A field of blue Texas Bluebonnets with white tips, framed within the outline of the state of Texas against a solid periwinkle-blue background.

The Morning Everything Looked Bluer

|

How fitting that Texas now mirrors our state flower, the Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis)! I am still in disbelief at yesterday’s turnout. On November 3, the people spoke, loud and clear — not only here in Texas, but across the whole … Read More

Feathery, pink-tinged Apache Plume seed heads twisting in different directions against a soft, dark background.

Faded, Frayed, and Still Beautiful

|

Lens-Artists Challenge #420 – Looking Back to #125 You Pick It! “Wabi-sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.”— Richard R. Powell, Wabi Sabi Simple What a clever … Read More

Close-up of a Southern Lapwing on cracked gray pavement, showing its thin black crest, red eye, pinkish bill, black breast, white belly, and iridescent bronze-green wing feathers.

Quero-Quero: Striking Gold in a São Paulo Parking Lot

|

When we were in São Paulo in June 2026, I felt a bit under the weather all week. I rested as much as I could and also took advantage of my youngest nephew’s willingness to drive both Keith and me … Read More

A Great Blue Heron stands in shallow water at the edge of a pond, one leg raised, with willow branches and their reflections filling the water behind it.

Still Hunting

|

Last week, after my daily meditation, I noticed a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) at the edge of the pond behind the house. It was motionless, the way they are when they hunt. A Nutria (Myocastor coypus) surfaced nearby, swam … Read More

A small reed-covered island in a man-made lake at Murphy Park, Taylor, Texas, dotted with dozens of white egrets, with trees and a water tower behind it under a blue sky.

Room on the Island

|

Lens-Artists Challenge #414: Looking Back at #44–Harmony This week Ann-Christine revisits the Lens-Artists Challenge #44: Harmony. She’s given us more freedom to explore harmony beyond the color-harmony concept. Please see her post and photos for her take on the topic. … Read More

A female or immature Black-chinned Hummingbird perched on one leg on a blue-gray wire, its other foot raised over its wing to scratch its neck, against a soft green background of blurred oak leaves.

Acrobat on a High Wire

|

Happy National Hummingbird Day! It falls on the first Saturday of September every year, and this year I have the perfect little bird to celebrate it with. For a few mornings in a row, a Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) had … Read More

A Cooper's Hawk perched on a tree branch with one leg raised and its beak open, panting to cool off in the summer heat.

Raptor’s Rest — Beating the Texas Heat

|

With temperatures constantly being over 100ºF (37.8ºC) the entire month of August — except for one 99-degree (37.2-degree) day — I have noticed that the raptors in our area have been spending more time in the shade. Even some vultures … Read More

A three-image collage of Texas flowers — pale violet Texas baby blue eyes with a honey bee on one bloom, a coral-red prickly pear cactus flower among spiny blue-green pads, and tall purple mealy blue sage spikes with an American bumble bee in flight.

MNOtably Floral

|

The time has come for another edition of Flora ABCs. This week, Terri’s Flower Hour #44 reaches the letters M, N, and O. No matter where one goes in springtime in Texas, one will always be presented with a diverse … Read More

Bald cypress trees along the Frio River at Garner State Park, Texas, their reddish trunks lit by golden light and reflected in still green water.

Best Ever: Nineteen Years Behind the Lens

|

Lens-Artists Challenge #409: Best Ever Images This week, our guest host for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is Steve Hyde, of Steve Hyde Photography Blog. Celebrating World Photography Day on August 19th, Steve thought this would be a perfect opportunity for … Read More

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

|

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

1 2 3 4 … 22