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

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

Lens-Artists Challenge #392: Framing Your Shots: Exploring the Foreground, Middle Ground, and Background When Patti set the theme for this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge, I wanted to capture new photos that put her excellent guidance to the test. She wrote, “This … Read More

“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

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

The spring equinox arrives quietly — not with fanfare, but with wings. On a visit to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, I was surprised that my late arrival would give the gardens almost all to myself, the beautiful blooms, … Read More

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

 As spring blooms, a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) is seen busily gathering nectar from the vibrant blossoms of an Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), creating a beautiful connection between pollinator and plant. In this perfect moment of spring, flora and fauna … Read More

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

The health of pollinators is critical to our environment and ecosystems. Each pollinator plays an important role in transferring pollen and enabling plants to produce fruits and seeds. It is through this pollen transfer from plant to plant that genetic … Read More