At the National Butterfly Center (NBC) near Mission, Texas, we had been receiving reports of a bobcat being seen jumping out of the bushes and pouncing on squirrels and large birds in the bird feeding area. Since this was occurring on a daily basis, I decided to make it a priority to see and document…

Its rich geometric patterns of blue, yellow, orange, green and black recall delicately inlaid stones in Zuni jewelry or a tinted cut-glass pendant. I wonder where this elegant creature has been hiding the 40 some years I’ve lived in the Valley, but then realize it is I who have been inobservant.

Texas native bees

At the conclusion of the 2022 Texas Master Naturalist Annual Meeting it was announced that the 2023 Annual Meeting would be in McAllen. Sworn to keep this a secret, our advisors and chapter presidents were given only a few days’ notice prior to the announcement that we would be hosts for this event. After our…

We’ve lived on South Padre Island (SPI) since 2007, but almost every year we travel from our home in SPI to Denver, Colorado in the spring and return in the fall. Recently, while visiting the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, east of Denver, I discovered that we are not the only ones that do…