By Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist The nine-banded armadillo is the only species of armadillo in the United States, although 20 species exist throughout Central and South America. Nine-banded armadillos live throughout Texas except in the Panhandle and the Trans-Pecos. The species is found as far north as southeast Nebraska and Illinois, and east through…

Story and photos by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist In the rush to get over hot sand and into the surf, the plant life of a dune is often overlooked. Fun surprises take shape when a more focused look at a dune’s plants are studied. Just as in a fallow field alongside a road, a…

Story and photos by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist It’s getting toward the end of spring in the Valley, and newly planted gardens are looking colorful and healthy. Many uninvited yard plants are looking healthy, too, much to the consternation of many a gardener. Four annoying lawn and garden plants everyone probably has but never…

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,…