Paradise) and occasionally escapes cultivation and naturalizes.
Cercocarpus montanus (Rosaceae), Kasha Katuwe Tent Rocks Nat’l Monument, vic. Cochiti Pueblo, NM.
Solanum eleagnifolium, silverleaf nightshade, flower and fruits. Kasha Katuwe Tent Rocks Nat’l Monument, vic. Cochiti Pueblo, NM.