extremely local species | the alexfiles

Praying Mantis (Stagomantis)

This charmer found a nice little space on our porch light last night.
Praying Mantis on porch light, Central Texas

common name	Praying Mantis (or Praying Mantid)
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Animalia
phylum	Arthropoda
class	Insecta; subclass Pterygota; infraclass Neoptera
order	superorder Dictyoptera; order Mantodea
family	Mantidae; subfamily Stagomantinae
genus	Cyanocitta
species	unknown
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Not tracked

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)

Frequent visitors to our home in Washington.

common name	Steller’s Jay
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Animalia
phylum	Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
class	Aves
order	Passiformes
family	Corvidae
genus	Cyanocitta
species	stelleri
location	Renton, Washington
IUCN status	Least concern

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

common name	Northern Flicker
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Animalia
phylum	Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
class	Aves
order	Piciformes
family	Picidae
genus	Colaptes
species	auratus
location	Renton, Washington
IUCN status	Least concern

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Lined snake (Tropidoclonion lineatum)

You can’t see it clearly in this photo, but this snake is just finishing off what I think was an earthworm.
Lined Snake

common name	Lined Snake
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Animalia
phylum	Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
class	Reptilia, subclass Diapsida
order	Squamata, suborder Serpentes
family	Columbidae
genus	Tropidoclonion
species	lineatum
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Least concern

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana)

The pampas grass provides a glorious border between our lawn and the neighbor’s.

common name	Pampas Grass
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Plantae; subkingdom Tracheobionta
phylum	Spermatophyta; subphylum Magnoliophyta
class	Liliopsida
order	Poales
family	Poaceae
genus	Cortaderia
species	selioana
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Not evaluated

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus)

This young lizard was about 2.5″ long, hiding from the noonday sun under a flowerpot when I disturbed him. He or she was kind enough to wait on the wall while I got my camera.
Mediterranean Gecko

common name	Mediterranean Gecko
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Animalia
phylum	Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
class	Reptilia, subclass Diapsida
order	Squamata, suborder Sauria, infraorder Gekkota
family	Gekkonidae
genus	Hemidactylus
species	turcicus, subspecies turcicus
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Least concern

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Gulf Coast Toad (Bufo valliceps)

You can’t see it clearly in this photo, but this snake is just finishing off what I think was an earthworm.
Gulf Coast Toad

common name	Gulf Coast Toad
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Animalia
phylum	Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
class	Amphibia
order	Anura
family	Bufonidae
genus	Bufo; synonym Incilius
species	valliceps
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Least concern

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Carolina chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)

Carolina Chickadee

common name	Carolina Chickadee
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Animalia
phylum	Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
class	Aves
order	Passiformes
family	Paridae
genus	Poecile
species	carolinensis
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Least concern

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)

We are told that the crape myrtle in our front yard is as old as the house, which was built in 1965. It’s a large, well-established, beautiful plant, taller than the roof, and I completely adore it.

Crape myrtles were introduced into North America in South Carolina, back in 1790, and have been tremendously successful. The genus originated in East and Southeast Asia.

Crape myrtle

common name	Crape Myrtle
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Plantae; subkingdom Tracheobionta
phylum	Spermatophyta; subphylum Magnoliaphyta
class	Magnoliopsida; subclass Rosidae
order	Myrtales
family	Lythraceae
genus	Lagerstroemia
species	indica
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Not evaluated

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Begonia (Begonia)

My mother gave me a pot with several flowering plants in it, but it wasn’t until one of them died back a little from the heat that I discovered this struggling charmer growing beneath it.
Begonia

common name	Begonia
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Plantae; subkingdom Tracheobionta
phylum	Spermatophyta; subphylum Magnoliaphyta
class	Magnoliopsida
order	Cucurbitales
family	Begoniaceae
genus	Begonia
species	n.a.; garden hybrid
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Not evaluated

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Yellow-headed blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)

We were surprised one day to see a flock of yellow and black birds descend on the feeders in the front yard. They appeared late in the afternoon and were gone that evening; this is the only sighting I’ve had of these birds in the area.

Male, female, and immature birds can be seen below. These are the only yellow-headed birds with a black body in North America, although there is an extremely similar bird, the Yellow-hooded Blackbird of South America, Agelaius icterocephalus.

Yellow-headed blackbird

An adult female
Female Yellow-headed blackbird

common name	Yellow-headed blackbird
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Animalia
phylum	Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
class	Aves
order	Passiformes
family	Icteridae
genus	Xanthocephalus
species	xanthocephalus
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Least concern

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

The male of the species. Cardinals were named after the Roman Catholic ecclesiastical officials of the same name.

The female of the species.

common name	Cardinal
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Animalia
phylum	Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
class	Aves
order	Passiformes
family	Cardinalidae
genus	Cardinalis
species	cardinalis
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Least concern

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Blue Jay

common name	Blue Jay
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Animalia
phylum	Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
class	Aves
order	Passiformes
family	Corvidae
genus	Cyanocitta
species	cristata
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Least concern

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Pecan Tree (Carya illinoinensis)

Our pecan actually springs from a naturally seeded contribution from our neighbor’s pecan. When nuts appear, the squirrels have endless fun.
Pecan Tree

common name	Pecan Tree
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Plantae; subkingdom Tracheobionta
phylum	Spermatophyta; subphylum Magnoliaphyta
class	Magnoliopsida
order	Fagales
family	Juglandaceae
genus	Carya
species	illinoinensis
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Not evaluated

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Sweet Gum Tree (Liquidambar styraciflua)

This photo was taken in April, 2005. The sweet gum tree is a living fossil; specimens as much as 55,000,000 years of age have been found. A member of the witch hazel family.

common name	Sweet Gum Tree
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Plantae; subkingdom Tracheobionta
phylum	Spermatophyta
class	Magnoliaphyta
order	Hamamelidales
family	Hamamelidaceae
genus	Liquidambar
species	styraciflua
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Not evaluated

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura)

Below is a Mourning dove with a Chipping sparrow.
Mourning dove, Chipping sparrow

Comparison of Mourning and White-winged doves. White-winged doves are slightly larger, with a distinctive white band on the wing and intense blue around the eye. Mourning doves have distinctive spots on their wings.
Comparison shot, Mourning dove and White-winged doves.

common name	Mourning dove
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Animalia
phylum	Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
class	Aves
order	Passiformes
family	Columbidae
genus	Zenaida
species	macroura
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Least concern

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.

House sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Also known as English Sparrows, these are not actually in the sparrow family. If you see sparrows taking dust baths, they’re House Sparrows. True sparrows don’t take dust baths.

common name	House Sparrow
domain	Eukaryota
kingdom	Animalia
phylum	Chordata; subphylum Vertebrata
class	Aves
order	Passiformes
family	Icteridae
genus	Passer
species	domesticus
location	Central Texas
IUCN status	Least concern

Extremely local species are itemized species seen at our homes: on the actual property, or in the air above it. (Across the street doesn’t count!) I began by itemizing species seen at our house in Copperas Cove, Texas, and later expanded the project to include our home in Renton, Washington.