Flower ckuster of Chinese Pistache (Pistacia chinensis) in Wolf Pen Creek Park. College Station, Texas, March 10, 2026
Lake Conroe on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, March 13, 2026
 | Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Pondweed (Potamogeton sp.) in Lake Conroe near Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, March 13, 2026
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Shores of Lake Conroe near Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, March 13, 2026
| Lone Star Hiking Trail, Walker County, Texas, United States |
Flower buds of squaw-weed (Senecio ampullaceus) on Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
| Lake Somerville State Park - Nails Creek Unit, Lee County, Texas, United States |
Live oak catkins on Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
| Lake Somerville State Park - Nails Creek Unit, Lee County, Texas, United States |
Fresh leaves of live oak on Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
| Lake Somerville State Park - Nails Creek Unit, Lee County, Texas, United States |
Flowers of tansy mustard (Descurainia pinnata) on Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
| Lake Somerville State Park - Nails Creek Unit, Lee County, Texas, United States |
Some green leaves on Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
| Lake Somerville State Park - Nails Creek Unit, Lee County, Texas, United States |
On the dry bottom of Flag Pond, the exposed basin was covered with an almost continuous green-and-yellow carpet of cursed buttercup (Ranunculus sceleratus), turning what is usually open water into a bright spring sheet of bloom. The plants spread densely across the dark, uneven mud, with only a few bare patches and scattered taller shoots breaking the surface of the low, fine-textured vegetation.The broad open expanse, distant tree line, and heavy gray clouds make the scene feel both striking and a little surreal, as if the pond has briefly become a flowering meadow. Near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
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Carpet of cursed buttercup (Ranunculus sceleratus) in dried Flag Pond near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
| Lake Somerville State Park - Nails Creek Unit, Lee County, Texas, United States |
Focusing closer, the photograph reveals the intricate, densely packed structure of the cursed buttercup (Ranunculus sceleratus) as it colonizes the dried mud. The plants exhibit a vibrant, fleshy appearance, characterized by deeply lobed, shiny green leaves that vaguely resemble flat-leaf parsley or young celery—giving the plant its alternate name, the celery-leaved buttercup. In this dense thicket, the stout, hollow stems branch frequently, creating a tangled, multi-layered canopy. Tiny, five-petaled pale yellow flowers dot the upper stems, standing out brightly against the dark backdrop of the soil and the deeper green foliage below. Flag Pond near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
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Some animal burrow in dried Flag Pond near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
In this wider view of the dried Flag Pond basin, the landscape reveals a different growth pattern of the cursed buttercup (Ranunculus sceleratus). Rather than forming a low, continuous carpet, the plants here have grown into distinct, robust clumps separated by wide veins of pale, heavily caked mud. The deep fissures running through the sun-baked earth create a striking geometric web, framing the bright green bushes of buttercup. In the background, a band of dry brown reeds marks the pond's original edge, giving way to a dense tree line under the same overcast, gray sky. Near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
An isolated cluster of cursed buttercup (Ranunculus sceleratus) emerges from the deep, jagged fissures of the heavily caked mud. Unlike the healthy, spreading vegetation seen elsewhere, this specimen exhibits bizarre, highly abnormal growth, with its thick main stems aggressively twisting and winding upward in a chaotic tangle. The plant's leaves appear curled and irregularly cupped, while its reproductive stalks terminate in bare, green, thimble-like floral heads entirely devoid of the plant's characteristic yellow petals. The dramatic twisting, sudden elongation, and stunted foliage seen here are textbook symptoms of exposure to a synthetic auxin herbicide, such as 2,4-D, triclopyr, or dicamba. These systemic chemicals are frequently used in park maintenance or nearby agricultural areas to control broadleaf weeds. When absorbed, the herbicide mimics the plant's natural growth hormones and triggers uncontrolled, rapid cell division and elongation. This chemical overload forces the stems to bend and coil unnaturally—a severe stress response known as epinasty—while causing the leaves to become strapped and deformed. Near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
Olive-green leaf of an American lotus (Nelumbo lutea) in caked mud of Flag Pond near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
Single, perfectly round, olive-green leaf of an American lotus (Nelumbo lutea) in caked mud of Flag Pond near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
In the caked mud of Flag Pond, a bright green, bushy seedling of cursed buttercup (Ranunculus sceleratus) emerges strongly from the deep fissures. Beside it lies a single, perfectly round, olive-green leaf of an American lotus (Nelumbo lutea) seedling, dotted with a few tiny water droplets that highlight its water-repellent surface. Scattered around these two fresh sprouts are the thick, dried, gray-brown stalks of mature lotus plants from a previous growing season, resting lifelessly across the severely fractured, dry earth. Near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
In this wide expanse of the dried Flag Pond basin, the vegetation pattern of the cursed buttercup (Ranunculus sceleratus) has shifted dramatically, becoming highly sparse and widely scattered. Here, the landscape is dominated by pale, heavily baked mud that has contracted and fractured into a vast, repeating network of geometric desiccation polygons. Emerging from these deep, crisscrossing fissures are a few isolated, bright green clumps of buttercup, accompanied only by the dry, curled, and withered stalks of last year's aquatic vegetation. Near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
In this highly desolate section of the dried Flag Pond, the landscape has been reduced to a severe, almost desert-like expanse of deeply fractured earth. The pale, sun-baked mud is completely broken into a continuous, interlocking mosaic of large desiccation polygons, with wide, dark fissures separating the hardened crust. Dead, curled stalks from last year's aquatic plants are sparsely littered across the barren surface, and in the direct center of the frame, a single, vibrant green cursed buttercup (Ranunculus sceleratus) stands entirely alone. Near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
Caked mud of a dried lake with isolated of the cursed buttercup (Ranunculus sceleratus). Flag Pond near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
A single, vibrant green cursed buttercup (Ranunculus sceleratus) stands entirely alone in caked mud of Flag Pond near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
Close-up of caked mud of Flag Pond near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
Field of caked mud of Flag Pond near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
In this detailed close-up of the desolate Flag Pond basin, the cursed buttercups are entirely absent, leaving behind a stark canvas of severely fractured, gray-brown mud. The features of this dry landscape are two incredibly clear, five-fingered tracks pressed directly into the center of a large, unbroken slab of the baked mud crust. While it is easy to imagine these prints belonging to a large wading bird, avian species almost exclusively leave three- or four-toed, fork-shaped tracks. Instead, these highly distinctive, hand-like imprints with five long, slender, splayed toes are the classic signature of a foraging raccoon. Flag Pond near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
Oaks and bushes on Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
Flower of bluebonnet (Lupinus) on Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
Top view of a growing thistle (Cirsium) on Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
| Lake Somerville Trailway, Lee County, Texas, United States |
Dry oak skeletons in a frequently flooded area near Flag Pond on Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
| Lake Somerville Trailway, Lee County, Texas, United States |
A network of heavily rusted, interconnected pipes is positioned above a patch of bare dirt and dry, dormant brush. Supported by thick vertical stands, the horizontal piping is outfitted with an array of industrial hardware, including multiple pressure gauges (manometers) and a prominently featured red pneumatic control valve. Snaking between these various instruments and the main pipes are several runs of very thin, bright, and shiny silver tubing, creating a sharp visual contrast against the deep rust of the primary framework. Although the complex arrangement of pipes and dials might superficially resemble a distillation apparatus, it is actually a surface wellhead and production manifold used in the oil and gas industry. These structures are critical components installed at the surface of an extraction site to safely control, monitor, and route the high-pressure flow of hydrocarbons coming from an underground well. The various valves act as "chokes" to regulate the flow rate of the extracted oil or gas, while the intricate tubing feeds the product to the manometers and pneumatic controls to constantly monitor system pressure and ensure safe operation. Northern side of Flag Pond on Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
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Several rust-colored, spiky-bodied ants can be seen navigating the deeply furrowed bark of an oak tree, acting as a miniature logging crew. Some of the ants are carrying entire green, beaded oak catkins—the tree's string-like flower clusters—while one prominently hoists a freshly cut, bright green section of an oak leaf in its jaws. The ants carry these heavy loads hoisted high over their heads, a posture that resembles someone carrying a sunshade. These are Texas leafcutter ants (Atta texana), a highly destructive but fascinating native species also known as the "town ant" or "parasol ant" due to their unique carrying technique. They climb high into the canopies of oaks and other trees to use their powerful, scissor-like mandibles to slice away fresh foliage, preferring new, tender, high-water-content growth like young leaves and spring catkins. Working in massive, organized trails, a large colony can entirely strip the leaves from a small- to medium-sized tree in a single night, and they frequently travel hundreds of feet from their underground nests to find a suitable harvest. Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
A miniature procession of rust-colored ants traverses the deeply grooved, dry bark of an oak tree. In the center foreground, one ant acts as the focal point, hoisting a freshly cut, bright green slice of an oak leaf high above its head. Because the leaf fragment curves directly over the ant's body like a small green canopy, it perfectly illustrates why this species is often nicknamed the "parasol ant". Surrounding this central figure, three other ants march in the same direction, each carrying large, beaded green oak catkins gripped tightly in their mandibles. These are Texas leafcutter ants (Atta texana), a native species famous for its highly organized and destructive foraging behavior. Working in massive, coordinated trails that can span hundreds of feet, worker ants climb into the canopies of oaks and other trees to systematically slice away fresh, tender vegetation. The workers possess powerful jaws capable of cutting through leaves and flowers with remarkable speed, allowing a large colony to completely strip the foliage from a small tree in a single night. Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
Yellow flower of denseflower bladderpod (Lesquerella densiflora) on Lake Somerville Trailway near Nails Creek Unit of Somerville Lake State Park. Texas, March 14, 2026
