A tall, sunlit red rock formation with jagged columns rises above a hillside of golden grass and scattered juniper at the start of the Indian Lodge Trail, Davis Mountains State Park, Texas.

Island in the Sky

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Davis Mountains State Park is one of the most scenic parks in Texas. Tucked into the Davis Mountains and close to The University of Texas McDonald Observatory, the Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve, and the Fort Davis National Historic Site, … Read More

A fiery sunset over rolling wooded hills at Kickapoo Cavern State Park, with deep orange and red hues blazing across dramatic clouds above a darkening landscape of live oaks and Texas brush country.

Wings at Dusk: Inside the Bat Caves of Kickapoo Cavern State Park

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The landscape west of San Antonio holds more surprises than most Texans realize. On a camping trip with friends to Kickapoo Cavern State Park — a rugged stretch of Edwards Plateau country in Kinney County — we discovered a place … Read More

Four-panel collage of the Santuário Arquidiocesano São Francisco de Assis in Pampulha, Belo Horizonte: exterior side view with parabolic vaults and azulejo panels, interior vestibule looking out toward Pampulha Lake, interior nave with Portinari altar mural, and front entrance with the freestanding bell tower

Perspective, Depth, and Scale at the Santuário São Francisco de Assis

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Lens-Artists Challenge #403: Tools of Photo Composition: Perspective, Depth, and Scale This week’s Lens-Artists Challenge is hosted by John. He continues his series of compositional tools in photography. Specifically, he wants us to focus our attention on the “tools that … Read More

A Greater Roadrunner stands tall and alert in a sun-drenched meadow of Indian Blanket wildflowers, gazing skyward with a composed, slightly regal expression. Soft golden light and a painterly blur of red and gold blooms surround the bird. Likely the female.

Love Dance

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I was out walking and photographing wildflowers at Southwest Williamson County Regional Park when a movement in the grass caught my eye. A Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) — not an unusual sight on the Texas trails I frequent — but … Read More

Side profile of a Crested Caracara walking through a green field, showing its hooked bill with an orange base and pale blue-gray tip, black crest, pale barred neck and breast, dark brown wings and long tail, and bright yellow legs.

Carcará in Texas: Meeting the Crested Caracara

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During a recent walk at Berry Springs Park & Preserve in Georgetown, Texas, one of my friends pointed out this Crested Caracara in a distant field. That was a lifer for me. I had heard about this bird of prey … Read More

A wide, low-angle view of a Pflugerville prairie blanketed in Firewheel wildflowers, their fiery red centers and yellow tips repeating into a softly blurred horizon dotted with bright yellow Stiff Greenthread.

A Field Aflame — and the One That Wasn’t

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A week ago, a friend invited me to join him for an early-morning walk through an open field in Pflugerville, where wildflowers were growing undisturbed. The day was windy, but the light was generous, and the field had been waiting. … Read More

Tall poplar trees mirror perfectly in a still spring-fed pond at Independence Creek Preserve, beneath a soft pink sunset sky with West Texas hills in the background.

The Creek That Sweetens the Pecos: Inside Independence Creek Preserve

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Heading west on I-10 from Junction toward El Paso, the scenery quickly flattens. The Hill Country gives way to dry, open country, and the miles can begin to feel long. A few miles past Ozona, Exit 325 to Sheffield opens … Read More

Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) perched on a bare branch against a pale sky, showing rufous wing and tail feathers, buffy underparts, and raised crest — National Butterfly Center, Mission, Texas.

A Flash of Yellow in the Canopy

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“It’s not what you look at that matters,it’s what you see.” — Henry David Thoreau Spring migration through South Texas brings surprises, and this Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) was one of the first birds to greet me during my … Read More

A Pearl Crescent butterfly clings to a slender green grass blade with wings folded together, revealing the warm orange and black-veined underside lit by late-afternoon sun along Katy Crossing trail at San Gabriel Park, Georgetown, Texas.

Pearls in the Prairie

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Some treasures travel light. Along the Katy Crossing trail at San Gabriel Park, the Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) carries its namesake quietly — a small, milk-pale crescent tucked beneath the hindwing, visible only when the butterfly closes its sail. Late … Read More

Soft, impressionistic reflection of bare trees and a wooden footbridge mirrored on the calm green-blue surface of the San Gabriel River, with grasses along the bank.

The River’s Quiet Garden

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Although I enjoy biking at San Gabriel Park in Georgetown, Texas, lately I’ve spent more time walking one particular trail there — Katy Crossing. It’s a beloved route for mountain bikers, but what keeps drawing me back, besides the riding, … Read More

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