Ascomycete fungus Pyronema omphalodes on old bonfire site on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
 | Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Close-up of Ascomycete fungus Pyronema omphalodes on old bonfire site on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Parrot feather watermilfoil (Myriophyllum aquaticum) and Aquatic fern Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) on muddy edge of Lake Conroe near Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Mushrooms Pholiota spumosa on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Corticioid fungus Hypoxylon on a fallen oak or elm on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Cap of woolly oyster mushroom (Hohenbuehelia mastrucata) on a fallen oak or elm on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Close-up of a cap of woolly oyster mushroom (Hohenbuehelia mastrucata) on a fallen oak or elm on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Cap texture of woolly oyster mushroom (Hohenbuehelia mastrucata) on a fallen oak or elm on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Black crust fungus Hypoxylon on a fallen oak or elm on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Close-up of black crust fungus Hypoxylon on a fallen oak or elm on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Gills of woolly oyster mushroom (Hohenbuehelia mastrucata) on a fallen oak or elm on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Underside of woolly oyster mushroom (Hohenbuehelia mastrucata) on a fallen oak or elm with white cottony mycelium on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Underside of woolly oyster mushroom (Hohenbuehelia mastrucata) under a fallen oak or elm on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Gill pattern of woolly oyster mushroom (Hohenbuehelia mastrucata) on a fallen oak or elm on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Merged caps of woolly oyster mushroom (Hohenbuehelia mastrucata) on a fallen oak or elm on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Close-up of merged caps of woolly oyster mushroom (Hohenbuehelia mastrucata) on a fallen oak or elm on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Underside of a cap of woolly oyster mushroom (Hohenbuehelia mastrucata) on a fallen oak or elm on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Pinkgill (Entoloma) mushrooms on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Underside of pinkgill (Entoloma) mushrooms on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, December 24, 2025
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Live oak with spanish moss on a picnic site in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| 40 Acre Lake Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
40 Acre Lake in dry weather in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| 40 Acre Lake Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
Various creeping plants near 40 Acre Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| 40 Acre Lake Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
Common bonnet mushrooms (Mycena galericulata) on a large fallen oak on Hoot's Hollow Trail in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| Hoot's Hollow Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
"Fuzzy feet" of common bonnet mushrooms (Mycena galericulata) on a large fallen oak in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| Hoot's Hollow Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
Huge live oak on Hoot's Hollow Trail in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| Hoot's Hollow Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
Young common bonnet mushrooms (Mycena galericulata) on a large fallen oak in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| Hoot's Hollow Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
Riccia fluitans (Floating Crystalwort) in its terrestrial (mud) form, or potentially the closely related Riccia stenophylla on a shore of 40 Acre Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| 40 Acre Lake Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
Thallus of liverwort Riccia fluitans (Floating Crystalwort) in its terrestrial (mud) form, or potentially the closely related Riccia stenophylla on a shore of 40 Acre Lake. While R. fluitans is famous as a floating aquatic plant, when it is stranded on mud (as water levels drop in lakes like 40 Acre Lake), it changes form significantly, becoming shorter, broader, and more anchored to the substrate. Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| 40 Acre Lake Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
An alligator is eating a turtle in 40 Acre Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. The turtle is most likely a Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) or potentially a River Cooter (Pseudemys concinna). The turtle's shell is being crushed, which alligators are well-equipped to do with their immense bite force. Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| 40 Acre Lake Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) eating a basking turtle, most likely a Red-eared Slider or River Cooter in 40 Acre Lake in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| 40 Acre Lake Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in 40 Acre Lake from Spillway Trail in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| Spillway Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
Dollarweed or Marsh Pennywort (genus Hydrocotyle) in 40 Acre Lake from Spillway Trail, most likely Many-flower Marshpennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata). It forms a dense, low-growing carpet near the water's edge or in shallow mud. Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| Spillway Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
Trees draped in Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| Spillway Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
White Ibis (juvenile) water bird (Eudocimus albus) from Spillway Trail. As this bird matures over the next year or so, it will molt these brown feathers and become the all-white adult bird commonly seen probing for crayfish in the park's shallow waters. Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| Spillway Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
Wading water bird juvenile White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) from Spillway Trail in Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| Spillway Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
Anhinga (often called "Snakebird" or "Water Turkey") water bird (Anhinga anhinga) from 40 Acre Lake Trail Brazos Bend State Park. Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| 40 Acre Lake Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
Anhinga (often called "Snakebird" or "Water Turkey") water bird (Anhinga anhinga) from 40 Acre Lake Trail. The bird is standing with its wings spread out in a classic pose known as wing-drying or sunning. in Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| 40 Acre Lake Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
Anhinga (Snakebird) water bird in 40 Acre Lake. After diving, they must perch in the sun with their wings spread to dry their feathers so they can fly efficiently again. Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| 40 Acre Lake Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
Anhinga (Snakebird) water bird in 40 Acre Lake. This pose helps them warm up, as they lose body heat quickly in the water. Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, Texas, December 25, 2025
| 40 Acre Lake Trail, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States |
