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
Category: Texas Hill Country
Five Tips for Amateur Trappers in the Texas Hill Country
Lately, I’ve seen a lot of discussion on various local social media about folks who are having issues with critters tearing up their lawns and/or living where they shouldn’t be living (e.g. skunks declaring a homestead under a back yard deck). These discussions often contain a lot of good advice, as well as some that’s… Continue reading Five Tips for Amateur Trappers in the Texas Hill Country
There’s never an ophiologist around when you need one
Alert Gazette readers will recall our encounter with a cottonmouth (aka water moccasin) last fall. Then, a couple of months ago we discovered a four-foot-long blotched water snake [Update: which I now know is more correctly known as a plain-bellied water snake] in our courtyard. The latter encounter taught me that distinguishing between the poisonous… Continue reading There’s never an ophiologist around when you need one
Web Weaving Weirdos
I’ll fight a bear, but I don’t like spiders. I’m not a fan of those. — J. J. Watt I’m an unabashed arachnophobe. Spiders are not just creepy; they’re intentionally malevolent. God created spiders because snakes weren’t sufficient to remind us that we live in a fallen world. Spiders are the only creatures that… Continue reading Web Weaving Weirdos
Wildlife Update
It’s been awhile since I provided a wildlife update. But, first, here’s a squirrel (turn up the sound to get the full effect): Your browser does not support HTML5 video. That’s the noise a squirrel makes when its annoyed or angry. I couldn’t discern what caused this one’s panties to get in a wad, but… Continue reading Wildlife Update
Clash of Species – Woodpeckers vs Snakes
Earlier this spring, an oak tree across the street from our house attracted the attention of a pair of golden-fronted woodpeckers*. The tree’s trunk has a hollowed-out place about twenty feet off the ground and the opening faces our front windows; I can see it from my usual seat in the living room. Since April,… Continue reading Clash of Species – Woodpeckers vs Snakes
Of Turtles and Eggs
MLB and I were walking to the mailbox this morning when we spotted a big turtle in the shade of a tree about 25 feet from the street (and about that same distance from the creek that I presume is its home). It wasn’t moving, which was odd, so we walked over to investigate. It… Continue reading Of Turtles and Eggs
Snake Mistake
“Eric…come quick!” I was sitting in the office late yesterday afternoon when I heard MLB‘s overly excited summons from somewhere in the middle of the house. I ran out to find her staring out the living room windows at something in the front courtyard. “Oh, man. That’s a water moccasin. Keep an eye on him… Continue reading Snake Mistake
Beaver Believer (or “See…canadensis!”)
It’s probably common knowledge that beavers slap the water with their tails as a warning about – or an attempt to startle – potential predators. They also tend to swim with their heads slightly above water but with their bodies slightly submerged. So, you may be ask, why are you – a native Texan living… Continue reading Beaver Believer (or “See…canadensis!”)
The Fugitive Fox
It’s been a quiet couple of weeks at Casa de Fire Ant, at least from a trapping perspective. I haven’t bothered to bait the raccoon trap for a variety of reasons — laziness being at the top of the list — although the armadillo trap has been armed and routinely ignored. I assume that either… Continue reading The Fugitive Fox