wildflowers – Page 4 – The Hermits' Rest

What’s the Hurry?

Today I was feeling quite fine, perhaps even groovy, while I was on my walk around Nails Creek State Park on an uncharacteristically cool April morning. I was reminded of the Simon and Garfunkel song that reminds us:

Slow down, you move too fast!
You’ve got to make the morning last!

That was from “Feeling Groovy,” if you aren’t old enough to have it pop right into your head. That’s how I was, too, taking my time, feeling the sand beneath my hiking shoes, and in the groove.

Life, I love you. All is groovy!

Groovy soapberry flowers

While I was walking and walking (fast enough to keep warm but not very fast), I realized that when I walk rhythmically I can’t think about anything negative. I just feel my body moving. Maybe that’s why people like running so much?

One thing I’m glad about is that I don’t need to run to get the effects of exercise. I love moving more slowly. I also think my focus on perceiving my surroundings with all my senses helps with grounding me. It’s like a walking meditation! That’s it! I’ve learned to meditate while looking for plants and listening for birds.

Even if that’s not true I find the idea comforting. Hobbies can be healthy! I plan to control my meanderings and take my time exploring the wide world around me, slowly and intentionally. It may be what keeps me together through unprecedented challenges.

I spent my original groovy years surrounded by Spanish moss.

What do you think? Am I onto something?

A Camping Dilemma

Any day out I nature is good. It did rain much of today, then got cold, but rain sounds good on the roof and I have warm clothing stashed in Seneca’s closet. However, the rain was not enough to dampen the spirits of our fellow campers.

Two, perhaps three (hard to tell) groups of incredibly enthusiastic Scouts are here, with one taking up three sites across from us. They are having FUN. So far I haven’t detected any actual scouting activities from this group, unless bellowing, screeching, and making siren sounds can earn you a merit badge. The adults coped by yelling back.

I coped by trying to leave, but it kept raining on me.

The other group was set up in the other camping area by the lake. They even had on uniforms as they blasted through empty campsites screaming instructions. One of them saw me and yelled, “Stranger Danger.” I was annoyed by then and reminded them that scouting encourages them to respect other campers.

I’m under a shelter. They’re scampering off.

They were on their way to a ceremony (I’d heard, ha ha), so by the time Lee had picked me up from standing in the rain and we drove by, they were doing a lovely ceremony with flags and saluting. Of course, THAT is when the park police went by. Such good little citizens.

I got to see a gun millipede while in the shelter in the rain.

Note that I did get a little walk in between rains and found a couple of interesting plants. I was trying out the new and improved iNat app, too. It identifies what I see immediately, so I don’t have to do it when I get back from a walk. Fewer Master Naturalist hours, but that’s fine.

Meanwhile, Lee and I took a drive around the area and looked at a couple of cute small towns. When we came back, the local kids were back outside, now throwing a football. I left again, and had a pleasant, if chilly, walk on the Nails Creek Trail, featuring lake views, more fun plants, and an owl.

A better picture of Sandyland Bluebonnet

The dilemma for me is whether I should have gone over and talked to the adults about the noise levels. I see two sides. One is that these are children who are outdoors. They don’t need to use their “inside voices” and that’s probably fun. Knowing how structured and protected the lives of kids are these days, this was probably a rare opportunity for free play with their friends, and that’s exhilarating for sure.

On the other hand, those of us who weren’t in their party could not enjoy our campsites when it wasn’t raining. In fact, we could only enjoy inside the RV with music or television on. I’ve been told that the training for the adults covers how to act when camping. I didn’t see a lot of buddy system or respect for the leaders.

I’m just not sure if I should have asked the park staff to talk to them or talked to them myself. I know how people react these days, so I said nothing. I honestly don’t mind kids having fun at reasonable volumes and staying in their own sites or the road. They were running all over the campground while the adults mostly sat in their chairs. I wish they’d gone on a hike or something but they’d have scared all the birds and animals.

My fervent hope is that they all pack up and leave early to go to church. Fingers crossed.

By the way, I want to thank any readers who went to peaceful protests today. Sign creativity was high! Since 2020, I can no longer do big crowds. But I’m grateful to those of you who fought through introversion and showed up.

And hey, here’s the first row of the 2025 temperature blanket. It’s warmer!

Nature Church

I’m easily excited, I guess. When I see a new or unexpected plant, bird, or insect, I get a thrill in my heart. I smile in the middle of nowhere, all by myself. Yesterday was full of such moments. The only thing that could have improved it would be to have had a companion also iNatting and Merlining with me. I made those verbs up. It’s good to have a companion in your spiritual experiences occasionally.

On my first walk yesterday here at the Nails Creek Unit of Lake Somerville State Park, I took the Overlook Trail, after revisiting the Lake Trail, where all the White Pelicans, Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Forster’s Terns, Northern Shovelers (charmingly shoveling away), Blue- and Green-winged Teals, and mystery sandpipers were in full force.

Forster’s Tern. Lee took the next few photos.

The Overlook Trail was breathtaking in its subtle way. First, it smelled wonderful, thanks to the blooming trees. There were Honey Locust, Honey Mesquite, Eve’s Necklacepod, and a lot of yaupon. That stuff smells so good.

Every turn I took revealed new vistas or secluded nooks. I realized that I felt spiritually a-tingle, like I was in a religious service and being moved. Mother Nature’s church was what my soul needed.

I enjoyed the viewing platform and all the lake views, though the little plants also enchanted me. I couldn’t have felt better. No news, no noise, no distractions.

Next we took an exciting trip to the grocery store in Somerville. This yard where someone planted a LOT of wildflowers was a highlight.

In the late afternoon it wasn’t too hot, so I went on the Cedar Creek Trail. It goes into the middle of the park, through beautiful post oak Savannah. The prairie parts were covered by wildflowers that like sandy soil, a few of which were new to me. The photos don’t do the scenery justice, plus all those little pointed phlox smelled better than perfume. I was often stopped in my tracks by the views. Wow.

I realize this isn’t the Grand Canyon or Rocky Mountains, but to me this part of Texas is incredibly beautiful. I hope you enjoyed the photos.

I Can Have a Theme if I Want To

The freedom is getting to me. I may have mentioned that I randomly decided to have a color theme for each month this year. January was black. I was pretty sad that month. The rest of the year is more cheerful, with pink February and purple March.

I had written orange down for April, but all last month I was planning for green. So I switched to green for April. Because I’m my own boss! Yes! I just wish I paid me more.

But not just nails, oh no! It’s hair, too. I’ve never had green hair before. It’s, um, green all right.

I will wear a lot of green, but I’m not gonna go nuts. Just some touches for whimsy. I just need fun right now to keep me going. This doesn’t cost much and I no longer care what people think about how I look (not that I ever did).

I indulged myself today by taking all the time I needed to tally up the birds I saw in March. I have a spreadsheet, you know. I keep track of birds I see at the Hermits’ Rest, elsewhere in Texas, and other states I visit. I share the findings for each month on the blog, too. You can see for yourself what the 84 birds here in March were. You can also see last year, too. I discovered that the only other time Merlin heard a Short-eared Owl was last March. This information alone spurs me on to make it until March 2026!

I really should see them in winter. Maybe they’re migrating in March. Photo from Pexels.

Speaking of green stuff and our ranch, the whole property other than pastures was mowed and trimmed today. It looks very neat. They accidentally mowed the wildflowers on the roadside, which made me sad. Maybe some flowers will come back. The wildflower strip that’s not mowed still looks pretty ragged, so we may just need to try again next year.

There’s good news, though. They moved the round pen to the little field in front of the house, so I’ll have a lot more space for horse training equipment. I can have a gate to practice on, my own cowboy curtain, etc.! Note that, as set up, the round pen is sort of a trapezoid. We will fix it.

I introduced Apache to the new location today. The goal was to just get him over there, but we made it in and did some circles and figure eights. He was not thrilled, but I handled it fine. Then we went back and trotted in the circle-ish area where the pen used to be. He’s such a creature of habit. He still balks at the higher jump. It’s okay.

No photos of the horse today, but, look! I have a blurry photo to show the Northern Harrier does exist here!

What’s the point of all this babbling? I want to encourage you to go and find your fun and indulge in what you love. It’s more important now than ever. The joy we can bring to ourselves is ours and ours alone. I’m not going to let my right to do silly things get taken away, because these little things strengthen me to keep fighting for my rights and the rights of people I care about. I think that’s true for us all.

I declare April to be not only the cruelest month, but also the greenest. So mote it be.

Recuperating and Resting

The past week was a lot, so I decided to take some time off and not push myself today. Horses were fed and medicated, and Apache seems fine still. It rained more, so I’m proud I got the necessary chores done and could relax the rest of the day.

I took it slow, like these turtles who miraculously didn’t flee when I appeared, like they usually do.

I wandered around listening to birds and munching on native plants this morning. Some of this stuff should go in meals, like saw green briar shoots, beaked cornsalad (not related to corn), and chickweed. I see why the chickens like it so much. It’s zesty!

I watched it rain, read, crocheted, watched golf on television, and took a nap. That’s quite a day of rest. I think I hit a high note of boringness! Hey, even Heather Cox Richardson took a day off, so I can, too.

This is sweet. Rain filled the holes in the door mat and this Red Admiral found it to be a great watering station.

The vegetation here is finally greener, and many more flowers and plants are showing up. Photographing them is better for me than catching up on the news. It’ll be there tomorrow.

Worn Out

How on earth can I be worn out on a day when I couldn’t do much due to drizzle? That’s easy. I wore my mind out.

I lost my detachment from current events and got angry. It’s a good thing fewer than 30 people read my Substack, because I went off on the concept of “improper ideology” for many paragraphs. You can read it if you want to. I just blathered. It will bite me in the butt someday, but I’m old and have no employer to defer to, so who cares?

Bluebonnets and slightly more full pond.

I got my stuff ready for our in-person horse show tomorrow, though Apache is filthy and I’m not sure how great he feels. My shoulder still hurts a lot, but otherwise I’m okay. I have all sorts of wound care and cleaning stuff for him. I just hope I have time to get him ready.

That black-and-white blob is a Mournful Thyris moth.

Ah well. I’m glad for the rain. It’s much greener already. Maybe more will come, after tomorrow.

Brain hurts. Worn out. Good night.

Visiting Aransas National Wildlife Reserve

Yesterday we reluctantly checked out of our cute and convenient hotel, and after I bought a new hat (my Master Naturalist hat is now part of the oyster beds), we embarked on the journey to the nearby wildlife reserve. We’d seen the water side of it when we went on the boat ride. Now was time to see the land parts (and more water).

The Inn at Fulton Harbor is a pleasant place.

We were somewhat hampered by the fact that the headquarters had no power. But we wanted to be outside anyway. There were many plants and birds to identify. I went over to some oak trees and saw a Couch’s Kingbird and Great Kiskadee. That was a nice switch from all the water and shore birds earlier.

The bonus was an alligator, conveniently located in the alligator viewing area.

We next drove to Jones Lake, a freshwater lake on the reserve. It was really low, so all the life was concentrated around it. There was a group of Blue-winged Teals and one Greater Yellowlegs off on one side, and a family of feral hogs on the other. In the middle, in what little water was left, was an alligator.

Only after a while did we realize there was another gator on the shore. It was huge. It looked like it had eaten a piglet. I bet it’s famous in these parts!

Next we ventured past the bay on our way to the observation decks and boardwalks. No one wanted to go up but me, even though there was a ramp to go up, not stairs. The view was beautiful across the islands and water. I saw herons and egrets, but that’s about it for birds.

After that we walked the boardwalk and trail with our cameras going like crazy. Watching Linda Jo and Ann discussing the plants they encounter is quite educational. They know so much about nature. I’m privileged to get to spend time with them.

Once we were done, we took the long way back along the nine-mile interior road. It’s not spectacular scenery but it’s certainly an interesting ecosystem for all the animals, plants, and fishies. one thing is for sure: this place is huge. I’m glad we made this trip.

There definitely was a lot to see in this unique habitat.

Whew. We were done! We chatted on the way home and it seemed like no time until we were back.

I was wiped out when I got home but of course took care of the horses. Then I collapsed.

Today I did chores and more chores, but it was such a pleasant day that I enjoyed it all. As a bonus I went out in our former woods to see if any of the interesting wildflowers were blooming yet. Yes! The spring beauties were where they were last year! I do love those stripey darlings.

I also verified that although it’s dryer than usual, both our springs are still flowing. That’s a relief.

I also found a few bluebonnets starting to bloom, just a couple weeks late. I feel more settled.

Apache didn’t feel settled this afternoon. I was proud of how well he handled many trucks driving around and a lawn mower attacking his area. He didn’t get upset until we were done and Lee pulled the lawn mower up. I wish I’d gotten a picture of the stink eye he was giving Lee.

Instead, enjoy Penney in a rare display of dignity.

I guess in summary we had a great trip to the coast and it was equally fine to come home. On to week 2 of unemployment. I mean, retirement.

Meteorological Warm Fuzzies

After all the horse hugging yesterday, I did not expect the weather to be nice to me today, but it was! Now, it’s still windy as heck, but I guess that’s typical March coming in like a lion stuff.

I’ve been unhappy with the weather, because all the flowers are coming up late, but it turns out it’s not just here. Friends elsewhere report similar late spring plant activity. I did go wander through the property today to check for flowers coming up, and they are there, just not up as far as usual. Whew.

The weather even blew a Barn Swallow into the house when a door blew open, which I’m sure was no fun for it. Luckily it found its way back out and the house isn’t all poopy.

The day was so lovely and sunny, though, which was a gift after so many days of angry clouds and dust. Imagine my surprise when we got a severe thunderstorm warning just as I was finishing a call with my financial advisor (depressing).

Can you see green leaves forming on the trees?

I went out to feed the animals and get everything all cozy, and even had time to ride Apache before it got ominous out. The rain that came was pleasant and didn’t last too long. Afterwards I noticed the sun came out while it was still drizzling. I knew was warm fuzzy gift that would bring!

It was one of the fullest rainbows I’d seen here in a long time. It was very intense, which is hard to tell from pictures.

Little things like light refracting on water droplets can make one’s day!

But more awaited me. The nearly full moon rose and peeked over some leftover rain clouds and was so pretty I had to stop my errands to watch it.

There were no clouds in the west, so all the color you see is from the setting sun hitting the clouds.

Right now, when our horizons are quite cloudy, pausing to enjoy gifts like rainbows and sunsets can make all the difference.

Pay Attention and You’ll Learn Stuff

Here’s what I learned today. This morning, a fellow birder and I watched the Red-winged Blackbirds in a feeding frenzy at the bird blind.

We also watched two beautiful Long-billed Thrashers as they stayed above the hubbub and got their food and drink. These are interesting, because they have a limited range and are sort of in between Brown Thrashers and Curved-bill Thrashers.

They have cool golden eyes and those long bills.

They weren’t as flashy as the Green Jays or Great Kiskadees, but it was fun to watch them pop in and out of view.

As you can imagine, all these birds were loud. Very loud.

The thrashers never made a sound.

Later in the day, I walked the bird trails that led to the unimaginably named 75-Acre Lake. There weren’t many birds to be found most of the way, one exception were Ling-billed Thrashers. They were always rustling in the leaves and hopping up and down in the trees.

I enjoyed the lake which had recently been cleared of cattails, and did hear a White-eyed Vireo pair singing, and lucked out to hear a Roadrunner making its eerie song. All was not lost.

There are large Spanish Dagger yucca here

My learning about the thrashers concluded around sunset. I began hearing what I thought was a Mockingbird going through its repertoire, but it didn’t seem right. I fired up Merlin Bird ID and was quite surprised to see an ID of Ling-billed Thrasher. All the thrashers got together at sunset and sang their hearts out for about a half hour. It was beautiful! Who knew? They only sing at dusk.

I’m glad I paid attention to the behavior of these birds. I learned something!

Hooray! Suna also can differentiate vultures by their wings. I’m a Black Vulture.

Observation and re-evaluation led me to a new life bird today, too. In the bird blind we noticed the size difference between the little Inca Doves and the others at the feeders.

I assumed the large dove at left was a Mourning Dove. However, Merlin listed a different option first, the White-tipped Dove. I’d never heard of it, but looked at the description. Sure enough, this dove had white wing and tail tips and no other patterning. Not a Mourning Dove at all. I just had to look carefully.

Whew. My head is full from all that observing and learning. Still I found time to see more fun plants, animals and birds today. And I can’t forget learning from fellow campers, most of whom seem to be from Canada or Minnesota. They’re so friendly! The birder guy was local, from San Antonio, and he had great advice on Canon cameras and lenses. I’m glad I found him and that Lee was able to talk to him, too.

Knowledge is power. Well, for the moment. Being smart is not popular among the powerful these days.

Welcome Light

Tomorrow is Imbolc, a celebration that light is starting to appear from darkest winter (among other things). Nature brought the light a little early, and provided us with a rare cool, sunny day. It was mighty pleasant.

I enjoyed a break from my very busy week by sitting outside after work, reflecting on how much I value my connections and wish I could cultivate them more.

I’m too busy sitting with birds, I guess.

At least I talked to my friend Donna yesterday, and she reminded me that the Purple Martins start to return this time of year. I also saw the bluebonnets getting bigger today, and I was happy, even though the speaker at last night’s Master Naturalist class informed us they are not native here, just in the granite areas of the hill country. Poo.

Lee was practicing with his camera so you can see what I look like when listening to and watching birds.

I know spring is coming, with turkey eggs every other day, calendar changes, getting my first new temperature blanket module done (tomorrow), and a new theme color for my journal and nail polishes. Stereotypical, it’s true, but February is all pink. I might even have pink in my hair. Ooooh.