I don’t know whether it’s because we’ve been stuck at home more this year, but I’ve noticed more evidence than ever before that spring in our neighborhood is a matter of life and death…and I’m not talking about COVID-19 at all. If the Circle of Life was unrolled and laid flat in a trend line,… Continue reading Neighborhood Nature (Pt. 4): Circle of Life Edition
Category: Nature
Leaving the Nest…Literally
Alert Gazette readers will recall that only two days ago, I predicted that the juvenile red-shouldered hawks next door would be leaving the nest “within the next couple of weeks.” Well, we discovered today that my prediction was off by only…well…a couple of weeks. I walked outside early this morning in time to see one… Continue reading Leaving the Nest…Literally
Frickin’ Frass
Re: the post title — pardon my French. Except in this case, “frass” is actually German. As long as we’re on the subject of disgusting worm-related phenomenon, lately we’ve been dealing with an infestation of walnut caterpillars on our pecan trees. It’s bad enough that they’re not abiding by their names — no one in… Continue reading Frickin’ Frass
Central Texas Flatworms
I was on our front walkway this morning and noticed what I thought was a really skinny earthworm inching its way across the pavers. Upon closer inspection, I decided it wasn’t an earthworm but I had no clue as to what it was. Its distinguishing feature was a flat, paddle-like head with what appeared to… Continue reading Central Texas Flatworms
Neighborhood Nature (Pt. 3)
This is the third in an ongoing series of posts about the fascinating details of nature in our figurative Texas Hill Country back yard. Part 1 is here and Part 2 here. Sure, birds and [some] reptiles are cute and cuddly, and [most] insects are not, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not attractive, even… Continue reading Neighborhood Nature (Pt. 3)
Neighborhood Nature (Pt. 2)
This is the second in a possibly endless series of posts about the fascinating details of nature in our figurative Texas Hill Country back yard. Part 1 is here. I hope your weather has been as nice as ours over the past few days. Cool mornings and warm afternoons mean that we get to spend… Continue reading Neighborhood Nature (Pt. 2)
Just Anole Fashioned Death Match
I was on our deck before breakfast yesterday and noticed an anole on the railing. This is not an unusual occurrence; we’re practically overrun with them. But there was something different about this one. I got closer and immediately recognized what was going on: the lizard was in the process of molting, and had pieces… Continue reading Just Anole Fashioned Death Match
The Mystery of the Disappearing Loquats
We have a loquat tree in our back yard. The loquat is native to China but has a widespread range; in the USA, however, it’s generally limited to southern states. We had never seen one before we moved to Horseshoe Bay, and even here they’re not very common, but we’ve grown fond of it. It’s… Continue reading The Mystery of the Disappearing Loquats
Hawk Gawk / Drone Moan
The pair of red-shouldered hawks in our neighborhood have built a nest in a huge oak tree in the lot just to the west of our house. I wasn’t completely confident of this fact until yesterday, but the circumstantial evidence was pretty strong. We could see a mass of twigs and small limbs waaaay up… Continue reading Hawk Gawk / Drone Moan
The wonders of a suburban wilderness: corvids and frog spit
For the past few weeks, we’ve listened to the conversations (and monologues) of crows, originating from somewhere to the southwest of our house. They don’t sound close, but their calls can carry long distances. And every now and then we could hear something crow-like, almost like the pleading of a young bird. But I’m far… Continue reading The wonders of a suburban wilderness: corvids and frog spit