Planting native prairie grasses

 

Top photo (middle of the frame) shows recent planting at San Jacinto Monument which included 250 native prairie grasses.  These plants begin from the seeds gathered by Texas Master Naturalists and members of The Native Plant Society of Texas from prairies in and around the Houston area.  The bottom photo is showing varying stages of growth of eastern gamma grass, switch grass, yellow Indian and Big Bluestem which will be planted at San Jacinto Monument grounds and other pocket prairies and nature centers.

 

 

Marilyn Faulk Lanser

Dwarf Palmetto: Bad news / good news

Dr. Mark "Merriwether" Vorderbruggen describes how he would eat this Dwarf Palmetto at Houston Arboretum & Nature Center.

The bad news: The Dwarf Palmettos in my yard indicate that we live in a flood plain.

The good news: The roots and berries are edible. However I haven't conducted a taste test. -- Lana b

First Time

2013 has been a year filled with "first time" experiences and now writing on a blog can be added to the list.  I wonder who the reader might be as I try to compose something that relates to my new experience as a newly certified Texas Master Naturalist.  The program opened my eyes to all the unique aspects of living in the Galveston Bay area and the natural beauty of our flora and fauna and I've lived here all but 2 years of my 61; it's as if I'm seeing home for the first time.  Thanks for starting this blog, Lana.  I'm new at blogging but will have fun posting photos and writing about the natural mystery and beauty found in our part of the Texas Gulf Coast.

Marilyn Faulk Lanser

Roseate Spoonbill

                                        

Frog mashed in the street

Frog fossil in the pavement.

Along a street called Summer Lane in a neighborhood called Whispering Pines, I looked down and found this impression.

A frog fossil!

What species could it be? Plastic, perhaps?  -- Lana b

This frog has been run over many times.

I spy a roseate spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbill, left, and friend.

My first bird count excursion was a three-hour tromp beginning at 7 a.m along the trails at Baytown Nature Center. That night my shoulders and neck were stiff from looking at treetops with binoculars.

My bird count buddies were veterans, David H., who takes fabu nature photos and Chuck. They spotted 45 species.

I can't saw I saw that many. I didn't see the baby Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks swimming in a pond because I was too short to see over the brush in front of the bird blind. Bummer.

However watching and hearing the yellow Orchard Oriole was a treat. The guys also considered the Belted Kingfisher and Osprey good sightings for the area.

My goal this summer is learn to identify the big shorebirds. The only one I can name with any confidence is the Roseate Spoonbill. They are pink and pretty obvious. -- Lana b

Bird count    
10  Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
1    Mallard
4    Mottled Duck
2    Pied-billed Grebe
3    Neotropic Cormorant
1    Double-crested Cormorant
15  Brown Pelican
7    Great Blue Heron
8    Great Egret
14  Snowy Egret
7    Little Blue Heron
10  Tricolored Heron
5    Cattle Egret
2    Green Heron
4    Black-crowned Night-Heron
14  Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
9    White Ibis
3    Roseate Spoonbill
1    Osprey
11  Killdeer
4    Black-necked Stilt
16  Laughing Gull
2    Least Tern
40  White-winged Dove
15   Mourning Dove
4    Common Nighthawk
8    Chimney Swift
1    Belted Kingfisher
5    Red-bellied Woodpecker
1    Downy Woodpecker
3    Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
1    Loggerhead Shrike
3    Blue Jay
6    Purple Martin
2    Tree Swallow
16  Barn Swallow
1    Swallow sp.
11  Carolina Wren
19  Northern Mockingbird
25  European Starling
7    Northern Cardinal
7    Common Grackle
4    Great-tailed Grackle
6    Brown-headed Cowbird
2    Orchard Oriole
6    House Sparrow

Disturbing a hermit crab by grabbing a shell

A lighting whelk, the Texas state shell, plucked out of the Gulf along the beach at Galveston Island State Park was home to a hermit crab.

A thinstripe hermit crab peeks out.

After forcing the hermit crab to pose for pics, we tossed it back into the warm waters rolling onto the beach.

-- Lana b

Wait, rabbit, I just want to take a photo

Marsh rabbit at Armand Bayou Nature Center.

 Seeing mammals along the trail is always a treat.

A couple of rabbits were browsing near a sign identifying marsh rabbits at the Armand Bayou Nature Center.

They were well camouflaged. A slight move gave one away. The one closest to the boardwalk didn't seem too concerned about a passing human.

The cottontail spotted near the butterfly garden at Baytown Nature Center was very skittish. It seemed to return to a spot where there had been a tree stump in a freshly mowed area.

I gently poked around the area looking for a nest, but I didn't see anything. Maybe the rabbit was just enjoying the new sprouts. If there was hidden nest, I hope the babies are safe. -- Lana b

Cottontail at Baytown Nature Center.

Spending the weekend with Aldo Leopold

Squirrel at rest. Today's high was 90 degrees.

 Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac is considered a bible among most naturalists around here.

I couldn't find a copy at the nearby library so I bought a used paperback online. It was cheaper than downloading an ebook.

If I don't find goose goop pressed inside the pages, I'm sure it will be an interesting read. -- Lana b

Twilight rain

Welcome rain blew in around 7 p.m. The temperature was about 90.
At 8 p.m. the temp was 77 degrees and everything looked a little greener. -- Lana b

Stalking a heron

The Yellow-crowned Night Heron likes to eat crawfish and crabs.

 I thought it liked me.

As I walked toward the shoreline at Burnet Bay, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron didn't take flight. It just looked at me. Its sweet head feathers were fascinators.

As I edged forward, I looked away. My theory at that moment: If we don't make eye contact, the heron won't dodge my approach.

I just wanted to grab a quick shot of my new friend with my point-and-shoot camera. No drama.

The shorebird turned its head my way when I lifted the camera, and I knew it was over. I backed away. Rejected again.

The heron seemed to ignore me as I retreated.

I guess it didn't like me that much. -- Lana b

"Human, admire my feathers and yellow legs but don't get too close."

Pipeline workers in my backyard

Misty morning at Baytown Nature Center with industry on the horizon.

 When you live near Baytown, there is no escaping the fact that petrochemical companies rule.

Refineries even surround the Baytown Nature Center. BNC visitors can get a jolt when the refineries do their weekly tests of the emergency sirens.

Chevron gave us a rain gauge

.

If it is Wednesday, it's just a test. If the horns start blasting at midnight on a Friday, it may be time to run or shelter in place, depending on what has gone wrong.

Since January Chevron has been ripping up, repairing and adding pipeline along an easement near our house.

It has been loud and messy. Most importantly it has blocked my view and access to a tiny wild patch that goes down to Slap Out Gully, which dumps into Burnet Bay.

The good news is that the workers are moving out. Today I got a glimpse of water from my back fence. I can't wait to douse myself in mosquito repellent and go exploring. -- Lana b

The land is scarred, but the equipment is leaving.