I managed to get a few pictures of the place greening up quickly this past week.   They're online over at the 80acres blog.    Couldn't get out to do more because I had page proofs...which always take me longer than they should because I know I don't catch everything the first time through.

I've posted a long (LONG, lots of pictures) article about supplemental water for wildlife over at the 80 acres blog.  It could've been twice as long, with twice as many pictures but I'm supposed to be working on other stuff.  Stuff that pays for the pumps, the rubber liners, the hoses, the rocks...etc.

New post at the 80acresonline blog about a turtle rescue yesterday evening.   This is not the first turtle rescue on the place when a turtle got caught in a fence or stuck under a fence (or apparently stuck...) but this one produced better pictures.

Pictures of the male summer tanager that has shown up at the back yard water feature in this drought situation are up on the 80 acres blog.    Usually the tanagers stay down in the creek woods--but I've seen several bird species in the yard that I've seen before only down in the woods: white-eyed vireo, yellow warbler, painted bunting, and now, the ( Read more... )

If you'd like to see some of the butterflies on the 80 acres, as photographed this past week, the pictures are up at the 80 acres blog.   Some butterflies weren't cooperative (that would be all the sulphurs, the swallowtails, and the variegated fritillaries) but some were.   I'm particularly happy with the new photos of the Reakirt's blues, which ( Read more... )

While photographing wildflowers, I spotted a pretty polka-dot-winged fly that's new to me.    The post also has other wildflower pictures.  One of my favorite wildflowers (though, really, I don't have non-favorite wildflowers!) is the skeleton plant, because it looks too intricate and beautiful to belong to its plant--a bare stalk.

Our garden is in that (always too brief) state when it looks like a real garden: the corn and beans are flowering, the tomatoes are flowering and have green tomatoes on them, etc.   So I took pictures and posted them over on the 80 acres blogsite.   Those of you who are envious should relax--in a month your gardens will look beautiful and this one ( Read more... )

More wildflower pictures are up at the 80Acres blog.

These were taken while guiding friends around the place last Thursday.   I've never seen the Brazoria looking this good!

Over on the 80Acres blog, I've just posted pictures of wildflowers and insects.

One or both of the insects are new on our list.  I always thought weevils were ugly, but this one is kind of decorative.

Ever wonder what a net-winged beetle was, or what it looked like?

I spotted a pretty orange flying "thing" yesterday and got enough pictures to ID it.   They're posted on the 80Acres blog.