Beltane reminds me how I’m part of the whole. Sometimes you just need to stand in the woods and feel like you’re a part of it. Bugs, birds, buds, and me. It helps you gain perspective. So I wrote a little invocation with pictures.
Beltane Invocation
Category: Insect Sightings
Nature Triumphs Over Suna
Argh. I really wanted to go to the far reaches of the ranch to find more insects and plants for the City Nature Challenge today. I’d gathered a few observations while enjoying spider webs in foggy weather, but I knew there were more interesting things at the highest part of the ranch.
So I waited until my lunch break and got into our utility vehicle, Hilda, to head out. All went well at first I got I see the red ant colony that’s been here since I’ve lived here, and documented our more interesting cottonwood and oak trees.
The problem was that since it rained so much yesterday, I couldn’t get where I wanted to go. There was a pretty significant seasonal stream leading from the back of the ranch to Walkers Creek that made it hard to get over.
I rode all over the pasture looking for a crossing. This annoyed the cows and calves very much. eventually I came to where the folks who work the cattle cross in their trucks. Hooray! The low water crossing!
I was wrong. The mud was like quicksand and even in four-wheel drive, I couldn’t get across. Nature said, “Ha ha, I’m in charge!” I was stuck. In black muck. How embarrassing. I was not going to make it to my destination!
I managed to exit Hilda and call Lee to bring the tractor to pull me out. Of course, while I waited I took pictures of what I saw. At lest I found a dragonfly, a spider, and a cool robber fly that looks like a bumblebee.
Soon enough, Lee showed up with the tractor. I was glad until I realized I’d have to crawl in the sticky mud to attach the chains to drag Hilda out. nope, that was not fun. I hate mud. I really hate clay mud.
I did it, though! And after we freed Hilda from the mud, I was rewarded by finding this cool funereal duskywing at the gate out of the pasture. Seems perfect.
I am DONE with the City Nature Challenge! I got over 400 observations, and that’s enough. I got a few more this evening, but no way was I going to risk my safety to get more bugs on my list!
Y’all are lucky I drank an entire bottle of wine this evening so I didn’t feel like sharing the details of my struggle.
Nature, you win.
Getting Productive on a Challenging Day
When do you feel most productive?
I was not productive during my usual most productive times today, because we had a couple of waves of rainstorms come through. But generally, I do best between around 9 and 2 pm. I’m a little slow when the day starts, and by mid afternoon, I hit a slump. I think that’s pretty normal.
Today being Sunday, I’d planned to spend my productive hours exploring the more distant parts of our ranch complex for the City Nature Challenge, then I’d hoped to ride Drew for the first time since he got back (I’ve been exercising him, just have had vet visits, birthday dinners, and such getting in my way). But, I was determined to get my observations in and my exercise accomplished, even if it meant dodging raindrops.
I felt like I sat on my rear end a lot today, but I also crawled under electric fences, climbed muddy embankments, and walked a few mikes, some of it briskly. I think the rain may have given me more opportunities to see things, so it all worked out.
I had hoped to photograph more birds today, and I did, though many were pretty bad photos. I was so excited to finally see an indigo bunting this afternoon that I didn’t care how bad my photo came out, as long as I could tell it was blue. Now I’ll believe Merlin when it says it hears one.
The rain smooshed most of the flowers, but I did see a good number of insects. I don’t think I realized we had so many kinds of butterflies before I started recording them. I think that’s a good sign we have left enough native plants around.
Whew. But wait, there’s more. I observed lots of interesting water snake behavior today. In the morning, while looking at the heron, I saw at least four snakes traversing the pond behind the house. I got blurry images, so no ID.
Later, around 6 pm when I decided to get the rest of my exercise goal accomplished, I noticed a snake near the shore of Walkers Creek. As I watched, I saw two more. The creek was quite still, so I could see them real well. Then they obliged me and swam up to the bridge. That let me ID them as nonvenomous diamondback water snakes. What a sight!
All this makes me more firm in my decision to not swim in the ponds or creeks here. Interesting aside: when I came back from my walk to the cemetery, the creek was rushing and gurgling. It was at least three inches higher. That’s what flash floods are all about!
I got a lot done in my non-productive hours!
Spontaining
Today Lee and I spontained, which is our cute couple’s word for doing something on the spur of the moment. He needed to get out of the house, so we did. We ran off to Waco (because any iNat observations I made there would count for my City Nature Challenge totals).
We went to the Waco Mammoth National Monument, which neither of us had ever been to before. I hoped to get lots of iNat observations, but it didn’t matter much, since I’d already gone out in the morning and got sightings of crawfish, a turtle, catfish, and Ssssindy the snake.
We enjoyed the monument very much. The actual mammoth dig site is preserved with a cool roof and walls system that protects it. The walkway people go on in tours is suspended from the ceiling, so the bones are safe.
I don’t think I realized before that this site has lots of mammoth fossils (and a camel). It’s the only such “nursery herd” site ever discovered in the US. Many bones are in a museum at Baylor University, but the ones we saw have been left in situ, and work is still ongoing with them.
It’s incredible that this mass death of mammoths happened, apparently more than once, when the Bosque River suddenly flooded. I’m amazed that these animals were here only 10,000 years ago, too.
Anyway, we enjoyed talking to a college student who was there with her archeology club, to another young adult who helped me get my National Park stamps going, and to the park rangers. I know that helped cheer Lee up.
And after looking at the dig site, we walked on some trails and found some plants and insects. Mostly it was hedge parsley and more hedge parsley, but we found other stuff.
It was nice having Lee help me. He spotted a few bugs! I must be rubbing off on him.
Back at the ranch, I found many interesting bugs and spiders on prairie parsley. If you want more butterflies, grow this! I also got a great look at a kingbird. The buntings and dickcissels are very loud but are also good at hiding.
It was so windy that I gave up on birds. Tomorrow I’m going over to Sara’s to see if she has any interesting plants. I’d probably win the challenge if I was able to go to Tarrin’s, but she’s out of town and I wouldn’t want to impose on her family. Maybe next year!
All in all, a little spontaining was good for us both.
My Favorite Topics
What topics do you like to discuss?
Why, regular readers know this:
- Nature
- Horses
- Dogs
- Knitting/crochet
- Home renovations/rehab
- Personal growth
- Spirituality (not religion)
Today I got all my work items done and had plenty of time for fun. Some even involved human beings! Anita and I enjoyed a pastry break, followed by an afternoon wine break (Cameron: a place where there’s now stuff to do). And in the evening we had a birthday dinner with one of the people who live here. It was fun, because we’re getting pretty relaxed around each other these days.
Most of my fun, which is probably only fun to a naturalist, consisted of taking photos of practically everything that lives on the ranch natively. It’s the City Nature Challenge on iNaturalist, and we’re trying to beat some actual city, or something like that.
The challenge started off with a surprise, as the guy who refills the propane showed up but did not get to fill our tank. It had a beehive in it. I hope we have encouraged them to move in by removing the tank cover.
I went all over the property finding plants, birds, insects, and fungi to record. I put on thick boots, but didn’t see any snakes or other reptiles. There are still some places to check, but after finding 161 organisms, I may have nearly exhausted this ranch. I still need to locate the silky evolvulus. It was hiding.
I wish I could go walk in Tarrin’s woods and down her road. There are completely different plants only 30 miles away!
I’m glad the rain held off so all of us in our area could get our observations in. I’ll keep looking until Monday!
Thanks for reading along as I go on about my favorite topic! I have more thoughts, but it’s been a long day. Your reward is a sampling of insects I saw, without the extra blurry ones.
Risky Moves
Describe a risk you took that you do not regret.
One risk I took was buying and moving into property in a rural part of a state full of people who don’t like people like me. I was concerned that we hermits of the Hermits’ Rest would be truly isolated, other than the folks next door.
I’d always lived in small cities or suburbs, not rural properties. I didn’t know if I’d be able to adapt to the challenges of living with no HOA to keep things tidy, no convenient shopping areas with a Walgreens and a Starbucks every few blocks, and plenty of biting and stinging creatures lurking everywhere.
I’m so glad I discovered I’m quite flexible, I can adapt, and there are plenty of people here that enjoy people like me. I treasure the wide variety of friends I’ve made in this small town, rich and poor, conservative and liberal alike. And it’s such a privilege to have family in our little commune. I’d never have known this was possible without taking the risk of joining Lee in his retirement dreams.
Now I’m the one taking care of livestock, understanding where the dangers are as well as the wonders, and learning new skills every day. I’m bemused by visitors in their shorts and flip flops running from every flying insect and prickly plant. Or worse, being afraid of chickens, horses, or dogs. (You can respect them without fearing them.)
It takes all kinds, of course, and I’m glad there are options. I bet I could even find community and new things to learn in a downtown of a city. Maybe in my 80s…
What Treasures Hide in the Weird Areas
Our last day at Lake Whitney (or the Big Puddle as I’m inclined to call it, since it’s mostly only a foot deep) was mostly a work day, but I found time to hike around near our campsite for an hour around lunchtime. I wanted to see the airstrip that I’d spotted on the map.
The area wasn’t much to look at, since it was pretty scrubby and just had a few trees here and there (what did I expect? It was advertised as being on a prairie). However weird it looked didn’t matter. There was much to observe.
I have to hand it to this area, there are lots of birds, and they love this type of landscape with mixed open and covered parts. I heard a turkey and a peregrine falcon, along with many of my favorite sparrows, and the new-to-me clay-colored sparrow. There were no tanagers (they like the woods back at the campsite), but I was lucky to experience the sounds of multiple painted buntings calling each other and flying around. Magic! Plus the woodpeckers put on a show. Downies were in mating or territorial frenzies.
More bird action occurred when I went to check out the weird but nice surprise of a whole setup for flying radio-controlled planes. It even had a memorial sign for deceased members. However, those guys weren’t present, so my buddies the barn swallows decided their shelter was an excellent barn substitute. They didn’t appreciate my intrusion. I wonder what happens on plane days?
Yesterday I was too sleepy to write about plants, but today I’m more awake! I’ll say that this scrubby prairie had many flowers to enjoy (and to entice bees and butterflies). Two that were new to me were cute low-growing Comanche Western Daisy (Astranthium ciliatum) and delicate pink diamond flowers (Stenaria nigricans) which are usually white.
Of course my old favorites were also there. I just can’t stop myself from taking photos of insects on milkweed flowers. Not really weeds.
We headed home around three, and once I got the lights on the Jeep to work, all was well. Our first tow vehicle-accompanied trip went very well. We are quite rested.
I wasn’t worried about Apache, because Kathleen took great care of him and the other livestock. He is all medicated up and walking a lot better. Tomorrow he’ll get another trim and we should bring Drew home, too! I sure hope he’s back to his sweet, fun self.
Today Was a Proper Camping Day
After yesterday’s constant precipitation, today came as a very welcome change. It was nice and sunny, as well as pleasantly cool. I was ready to get in some exploration of Lake Whitney State Park!
The first thing I did was head back to the Two Bridges Trail for a birdwatching walk. It was led by two fellow Master Naturalists who claimed to be amateurs but have lots of experience.
We had a very good time, even if we didn’t see or hear too much exciting bird action. I learned much about the park and lake. The lake is only about a foot deep, for the most part!
The walk ended on a triumphant note when I heard a male painted bunting then actually spotted it. I got a great look with my binoculars and even got this blurry yet identifiable photo.
In the same clump of trees, a Nashville warbler appeared. I’d been hearing them, but this was my first sighting. We felt quite successful.
On the way back, I saw a guy walking down the road who had three cameras and binoculars. I stopped to tell him about the birds and he laughed. The other two had just told him, as well. I guess bird lovers stick together.
When I got back, I sat by the RV and hung out with Lee for a while. I heard an unusual bird, so I turned on Merlin. It was the summer tanagers! We quickly figured out they were close. Sure enough, we got to enjoy great views of both the male and female! He’s solid red and she’s pale yellow. Whew, that’s a lot of bird excitement for one morning.
After lunch I headed out again so I could check out the other trail. It’s called the Towash Forest Trail, but there’s not much forest. Towash is the town that’s now under the lake.
I must say the scenery left a lot to be desired. The first part interested me, because I could see old fences, and trees were all lined up as if they used to be along a fence. I think that part of the trail used to be the road leading to Towash.
Most of the trail went along the lake. There were small trees but lots of dewberries and grapevines. Of course, there were insects. There were disturbing numbers of caterpillars and butterflies, along with a new friend, the bird grasshopper. They were flying off in front of me, just like the butterflies were. I even saw a Gulf fritillary and a black swallowtail but they avoided my camera.
Yes, there were birds. There weren’t too many, but I did enjoy finding a flock of coots, watching Scissortail catch a bug, and startling a spotted sandpiper. Again, there were lots of egrets.
Later, after some lovely rest, I couldn’t control my nature-loving self and I blazed through the trees behind our campsite to find the lake we can barely glimpse. It was worth it. This inlet is very natural and beautiful. I saw so many shore birds, ducks, and others!
Having just dozed off, I’m pretty sure I should stop typing. But it was a great day in nature. Ahh.
Birds Come to Mind
Jot down the first thing that comes to your mind.
Well, of course birds are the first thing that comes to mind, since I saw and heard at least 50 today. That’s not bad for a day in which I also worked a lot!
Lake Whitney State Park is a birder’s paradise right now. Well, probably all of Texas is during spring migration. I heard so many warblers that my head was ringing. And lots of painted buntings, who finally graced me with visual sightings. The summer tanagers are still hiding, but I have time.
I enjoyed a midday break by hiking the Two Bridges Trail, which wound through lovely wildflowers and woods with very old oaks (live oaks and post oaks I think). There were, in fact, two bridges.
I also finally got to see the lake, which is quite wild and natural looking. It’s probably prettier with blue skies, but we got clouds and nice cool weather.
The trees were beautiful, too. Here are just a few I saw around the park today.
The thing I saw most of, other than plants, were butterflies and caterpillars. I felt like royalty walking down the path as the butterflies scattered upon my approach. Make way for the Queen! Mostly it was orange sulphurs and red admirals. I have no idea what most of the caterpillars are, because I haven’t had time to ID them.
Before I share flowers, I want to show you the family of young armadillos I saw. They were having a grand time jumping around and pouncing on bugs. It was so fun to watch them.
What’s not fun is that I can’t share photos of wildlife I safely observe from a distance without people being compelled to inform me that they carry germs that cause diseases. I do know that. I don’t hug and kiss them, nor any deer that might have ticks, or potentially rabid skunks and raccoons.
Why were there four armadillo, you ask? Well, their females always give birth to four identical babies. Interesting!
Of course, I saw some flowers, including some new ones for me. That’s always fun. Here are a few.
I got all this done while feeling a bit under the weather! We just relaxed all evening and watched a television show, Wednesday, all evening. That may explain why I’m too tired to look up names for things!
Talking to Strangers
Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.
I’m not as big on talking to people I don’t know as other people in my family are, but I tend to do it more when we go to State Parks and camp for a few days.
People at the parks are often very friendly and interesting. My favorite memory is somewhere in this blog from last year. I’ll repeat for this prompt. I was at Pedernales Falls, and ran into a family playing in the river after I climbed down a zillion stairs to get there. Now, that was okay, because the wildflowers were so spectacular I didn’t notice.
I showed the kids some bugs going back up, and bonded with the dad o er the flowers. They asked if I’d been to the actual falls, and I said no, because it was too far to walk. So they drove me there! And we found more bugs. Dung beetles. I never saw such excited kids. We could hardly drag them away to go look at the falls!
I’ll never forget this sweet family and their dog, who sure let me know I was sitting in her spot in the car!
Today we inaugurated Hermee the Jeep as our tow vehicle and drove to Lake Whitney State park, which is west of West, Texas. We succeeded!
Here I also talked to strangers, even without Lee, who went to get supplies while I finished working and took a walk. It turns out that the large group of Texas Tech people were all band alumni who gather every year at a park. What a fun tradition!
I also met a nice retired couple and a man with beautiful little dogs. It’s worth talking to strangers in settings where you feel safe!
The park has lots of birds, plus we saw migratory snow geese on our way to the park. I enjoyed hearing summer tanagers and seeing bluebirds and woodpeckers.
There are only two official trails, but there are roads and camping areas to check out, too. I won’t be bored. Here are a few views of flowers and fields.
We had a nice dinner thanks to the George Foreman grill Lee came back with. It made quesadillas. He also got a replacement for the overly cheap tiny coffeemaker we’d been using. Wow was it bad, and then it broke! we’re sticking with name brands from now on.
Later we enjoyed how dark it is here and listened to frogs. A great evening! Tomorrow maybe it will be cooler and I can work outside.
The Hermits' Rest 