Plant Sightings – The Hermits' Rest

Happy Scenic Travels

We have returned from a very long travel day. We had to go from Garner State Park to Sisterville, or someplace like that, to drop the RV off to get fixed. The road there was as beautiful as only a Texas Hill. Country drive in spring can be. Believe me, if someone offers you a trip to this part of the world in April, go! So many flowers, hills, scenic rivers, and grand ranches to see!

I didn’t take scenery photos, but hey! Here’s a real live jackrabbit!

I didn’t take pictures for two reasons. One is that I had meetings all morning and was working. Two is that I woke up with the horrible sore throat I had recently, and my ears were also sore. I cannot swallow without bad pain. Yes, I will try to get in to the doctor tomorrow.

Squirrels having fun at the campsite. I hope the wrens find a new nest spot.

It was an adventure getting the RV and Jeep to the repair place, which is well off the main road. But Lee did it masterfully! While he talked to the repair folks, I met the neighbors.

We left a long list of repairs to be done, like making the bedroom slide, propane, and kitchen sink work again. We bid Seneca a fond farewell, and hope to see him fairly soon (realistically, the repairs will take a while).

We enjoyed more scenery until we got closer to I35. But even there, the wildflowers have been planted. I found these at a rest stop.

I’m now going to try to sleep with my dear dogs and a hefty dose of throat spray. My sore finger will thank me, too.

Lost among the Maples

The weather here at Garner State Park and surrounding areas was strange today. It started off misty and stayed misty/foggy all day. That’s not typical Texas Hill Country weather.

It made the hills look mysterious. This was mid afternoon, when fog has usually been burned off for a long time.

After a pleasant morning of coffee and birding, Lee took me to Lost Maples Natural Area, a place he’d been many times when he was younger, but I had never been. You may know of Lost Pines, which we’ve visited many times. Both places have remnants of the forest that was in Texas the last time it was much cooler.

The trees in this preserve are still around because they’re surrounded by hills and have a river in the middle, which creates a perfect microclimate for bigtooth maples. The area is extremely popular in the fall when the trees turn colors, so coming in spring is a much better idea for us hermits. The mist also helped keep away crowds, but didn’t distract from the spectacular scenery.

The Sabinal River was fun to cross repeatedly.

We did a mile walk, which was a bit challenging for Lee with the rocks and water crossings, but I’m glad he could join me, because this is such a special place.

In addition to the plentiful maples, there were many fun plants to spot along the trail. The most spectacular sight was Scarlet Leatherflower (Clematis texensis) which attracted hummingbirds like crazy.

Best I could do. More flower photos later.

I also found out the identity of the yellow flowering plants growing out of all the rock faces along the road, Lindheimer’s rockdaisy (Laphamia lindheimeri). It only grows in this area, the Edwards Pkateau.

One more I’d like to highlight, because it was new to me, was the Texas Mock Orange (Philadelphus texensis), which is a pretty shrub with white flowers that do resemble citrus blossoms. I didn’t get close enough to sniff the flowers to see if they smell as good as orange flowers. It’s related to hydrangeas.

There were many more interesting plants, so I’ll do a photo dump. I do want to add that there were also interesting birds, including only my second ever observation of a Golden-cheeked Warbler and many striking Black-and-White Warblers. I got to see Yellow-breasted Chats, too, which I usually just hear. But since the only bird photos I got were of blurry hummingbirds, here’s another Vermilion Flycatcher that posed for me back at Garner.

Mostly, we gawked at the scenery, switching our focus from trail to hills to river. This is a special place, and there are much longer trails, so if you ever get to Vanderpool, Texas, do stop by. It’s the only thing in Vanderpool, Texas, but I like it because I had a teen crush on a curly-haired musician with that last name. Anyway, here’s some scenery.

I know, quote the photo dump. It’s just so pretty! And for my reference, here are more interesting plants. I’ll spare you oak trees and grasses. These are the most interesting to me.

All in all, it was a great day to be outdoors and geek out over plants and birds. And rivers and hills. We are here until Tuesday, so maybe I’ll see some more interesting stuff tomorrow!

Camping Isn’t Always Peace and Quiet

At least camping in state parks is hit or miss in the peace and quiet department. Garner State Park, where we are now, is an example of a place with more chaos and noise (but mostly happy noise). This place is a beloved Texas treasure, and rightfully so, given its spectacular setting beside a clear, cold river surrounded by beautiful hills.

It’s the largest state park I’ve ever been to, with over 500 campsites. No wonder it has a small grocery store, when it’s full the population could be over 2,000. And everyone is here during good weather. I enjoyed seeing families of every demographic you could think of enjoying the weekend, young and old, all ethnicities, and rural and urban cultures.

How could I tell? Just walking around the circle of campsites we are in felt like driving down the road and searching for a new radio station every few blocks. There was rock, folk, hip hop, Christian pop, Hindi, Tejano, and even people listening to NPR (Lee).

The only demographic left out were us birders. Lucky for me, there were some pretty darned loud birds, like Ash-throated and Brown-crested Flycatchers, Yellowthroats, Black-crested Titmice, and endless White-winged Doves. Plus I saw many fun birds, like a Lark Sparrow that repeatedly came over next to our outside chairs to eat seeds and ants. A huge Raven sat in one of our trees, and I even saw a Vermilion Flycatcher and an Orchard Oriole. Here are my phone photos.

I enjoyed exploring the Frío River very much, even with the yelling people (mostly asking others to be careful or saying they slipped and fell). The water is as clear as everyone has always told me, and the cypress trees are stately shore guardians. I also enjoyed exploring the limestone formations along the riverbed.

I got 26 new plant species today, and thoroughly enjoyed the variety of flowers, corns, and trees. Here are just a few.

You can’t see them well unless you zoom, but these are perfume balls. Gaillardia with no petals.

Don’t worry, I got a bit of peace and quiet by hiding in the underbrush. Clever me. Lots to see there and I could really hear the birds!

In addition to hanging out at the park, Lee took me on a tour of the area, including Leakey, Camp Wood, and Uvalde. The scenic route was twisty and curving, with new vistas around each curve. We saw much irrigation of crops and many large exotic game ranches. I was glad to see this bit of Texas I hadn’t seen before with an experienced tour guide (Lee spent much time here before I met him).

While there were many, many children and large groups, no one was obnoxious. They all seemed to be having a great time. Still, I’m glad we didn’t come in summer!

It All Worked Out Today

Attitude really can make a difference. Today proved to exemplify the effect of a positive attitude very well. Let’s hope for more like this for us all!

Thankfully, we did not end up crashed on the side of the road like these poor folks.

The day started with me doing all my chores and packing, then diving into work with gusto. Why not? The folks I work with were happily surprised at how much I got done on our project. That was a good start to the day.

I found the first day flower on the ranch this year, too.

Rather than getting impatient with Lee about getting off to our distant campground on time, I decided it was his schedule and his trip, so he could leave when he was ready. Thus, no stress.

I got to walk around a bit and see pretty Texas Prairie Parsley, which attracts many pollinators. Yippee!

I ended up having to work three of the four hours of our drive, but I managed to see many gorgeous wildflowers on the roadside, as well as two Roadrunners and flocks of Cattle Egrets. Plus I managed to work quite well from the RV. It was pretty fun, for work.

When we finally arrived at Garner State Park, which is next to the Frío River and surrounded by hills, it was late. We were hoping it would not be too hard to find our campsite. But, we were delighted to discover the check-in was open late because it’s Friday. We had a great chat with the check-in lady, who had many park insights.

Then we went out to unhook the Jeep and I wandered to a trailhead near the parking lot. I was greeted by a loud chirp, and a bold little bird looking right at me. I thought that it was funny-looking for a White-eyed Vireo, because it didn’t have white eyes. Merlin identified it as a new lifer for me, Hutton’s Vireo, apparently fairly common here.

All happy about this, I led Lee to our site. I was cheerful, especially when a flick of Wild Turkeys walked across the road. But. Oops. The site I’d reserved had a short driveway with a large live oak tree right at the end, so we couldn’t hang over. And once he got to the space and tried to back in, he hit (gently) an overhead branch. It was not going to work. I got a bit flabbergasted, but managed to call the park and explain.

Not the original site, just showing the view.

A park ranger came and said they could trim the branch. Then he realized that couldn’t happen. The tree is big. So Plan B was to put us in an “emergency site.” It turned out to be more spacious with fewer neighbors. It worked out great!

We got set up, chatted with nice park hosts, then went to look for dinner. It was pretty late by the time we got to the nearest town, Leakey (pronounced lake-ee). There used to be a La Leche League administrator who lived nearby, on an exotic animal ranch. So, even though no restaurants were open except a super crowded one, we were fine just getting food at a gas station and admiring feral cats. I finally saw Leakey, and that’s what counts.

No town photos, but here’s a “mountain.”

I’m happy to be here! We might be late and we may have had to change plans, but here we are!

Ball moss. It grows on electric lines here.

Visiting the Official Wildflowers

Yeah, yeah, I write about wildflowers all the time. But today four of my Master Naturalist friends and I traveled to the deepest depths of Austin, Texas (which only took 1.5 hours on a Saturday with no huge festival happening). There, we found the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, a regular treasury of Texas wildflowers, many at their peak of bloom.

We were prepared for rain and dropping temperatures.

I used to be a member when my children were young and I only worked part time, but it had been quite a few years since my last visit. Seeing how well the plants have grown, as well as finding new places to look around, was a great experience for me.

One new area is a circle of young oak trees, all of which were grown from acorns of trees of historic importance in Texas. The tree shown here came from the Big Tree on Goose Island, which Lee and I visited recently.

I am a lot better at identifying native plants than I was 25 years ago, so I had fun figuring out what I was seeing before checking its sign or looking it up on iNaturalist. Of course, some plants were new surprises, which added to the fun. I think I ended up being the ID guide, though a couple of my companions were pretty good, too.

After enjoying the gardens, we went to the annual native plant sale, where the group picked up some interesting plants for the urban wildscape our group is making at the church where we meet.

We rewarded ourselves with a visit to the gift shop, where we found the Texas Master Naturalist textbook among the offerings. I got a book I can’t wait to read, with plant and insect mandalas.

When we were finished, we drove up to Georgetown for a late lunch at Wild Fire restaurant. It was pretty spectacular and a great ending to our trip. Plus! When I got home it started to rain. Yay! Let’s celebrate by looking at some plants I saw.

Looking forward to a cool day tomorrow and a good rain total!

A Bit of a Break

Today was the first “normal” day in over a week. Other than work, it was just lovely, too. While the wildflowers aren’t overly spectacular this year, looking at them makes it impossible not to live in the moment.

The dandelions of many species were beautiful this morning (pre mowing)

Though the bluebonnets have mostly gone to seed, the other roadside flowers are making up for it, which makes butterflies happy.

The weather was pleasantly warm, and in the morning, the wind was just right. It was perfect for getting the horses’ hooves trimmed. Apache is still shedding profusely on his white spots, and the wind blew the hair away from poor Terry while he trimmed.

Meanwhile, Vlassic scrounged for hoof trimmings.

The horses were so good, and they all look great now that the cracks are smoothed down.

I was charmed at how Mabel and Apache waited their turns nose to nose. They have become good friends.

Even Drew was in a good mood, asking to have his face rubbed, then, get this, mouthing and licking my hand sweetly and gently. We had an absolutely relaxing and pleasant time together. He’s settling down into a fine companion.

The time spent with the horses is so good for me. Dusty and Spice are always so friendly and well mannered. We now have a happy, balanced herd. I’m glad to now have Kathleen’s help with them, too. It’s helped me move forward.

Tomorrow should be either fun or wet. We will see!

Oregon Has DUCKS!

I mean, I knew that…college mascot and all…but I got to see plenty of them today! I’m in Tualatin (near Portland) for work for a couple of days this week, and I figured the only birding I’d get to do was around my hotel and the office.

I was very pleased when my boss, Jasmine, suggested we go on a walk after a team lunch yesterday. After many hours on a plane and a stressful rental car drive, I welcomed the chance to move around. I swiftly got many plant photos and heard some good birds. I love the little woods next to the office buildings and am so glad they saved it.

When I got to my hotel in Lake Oswego, I was charmed by all the cherry blossoms fluttering around. I’d never seen them in person!

I took a little walk around the neighborhood, found a path around a creek, and walked by some beautiful homes while listening to birds and enjoying plants, both native and cultivated. Oregon is truly verdant.

This morning I woke up early, since I’m still on Central Time, which enabled me to drive through tree-lined streets, many of which were in full bloom to the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. Jasmine came up with the idea of going for a walk in the refuge before our meetings started, because she really wanted me to have the chance to go there.

I was grateful she loaned me a coat. It was pretty chilly!

This wildlife refuge is mostly a huge wetland teeming with life, including beautiful plants, both native and introduced.

We had a blast looking at all the birds we found. There was a White Pelican, Great Egrets, Red-winged Blackbirds many Robins and Yellowthroats, a Harrier, Song Sparrows, a Spotted Towhee, Mourning Doves, Canada Geese, and so many beautiful ducks. We had so much fun trying to figure out what we saw. Ones I’m sure of were Mallards, Gadwalls, Green-winged Teals, Northern Shovelers, and a gorgeous Cinnamon Teal that Jasmine actually spotted.

There were also many fascinating plants in the wetlands and wooded area. We particularly enjoyed this native Horseweed. It’s one weird plant, especially the flowers.

Many of the trees were new to me, being Oregon natives. The Oregon ash had very soft leaves in an ashy green. The maples were in bloom, as were many others. I learned so much. Here are some scenic pictures and some named trees.

Things like this fuzzy caterpillar made us a little late to our meetings. But we had so much fun, it was worth it.

And now I’m ready to catch some zzzzz. A half day at work tomorrow, then back I go!

Birding and Driving Success

The last day of camping didn’t lend itself to hiking, since it kept raining off and on. So I did more friend chatting and snuck over to the shore of Lake Somerville to see if I could find any of the birds I hadn’t seen yet. I knew those Pelicans had to be somewhere!

I saw some Ring-billed Gulls. Oh boy! Perhaps that wasn’t what I wanted.

I turned my head to the right, and there was a lot of white. Ooh. That was promising.

I moved closer and saw a Great Blue Heron and some Great Egrets. That knocked one white bird off my list.

I finally got close enough to see the distant birds (binoculars were in the motor home). Yes! There were some American White Pelicans! They haven’t all migrated (I have seen some flying over).

Looking more closely, I realized there were bonus while birds—Snowy Egrets!

The ones at right with black legs are Snowy.

After enjoying all these guys and the fun sandpipers for a while, I was happy with my bird sightings.

I found a few more pretty plants, too. It’s always lovely to see raindrops on flowers!

I left the campsite mid afternoon to try to avoid hard rain, but didn’t. I was a bit shaky by the time I made it to the airport Hilton. I’m not bad at driving in the rain, but it takes concentration. We still need more rain, so I’m not complaining. Naturally, it’s flooding in some spots. I just hope the plane takes off on time and I make it to rainy Portland tomorrow morning!

The Old Fashioned settled me down nicely.

Fire Brings Beauty

On today’s big morning hike in Birch Creek State Park, I walked all the way to the far edge of the park. I quickly realized that the trail I took had experienced fire recently. I remember there was a fire in January or February at Lake Somerville, but I’m not sure if it was in the park or not. I do know there are prescribed burns in the fall and winter months.

Anyway, the point is that the number and variety of wildflowers I encountered on the burned grassland astonished me. I found myself muttering and exclaiming to myself as I encountered one beautiful plant after another. For example, there was a carpet of trailing Rhatany (Krameria lanceolata) in many places. This is a deep red blossom that’s unforgettable.

Another striking plants I was delighted to find was Prairie Nymph (Herbertia lahue), a wild iris that you don’t expect to see in a burned field.

In addition to those, there were hundreds of wild garlic plants blooming, phlox, colorful spider worts, and tiny flowers called Arkansas Leastdaisy or (duh) tiny daisy (Chaetopappa asteroides). There were winecups in large numbers, too. It was not apparent that there were so many flowers unless you looked carefully, but by stopping to look, you’d be greatly rewarded. I was in heaven.

As I moved on, I found the Eagle Point trail, which had no eagles to see today, but provided spectacular views of a large wetland area, along with some fine large oaks. It was a great place to take a rest.

I actually called Lee to come pick me up, because I didn’t feel up to walking nearly 3 miles back. I got some rest in while it rained, which gave me time to put all my plants on iNaturalist. So many photos. A few more.

I went out again in late afternoon, just because, why not? The Wilderness Trail went through dark woods and near the lake. I dodged mosquitoes, which I didn’t photograph. But it was pretty and I enjoyed all the birds.

Prickly poppies leading into a tree tunnel

No more walking after that! We had a potluck meal with the entire group then sat around talking with old friends. It was a good day.

Now for another great sleep in the motor home. I sure sleep well in it!

The Cameron contingent were together. That’s Mikes vehicle at left.

Ducks and Water and Such

Yesterday’s short morning walk had me itching for more nature. I needed that happy feeling I only get when I’m outside.

So I decided to go look for Bluestem Pond and investigate a wooded area here at Birch Creek State Park. What a lovely sight greeted me there. I knew I was in for a good walk.

The pond was small but pretty, and turtles liked it.

The Honeybee Trail is a nice loop, and it was shady and quiet. I didn’t meet any other people there. All sorts of birds were singing and I got plenty of plants to record. Just for Barbara, here are 36 photos of plants, birds, and insects.

After the walk, Lee, Mike, Martha, and I got in the car and drove around the area like Lee and I did last visit. Mike found a little burger restaurant with burgers as good as Tex Miller’s in Cameron and French fries that were nearly as perfect as Thursday’s hush puppies. I think it was Pappy’s Burger Shack in Caldwell. We enjoyed clouds on the way home.

We watched The Crown in the evening. Wow, those royals were big time smokers.