Painted spurge (Euphorbia heterophylla) and painted leaf (Euphorbia cyathophora) are not so distant relations of the famed commercialized poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) all of which are in the Spurge family and widespread throughout the tropics and subtropics. They also have been introduced or naturalized in many countries – giving them many common names.

What a spectacular sight!! Each fall millions of monarch butterflies pass through our region on their way to their overwintering grounds in the oyamel fir forests of central Mexico. The following spring these migrants return to the southern tier of states so their offspring and successive generations can fly north to repopulate the summer range.…

Almost every winter visitor to the Gulf Coast shores will sooner or later encounter the delightfully busy, medium-sized sandpiper, Calidris alba, or Sanderling, whose common name we’ve received from the Old English sand-yrðling, “sand-ploughman.” These little sandpipers are possibly the most common shorebird species in the world, being found on every continent but Antarctica.

Estero Llano Grande State Park in November wrapped up the Rio Grande Valley’s State Parks’ 100- year anniversary celebrations with an Outdoor Family Fiesta.

As per an eBird report, flamingos were being seen in Corpus Christi, Texas due to displacement by a hurricane. Then an anonymous birder reported seeing a flamingo around October 15 at the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, however, many of us never saw that report for some reason. On Sunday, October 22, two more eBird…

Working with South Texas Border Chapter (STBC) Texas Master Naturalist (TMN) members on our chapter project at the Vannie Cook Children’s Cancer Center in McAllen has been a rewarding experience for me over the many years since we first began the project. I’ve expressed in presentations how it brought chapter members together for a common…