Block Creek – Musk Thistle, Eastern Phoebe and More

A few more of the images I got at Block Creek in early June …

Musk Thistle

Sharron told us that one of the thistle plants we were photographing is an invasive species. I looked it up and found a little more information.

Native to Europe and Asia, the Musk Thistle, Carduus nutans, was introduced to the US in the early 1900s. It is also called Nodding Thistle as the flower heads will droop down when mature. Ranchers don’t like it as most livestock will not eat it in favor of the native plants, so the musk thistle will take over grasslands.

But, the critters at Block Creek like it. Butterflies and hummingbirds drink the nectar of the mature flowers. Goldfinch, House Finch, Tanagers and other birds sit on the dried flower heads, plucking out the fluffy bristles to eat the seed found at the base. A single plant can produce thousands of seeds.

By comparison, this image is of the native Texas Thistle, Cirsium texanum.

Eastern Phoebe

Sharron and Larry have Eastern Phoebe nesting on the property, so I wasn’t too surprised to get a shot of a young bird. Check the base of the beak to see the gape of the young bird.

Other Stuff

I sat in the blind by the house one morning and got a Lesser Goldfinch eating seeds from a sunflower. Then I wandered around to see what I could find. On the last evening, I got a shot of the sunset in spite of the heavy clouds moving through.