By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Moray eels are a unique fish found worldwide in tropical and temperate seas. They are often brightly colored, have a big mouth, tapering body and swim using a series of undulating movements. Morays have no side fins like typical fish. Instead, they have a dorsal fin — generally the…

By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist It’s unusual to see a big pond slider turtle lumbering across the lawn at a good clip — away from the water. Two of the most common turtles in Texas are the pond slider and red-eared slider. They are medium-sized semiaquatic turtles and live in fresh and brackish water,…

By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Texas pocket gophers are prevalent in sandy soils of South Texas. The critters rarely surface, which is why they aren’t often seen, but their mounds leave tell-tale evidence that they’ve taken up residency. The gopher’s distribution in South Texas is wide but patchy because of its requirement for loose,…

Story and photos by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist A Texas cicada, the Superb Dog-days cicada, Neotibicen superbus, is so named because it makes its annual appearance during the dog days of summer — those hot, sultry days when it is most hot and humid. Historically, the dog days followed the heliacal rising of the…

By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist The air will soon be aflutter with masses of colorful butterflies searching for colorful flowers and rich nectar sources. One popular Valley shrub coming into its showiest season is Esperanza (Tecoma stans). This prolific bloomer sports attention-getting, bright yellow clusters of bell-shaped flowers. The eye-catching blooms aren’t just for…

By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist Programs. There are two Texas Master Naturalist chapters in the Rio Grande Valley. Both chapters offer monthly meetings with guest speaker programs and social time that are free and open to the public. The Texas Master Naturalist organization is a unique educational volunteer program sponsored by Texas A&M AgriLife…