Welcome to my nature blog! I love sharing my photos of North Texas! I will keep looking out and hope you do too.
Comments welcome. Thank you, Mary
Brazos Bend State Park is worth the trip. We have been there several times. We did not see the alligators this time. It was too hot for Gracie (our dog) to walk that far, but we have seen them plenty of times before at this park. We actually took a two mile trail early in…
Every day, twice a day, the local Canada Geese fly by first one way, then back. The flock has grown from just two in the spring to about 35 now. Eryngo (Eryngium leavenworthii) Meshweb weaver spider and insect prey A hundred is my guesstimate of the millipedes on my backporch. Closeup Corn Earworm (Helicoverpa zea)…
But no photo 🙁 First one I have ever seen one here at our place. So it was pretty exciting. Of course, my phone was in my pocket when it was disturbed and flew. Bold Jumper (Phidippus audax) looks like it is ready for Halloween? This Banded Argiope (Argiope trifasciata) is a male. He is…
Yesterday, after we climbed out of the creek bed, we walked along the top of the mesa in the prairie. So the following are a few things that capture my eye on the top of the mesa. Gayfeather (Liatris mucronata) with a Meshweb weaver (Dictynidae) web under the blooms. Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) on Gayfeather. We…
Today, we went back to find the head waters of this unnamed creek we had been exploring for the last few weeks. You know, the same one in “up a creek” post, but ran out of time to continue that day. Success today! Barely got going and came across several of these beautiful Lecanora species…
Every year the Native Plant Society of Texas recognizes organizations and individuals. The Shirley Lusk Memorial, honors a citizen scientist for collecting and preserving Texas native plants for public education by providing outstanding contribution of herbarium voucher specimens. Jeff Quayle is recognized this year for his collection of over 1000 herbarium specimens stored at the…
Today I found this Praying Mantis. I have learned new words and parts of the Praying Mantis that I have never really looked at before. So I’m sharing some of this new knowledge that I have gleaned from the world wide web and my books. Greek for mantis means ‘soothsayer, prophet’. There are 12 species…
Something played in our sandy trail last night. This larva was hanging by a thread. It was so tiny and I didn’t have my loupe to count its prolegs. I suspect it is some sort of beetle larva. Really tiny! It would have been very camouflaged on this Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) if it had…
Visibility was 1/8 mile this morning. Great morning to see the meshweb weavers (Dictynidae) webs. They make a plain framework of an irregular mess over foliage, flowers, and dead stalks of plants. This ant hill made me think a rock formation in the Southwest. They had a side entrance so not many of the ants…
I wondered if this Bull Snake (Pituophis catenifer) had recently shed its skin. It looked bright. Some say the Bull Snake is called a Bull Snake because of the ridge between the eyes. This maybe the best look I have had of that feature. Turn the sound up. It had finally had enough of me….