Three-panel collage of wildflowers — a magenta Panicled Ticktrefoil bloom with unopened buds on a hairy green stem, a cluster of lavender-purple Queen’s Wreath flowers with dark violet centers, and two yellow Rock Flax flowers on a thin curling stem.

PQRfectly Floral

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We now reach the PQR flowers in Terri’s Flower ABC challenge. Initially, I thought it would be hard to find flowers beginning with the letter Q. I found a few in my catalog. What surprised me even more is that … Read More

Wide view of a Texas wildflower field densely packed with yellow Stiff Greenthread and red-and-yellow Firewheel blooms, photographed at 200mm with a shallow depth of field.

A Thread of Gold in a Field of Fire

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“Wildflowers don’t care where they grow.”Dolly Parton Sometimes it pays off to carry only one lens. It forces you to create more with less. When I met a friend for a walk through a field in Pflugerville, I deliberately left … 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

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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

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

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