Author: Anita Westervelt
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Abstract Beauty in Unexpected Places
Christmas was long past. The weak afternoon glow of a cloudy west Texas fading March sky had only enough strength to highlight the golden dagger tips of an erect, five-foot tall, spent Christmas Cholla. I was mesmerized by the plant’s startlingly wicked achromatic beauty. The plant was off the beaten track, three layers deep, nearly…
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Strictly Texas
There’s just something about a bug named Texas to make it personal and foster a real kinship with this unique land and its critters.
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Rio Grande ground squirrel enjoys fruits of the dunes
Rio Grande ground squirrels populate the southern and western areas of Texas. They are less than 11 inches in length, their moderately bushy tail is about four and one-half inches long; they usually have nine rows of squarish white spots on the back of their coat and whitish buff underparts. Males weigh less than three-quarters…
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There’s a new book in town
An aura of grey-olive drab fur on the moth sheet caught my eye in the early dawn light. The lone moth was on the sheet long after the other night flyers had scarpered off to their daytime venues. I took advantage of the opportunity to capture photos from several angles. I rely on www.iNaturalist.org to…
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Porpita porpita and the naming of things
Scientists, as we were taught in the early days of our Texas Master Naturalist training, use a two- name system called a Binomial Naming System, naming plants and animals using a system that describes the genus and species of the organism. The first word is the genus and the second is the species. It’s as…
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And he’s off again!
It was a late July Dog Day Afternoon – perfect for a tram ride at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park in Mission. South Texas Border Chapter Texas Master Naturalist, Jani McGee, drives the tram Thursday afternoons from 1 to 4 p.m., making rounds at the top of each hour. Bring a camera, grab a cold…