Prairie Verbena
A spring hike at the beautiful Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge’s Doeskin Ranch trail often leads to unexpected photo opportunities. This wildlife refuge is just outside the Austin city limits and offers a nice view of the Hill Country and … Read More
Monasterio de Santa Catalina
Built in 1579, the Monastery of St. Catherine is a Dominican nunnery of the Second Order, located just a few blocks from the central plaza in Arequipa, Peru. Once you enter the monastery, its vivid colors (deep blues and striking … Read More
Lurking Around Us
Lens-Artists Challenge #375: Where to Find the Mysterious “Darkness falls across the landThe midnight hour is close at handCreatures crawl in search of bloodTo terrorize y’all’s neighbourhood.” Vincent Price’s words at the end of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” After an unanticipated … Read More
Nature’s Minimalism and Beauty
Whenever I think of butterflies, some words come to mind: ephemeral, graceful, fragile, and colorful. The Checkered white (Pontia protodice) certainly checks three of those qualifiers. To say they are “colorful,” however, may be a stretch. They are not bright … Read More
Giant Spiderwort
One of the nicest things about Texas wildflowers is that one can often find some varieties blooming at all times of the year, and not just in the spring months. Typically, from February through early June, most of everyone’s favorite … Read More
Bike, Hike, and Paddle at Lake Bastrop
Lens-Artists Challenge #374: On the Move! Being so close to the Austin metro area, the Lower Colorado River Authority’s (LCRA) Lake Bastrop South Shore is a hidden gem. Many people confuse it with the more popular Bastrop State Park. The … Read More
Crimson Memory to Honor Veterans
Living just minutes outside the Georgetown, Texas, city limits has plenty of advantages. One of which is the fields of Common poppy (Papaver rhoeas) we can find around that town. Several other names, such as corn poppy, red poppy, and … Read More
Lens-Artists Challenge #373: Looking Back at LAC #31: Landscapes
I am relatively new to the Lens-Artists challenges. I discovered the group in 2023 and served as a guest host in September of that year. I officially joined the team in January 2024. So, when we began the Looking Back … Read More
Remembering Cee Neuner
The Scarlet leather flower (Clematis texensis) is endemic to Texas. More specifically, it is endemic to the Edwards Plateau region in Central Texas. It thrives in rocky, limestone-rich soils, which we have plenty of in this area. It prefers full … Read More
