Robber Flies
There is something about mimic insects that I just love, the way they think they are fooling everyone. If you watch a real bee, it is always working, zipping from blossom to blossom,… Continue reading
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Host and Guests – Texas Dandelion
While gathering flowers for dye, I found a lot of different insects using the Texas Dandelion as a host plant. You can click on the images to see them larger. If you would… Continue reading
Tonight’s Performance
Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight we are honored to bring you… (cue music from “Rocky.”) Vultro il Magnifico! Defying death while he perilously balances on the frailest of fallen logs… Risking wing… Continue reading
April 2017 on the Farm
We are having a lovely spring with a long period of cool weather. We still have lots of butterflies around, the dewberries are already ripening, and a few bumble bees are showing up.… Continue reading
Smith Oaks Rookery
Six years ago I went on a birding bus trip and got to see the Smith Oaks Rookery in High Island, Texas. It was amazing to see of hundreds of giant nests stacked… Continue reading
Basking with the Butterflies
Only recently have I noticed that different species of butterflies have different travel patterns and favorite locations. Goatweed Butterflies fly like birds – quick, direct, like they have somewhere to get in a… Continue reading
What Butterfly Has Its Name Printed on Its Wing?
Spring is here and the woods are full of butterflies. The butterfly that has its name printed right on its wing is a Question Mark. (A Comma is also a correct answer, and… Continue reading
Way Better Than Half-Priced Candy
Our family tradition is to celebrate holidays a day or two after their real date, so that we can wait and buy the candy for half price. This year for Valentine’s Day, we… Continue reading
The Beauty of Little Brown Birds
This winter I have been very inspired by the work of nature writer Florence A. Merriam. She was the first to write about observing birds alive in the field, rather than relying on… Continue reading
The Thousand-Footed First-Footer
You may have heard of the Scottish tradition of First Footing — that to start the New Year off right, the first person to cross your threshold should be a dark-headed male, carrying… Continue reading
