First Wednesday on Monday

First Wednesday on Monday

On the First Wednesday outing for December I had to postpone it because of jury duty. Turned out I was not picked. However I changed the First Wednesday to Monday just in case. And it turned out to be a most beautiful day at the grasslands for the eleven of us. The North Central Texas…

A Few Feathers

A Few Feathers

Before I got distracted with my box of books yesterday, here is more from my warm Friday afternoon walk at the grasslands. The US Fish & Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory has a nice Identify My Feather website. However usually I go to my copy of the “Bird Feathers” by Scott and McFarland first. We’ve Been…

Finished

Finished

Every spare moment since summer I had been editing the second edition of my wildflower book. And now North Central Texas Wildflowers, Second Edition is finished! The paper book will be available for purchase on Amazon on Monday, December 11, 2023. However the pdf is now available for free. The second edition has 427 species…

Exciting Find

Exciting Find

Today was warm. So I could not pass up the opportunity to get out this afternoon to the grasslands. While I found a lot of stuff I am going to get right to the most exciting find. The other photos will have to wait until tomorrow. 🙂 A couple years ago I found just two…

Can You Find It?

Can You Find It?

Camouflage is what most creatures rely on to stay safe. Yes, some like the Monarch do advertise their presence with bright warning colors. However many creatures take a different path. Funnel spiders and their webs are hard to see unless the sunlight hits a web just right. Or if the dew or rain droplets highlights…

Mostly in the Open

Mostly in the Open

Now we were about two thirds of the way on the Saturday five hour outing. We had clouds, a little rain, and then the sky cleared. The trail headed out towards a large meadow. A lovely day indeed! Microbes essential to plants are disappearing due to global warming Study finds plant nurseries are exacerbating the…

Still in the Woods

Still in the Woods

The damp days are really a great time to get outside. It really highlights the colors! Tomorrow I will finish up Saturday’s outing. Hey we see a lot of cool stuff. Butterflies in the Garden at FTW Botanic Garden March 1 – April 24, 2024 Ancient Bloodsuckers Revealed: Male Mosquitoes Fed on Blood Too This…

Decomposers

Decomposers

The decomposers have their work cut out for them. More from Saturday tomorrow. Wildfire ash causes oceanic marine life to grow and thrive Giant Algae Made of Just One Cell Have a Clever Way of Knowing The Time Keep looking! The more you know, the more you see and the more you see, the more…

To the Roots

To the Roots

The ravines give a glimpse of what goes on beneath our feet. Maybe that is why I am so enthralled with them. More tomorrow, but not from a ravine. Some of you know that I have been working on the printed second edition of North Central Texas Wildflowers. FYI it will go live in eight…

Dreary

Dreary

Well, the start of weather this morning might have seemed like a dreary lifeless day ahead, but it definitely was not. Moreover that would be impossible when you head to the grasslands as Jeanne and I did today. 🙂 So as you might guess I have a few pictures to go through. So of course…