Day 7, Hong Kong Orchid tree, Estero Llano Grande SP

Just a few more days and Smugmug has the mammoth task of transferring every single thing on Flickr to a new server. Hard to imagine, and I'll keep my fingers crossed that the transfer all goes smoothly. There will probably be a few glitches to iron out afterwards, but these will eventually be fixed. Hoping to get Day 7 of our trip finished before the transfer and maybe even make a start on Day 8. Please bear with me.

The article, "BBC - Earth: How a weird hybrid plant ended up on the flag of Hong King" makes an interesting read. The flag shows a white flower on a red background.

This tree is a native of the island of Hong Kong, but the true origin of this mysterious plant has only been revealed in recent years. The tree produces no seeds and can only reproduce with human help, by grafting.

www.bbc.com/earth/story/20161209-how-a-weird-hybrid-plant...

Posted just a few odds and ends, taken on Day 7 of our 13-day birding trip to South Texas. A few interesting things, but not the greatest photos of most of them. So happy to see them all and just happy to get any kind of shots.

We had an early start as usual on Day 7 of our 13-day birding trip to South Texas, 19-31 March 2019. Leaving our hotel, La Quinta Inn & Suites in Mission, we drove to the Bentsen - Rio Grande Valley State Park / World Birding Centre.

"As part of the World Birding Center, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park is a world-class destination for bird-watching. The Rio Grande Valley hosts one of the most spectacular convergences of birds on earth with more than 525 species documented in this unique place. Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park alone has an impressive list of 358 species recorded within the park’s boundaries. Birders have a chance to see migratory birds during their yearly migrations over the valley including flocks of thousands of hawks from the park’s Hawk Tower in the spring and fall.... Over seven miles of trails offer a variety of opportunities to encounter wildlife inside the park."

tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/bentsen-rio-grande-valley

In the afternoon, we drove roughly 32 miles east to the Estero Llano Grande State Park, arriving there at about 1:00 pm, and spent two and a half hours looking for birds. Estero Llano Grande State Park, Weslaco, is one of nine sites that make up the World Birding Centre in South Texas. It is a 230+ acre refuge. Not many chances to see and photograph birds, but we enjoyed seeing huge cacti in bloom and a few beautiful flowering trees, including the one in this photo. A couple of Lizards and a Skink added interesting variety to our sightings - even a cluster of mushrooms.