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
Category: Nature
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
Neighborhood Nature
Something in the half acre vacant lot next door to ours caught my eye a couple of days ago. lt turned out to be a really pretty and unusual mushroom…toadstool…ground-dwelling fungus. I’m not a mycologist and I have no skill whatsoever in identifying these organisms, but I do find them fascinating. We’ve had a very… Continue reading Neighborhood Nature
A Minor Diversion, Part 2
A few years ago — four, to be more precise — when we lived in Midland, a dove built a ramshackle nest (to our eyes; for all I know, it was a masterpiece of dovish architecture) atop a shelf on a wrought iron baker’s rack on our back porch. At some point, Nature did its… Continue reading A Minor Diversion, Part 2
Armadillos R Us: A Trapping Update
Update (4/2/2020): Add one more to the armadillo count below; another one became an involuntary guest early this morning. And, yes, succeeded in waking me up at 3:30 a.m. in the process. People have been clamoring* for a trapping update from Casa Fire Ant, and I respond to nothing if not clamoring. Here’s a snapshot… Continue reading Armadillos R Us: A Trapping Update