Author: Anita Westervelt
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Anita’s Blog — Pandemic Project # 8
Did you catch Dr. Phil’s (McGraw) brief segment on the news this week? “Get up, get dressed, get active, get busy,” were his recommendations to keep from getting depressed during self-isolation. “Find a project,” he continued, “something you can put on a timeline — and hold yourself accountable.” View Dr. Phil’s show at these links:…
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Rosy roseate spoonbills
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Story and photos by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist If it’s a pink bird you see flying around coastal Texas, it’ll be a roseate spoonbill migrating back to the coastal shores and resacas. In flight, the roseate spoonbill looks all pink. When wading, it’s easier to see their true colors. Adult roseate spoonbills have no…
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Anita’s Blog — Victory Garden Super Foods
Is it too late to start a victory garden? I don’t think so. Weeds grow, even in this drought, so why not some vegetables? Victory gardens, were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United Kingdom, United States and other countries during World War I and World War II. The gardens were to supplement…
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A little on the wild side
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Story and photos by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, a member of the Solanaceae family. This particular species needs further identification to include: [Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme]. This is one of those plants you may suddenly find in your garden, as did I, one spring. I left the plant to do its…
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Anita’s Blog — A Bit on the Wild Side
This is about one of those plants you suddenly find in your garden. When I found my first surprise-it-looks-like-a-tomato-plant vine in an obscure portion of our yard a couple of years ago, I left it to do its own thing, hoping to eventually identify it. Yes, it looked like a tomato vine, smelled like a…
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Black-bellied Whistling Duck
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by Marilyn Lorenz photos by Chuck Lorenz You see them everywhere. Flying overhead with a soft wheesh-wheeshing sound, floating in every bit of water they can find, or even just standing around hanging out in your backyard. These are our own very special kind of duck – the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. Once found only in…