Nature Walk

Sunday afternoon was a balmy 80 degrees and sunny, the kind of weather Texans are fond of bragging about: “This is why we love Texas!” We were all out doing yard work, clearing out the flower beds and preparing for cold weather. From what I understand, we may have about two weeks of this perfect weather left before the colder weather is upon us.

After our work was done, a few of us sat out on the veranda sipping sodas. I grabbed this month's copy of Texas Co-op Power, a publication of the local energy company. Every month they publish winning photos from a theme-specific contest. This month's pictures were of regional wildlife: a fawn, a horned toad, and a frog were among the winners. Suddenly I experienced an irresistible urge to grab my own camera and walk the property, to see what I could see through the lens.

Sure enough, I found flowers, insects, reptiles, and mammals, all in one walk! I was struck by my own success, by the sheer population of Life out in the country. Tell you what, I may just be spoiled for living in town.




Good news for my spider-phobic friends, the big garden spiders seem to be dying off. I haven't seen a scorpion in two months, either. Obviously they have a season, and apparently we are moving out of it. So you may come visit me for the next few months with little fear of arachnid encounter. Oh, yes, lizards and grasshoppers still abound, but they are completely benign, I promise!


Last night there was a sliver of new moon. I tried to capture it, but may have to try again later with a tripod. But the crescent shape setting in the purple evening sky is absolutely breathtaking.

To see more than a dozen other pictures from my nature walk, follow the link to my Facebook album: Wildlife