Reddish foam

Reddish foam

 In the creek we have been exploring, I have shown you the iron oxidizing bacteria. Today I will show you what I found in the reddish foam that is in the creek. This is the large picture of the foam in the creek. Closer view! Closer still! So what is it really? It could be…

Nesting!

Nesting!

Tis the season for nesting. This is a Bewick’s wren nest that has been started. I can tell because it is made of small twigs in a nest box. First Bluebird egg in the nest box in the backyard. Notice the material the bluebird uses. This is a chickadee’s eggs and nest. She uses moss,…

A head banger…

A head banger…

I hear this banging coming from the dining room. What is Jim up to I wondered?  It was not Jim but our feathered friend looks to be back.  Grrrr. I hope he does not do it too much or we will be putting up the screens and outside shade. A cardinal attacked the windows for…

Part 2: Duck Creek Formation

Part 2: Duck Creek Formation

It certainly was a great day to be hunting fossils. Judy and I use to go all the time some 15+ years ago. Maybe we should start again. 🙂  The formation is called Duck Creek. The creek’s name is Morris Branch. A future fossil! Gastropod fossil, maybe Cerithium bosquense  Two smaller Heart urchins (Macraster)!  Brachiopod, Kingena wacoensis…

Four fer

Four fer

 It was a driving tour day! The goal was to see more Trout Lilies. And see them we did! We went to four locations that I know of in Cooke County. We saw the Elbow Bush (Forestiera pubescens) or as Shirley liked to refer to it as Spring Herald. It was located in Denton County. Ours…

Three Sisters

Three Sisters

 This is the second part of our prairie scouting trip on Saturday. This is the Three Sisters farm. David told us he acquired the land in 1991. He named it Three Sisters for his three daughters. Nice name! The land was not in very good shape. David has been trying to restore it. He has…

Heehaw!

Heehaw!

Low temp was 42.3 and high was 50.9 degrees today. At 5:54 pm we have gotten .38″ of rain. Yahoo!  Here is the last of grasslands photos from Feb 23th. We mostly were walking under a grove of cedars. Several of the fallen cedars were covered in moss. I got all excited when I first…

A bright day

A bright day

Arkansas Yucca seedpod (Yucca arkansana). Vine twists up the Hackberry tree. Crustose fungus doing its job! Close up. Bedstraw (Galium aparine) has started to pop out. It is an annual. I have read that it was used in bedding. The plant will cling to you with its hairs. I have found several species of caterpillars…