Spring in this part of Texas is not really a season. If the year was a play, spring in Central Texas would be intermission…a pause between the dead brownness of winter, and the oppressive heat and mosquito swarms of summer. But that pause is, as they say, refreshing, because a lot happens during that brief… Continue reading Springtime in the Hill Country (Pictures!)
Category: Nature
R.I.P. Snake Tree
Alert Gazette readers may recall this post, in which I chronicle one of the most dramatic nature-related encounters we’ve had the privilege to witness since moving to the Texas Hill Country. I think it’s worth your time to check it, but if you have better things to do — Game 1 of the World Series… Continue reading R.I.P. Snake Tree
Spunky Skunk vs Cowed Cougar
In yesterday’s post, I described my uneasy efforts to release a skunk from a trap. During that process, I kept reminding myself to not get complacent; just because I’d never been sprayed, I shouldn’t think it couldn’t happen. It didn’t, and even though I eventually had to agitate the animal a bit to get it… Continue reading Spunky Skunk vs Cowed Cougar
More Turtle Eggs…And An Unfortunate Twist
A couple of weeks ago I spotted something in the adjacent vacant lot that looked out of place. It was a turtle — a Texas river cooter (Pseudemys texana) to be precise — in the process of creating a “nest” in which to deposit eggs. Being the insensitive-and-nosy jerk I am, I immediately set up a… Continue reading More Turtle Eggs…And An Unfortunate Twist
The Mystery of the Murdered Fawn
It’s been an interesting week or so here at Casa de Fire Ant, thanks to the endless parade of wildlife traipsing past our abode, occasionally stopping to destroy our lawn on their way to whatever other endeavors attract them. Last week, we went out of town for a couple of days but I left my… Continue reading The Mystery of the Murdered Fawn
Tough Love in Birdland
Alert Gazette readers will recall this account of suspected predation of a nearby bird nest by a rat snake. As devastating as it surely was, the parents refused to be discouraged, went right back to work, and hatched another brood of birdlets (black phoebes, to be precise). To date, the new batch of nestlings has… Continue reading Tough Love in Birdland
Snake Karma
Late last month we were confronted with the sad sight of three nestlings that had apparently fallen from their nest attached to a stone column about ten feet above our back porch. Two of the baby birds were already deceased and the third would soon be. There was no sign of a disturbance in the… Continue reading Snake Karma
Mors Ab Alto*
*With apologies to the 7th Bomb Wing, USAF We returned home last Sunday afternoon after a whirlwind** 750-mile weekend trip to our old stamping grounds*** in West Texas, and as we drove over the low water crossing to pick up our mail, we saw that a squirrel had recently been hit by a car and… Continue reading Mors Ab Alto*
Flower Flyover
The bluebonnet crop around our little town of Horseshoe Bay is absolutely phenomenal this year. Most of the long-timers here say it’s the best showing in at least a decade. It’s probably due to the record-breaking rainfall we experienced last fall, plus a relatively warm winter. I’ve now learned that the “warm winter” is actually… Continue reading Flower Flyover
Long Range Planning for Dessert
Someone once said that plans are worthless but planning is essential. Does that apply to pecan pie? Read on.