Fall foliage at Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, with Prairie Flameleaf Sumac in shades of red, orange, and yellow and the white, feathery plumes of Roosevelt Weed rising in the background.

Yellow Hues at Balcones Canyonlands

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Whether you go on a long hike or a short walk, the sights at Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge will always please you. In the fall, you have vibrant colors from the Prairie Flameleaf Sumac (Rhus lanceolata) and Roosevelt Weed … Read More

A three-image collage of flowers: a cluster of hooded yellow Jerusalem Sage blooms, two magenta Trailing Ratany flowers with fringed petals, and a spiny purple Leavenworth's Eryngo flower head resembling a small pineapple.

JKLoriously Floral

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The time has come for another edition of Floral ABCs. This week, Terri’s Flower Hour #42 reaches the letters J, K, and L. I wasn’t sure I’d have an example for every letter. My photo archive and a quick internet … Read More

A single Texas Bluebell flower with lavender-purple petals and a deep magenta center, blooming among tall grasses in an open field.

A Late Entrance — Texas Bluebells in the Wild

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Some days I go bike riding and come home with several shots captured along the trail. Today was no exception. Short on time, and with the heat fast approaching, I headed to the Southwest Williamson County Regional Park, just a … Read More

Texas wildflower meadow in soft light: tall purple horsemint spikes with tiered lavender whorls on the left, and red-and-yellow firewheel (Indian blanket) blooms with round, pale seed heads filling the right side of the frame.

Two Flowers Spell Three Letters

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This week, Terri’s Flower Hour #40 arrives at the letters G, H, and I. I went to my photo archive to see what I could post — something local, to keep the challenge close to home. I found a few … Read More

A single Gulf Fritillary photographed from above with its bright orange, black-marked wings fully spread across a large orange zinnia.

Front-Porch Fritillaries: Orange on Orange

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When we visited East Texas a few years ago, we stayed in a place with a front garden full of flowers. Sitting on the porch each morning, we were always delighted by the constant traffic of butterflies. One in particular … Read More

A three-image collage of Texas wildflowers: a field of golden Engelmann daisies, a field of pink-and-white Drummond’s rain lilies, and a macro of a lavender-blue False Dayflower.

DEFinitely Floral: Three Texas Wildflowers, One Alphabet Challenge

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When I saw Terri’s latest Flower Hour challenge on her Second Wind Leisure Perspectives website, I wasn’t sure what I’d be posting. I enjoy photographing flowers a lot, so I knew the hard part would be deciding what to include … Read More

Close-up of a Western Ironweed (Vernonia baldwinii) flower cluster, its red-violet disc florets forming a fuzzy tuft of curled, thread-like styles, with a tightly scaled bud visible at the edge against soft green foliage.

A Fuzzy Purple Surprise — Western Ironweed Along the Trail

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A couple of weeks ago, I went on a short bike ride around my neighborhood. There are always interesting and sometimes unexpected things to observe. On this ride, I noticed several Western Ironweed bushes growing along one section of the … Read More

Vertical close-up of a Texas Skeleton Plant flower atop its thin, leafless stem, showing deep purple veins and curled white stamens.

Bare Bones, Bold Bloom: The Texas Skeleton Plant

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I can never seem to get enough of this flower. Whether biking or hiking, I literally stop in my tracks when I spot a Texas Skeleton Plant in bloom. I photographed these two photos on a hike at Doeskin Ranch, … Read More

Cobblestone boardwalk trail winding beneath a dense green forest canopy in Parque do Cocó, Fortaleza, Brazil.

An Urban Oasis: Fortaleza’s Parque do Cocó

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When we were in Fortaleza in June 2026, one of the things we wanted to do after spending time with family was explore parts of the city we hadn’t visited before. Since this is my hometown, there wasn’t much left … Read More

Wide view of Texas bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush blooming together in a wildflower field at Inks Lake State Park, forming a natural red, white, and blue palette.

Saturated in Red, White, and Blue

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Inks Lake State Park turns into a wildflower paradise most every spring, though not every year is as saturated with color as 2024 was. The 1,200-acre (486-hectare) park sits in the Texas Hill Country’s Highland Lakes region. Its granite-and-gneiss shoreline … Read More

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