A weathered wooden arch marks the trailhead entrance to Twin Springs Preserve, flanked by a stone foundation and framed by the dense canopy of Ashe Juniper (Juniperus ashei) and mixed Texas Hill Country brush.

Off the Beaten Path: A Quiet Afternoon at Twin Springs Preserve

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I recently completed a two-part training on the Leave No Trace Seven Principles — a meaningful program that encourages us to be more mindful of protecting the places we visit and hike. For those unfamiliar, the seven principles are: Plan … Read More

Two Common Green Darner dragonflies (Anax junius) mating in a heart-shaped “wheel position” on a reed stem, their reflections mirrored in the still water below, at Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, Texas.

Lucky Shots: Caught in the Act

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Lens-Artists Challenge #393: Lucky Shot Patience is unlikely to be what one relies on for lucky shots. Rather, you need to be in the right place at the right time. All the shots here were unexpected captures. I’ll tell you … Read More

Close-up of a White Winecup (Callirhoe involucrata var. lineariloba) flower bud tightly wrapped in bright green sepals, with soft pink and white petals just beginning to emerge, photographed at ground level at Berry Springs Park & Preserve, Texas.

A Cup of Morning

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On a recent morning walk through Berry Springs Park & Preserve, I kept stopping in my tracks. Scattered across several open areas of the park, clusters of White Winecup (Callirhoe involucrata var. lineariloba) were putting on a quiet, understated show … Read More

Honey bee in flight approaching a Texas Bluebonnet flower, Central Texas wildflower macro photography

Corbiculae and Cobalt

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“The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.”Henry David Thoreau Spring seems to be in full force in Austin, Texas. Not only are the city and surrounding areas getting covered with wildflowers, but pollinators have also started to … Read More

Juniper Hairstreak butterfly on Redbud tree

Chasing the First Pollinators of Spring in Central Texas

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As winter loosens its grip and the first trees break into bloom, one of nature’s quietest spectacles begins — the return of the pollinators. This featured image was captured at Balcones District Park in Austin, TX, where an Eastern Redbud … Read More

Extreme close-up macro photograph of tiny translucent ice pellets scattered among dried autumn leaves and bright green leaves, creating a jewel-like winter scene on the ground.

Frozen in Time: Macro Magic from a Texas Winter

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February 2022 brought our second freeze of the season: three quiet, cold days of ice and snow blanketing everything in stillness. After the trauma of 2021’s catastrophic storm — when millions of us lost power and water for days — … Read More

Pollinating in the Winter

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Suspended in a split second between flower and flight, a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) hovers above a rose bed in search of a winter meal. Cold-season pollination is an opportunistic affair — honey bee colonies remain semi-active through winter, and … Read More

A cool-toned monochrome landscape of the entrance to Closed Canyon, with a flat-topped mesa and a rounded hill flanking a dark rocky cleft, surrounded by sparse desert scrub under a dramatic, streaked sky.

Stone Cold Serenity: Finding Your Calm at Closed Canyon

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Lens-Artists Challenge #389: Time to Relax For this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge, Anne wants to know what relaxes us. She writes: “What gets you away from the stresses of daily life. What’s your passion?” The short answer for me is nature. … Read More

A wide-angle view of a large cluster of green Trans-Pecos Hedgehog cacti with dozens of bright red flower buds emerging from the tops, set against a rocky desert background.

The Desert’s Crimson Crown: Spring Awakenings at Big Bend Ranch State Park

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There is a specific kind of magic that happens in the high desert of Big Bend Ranch State Park when winter’s grip begins to loosen. It’s a landscape defined by its “hardness”—rugged volcanic rock, heat-shimmering horizons, and plants that have … Read More

Cute as a Button

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The saying may not come from this perennial shrub, but I can certainly see that it would apply to a Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) shrub. Even though this shrub may look a bit like a weed for some people, the round … Read More

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