Humid morning at Baytown Nature Center

This May morning before the rain started, it was a cloudy, muggy day at Baytown Nature Center.

Juvenile heron.

Snails

Dragonfly

Alligators on the move

This medium-sized gator headed the other way when I rolled down the window to snap a pic with my phone. I guess it doesn't like orange cars.

Driving into Sheldon Lake State Park this morning, I met an alligator crossing the road after several inches of rain had been dumped in the park during the night.

It's mating season for the alligators, which are looking for mates and nesting sites

Gators aren't unusual at Sheldon Lake. There are signs warming visitors to keep their distance and never feed the animals.

A few hours later this alligator was spotted on the ramp at Pond 1. Of course I walked over to see it.

Stopping along the River Road of Big Bend Ranch State Park

Marker along the trail to Closed Canyon.

Our car couldn't handle the rough road to the interior of Big Bend Ranch State Park. However there are trailheads along the River Road/FM 170 from Lajitas to Presidio.

The trail to Closed Canyon is a nice walk and the temperature drops about 10 degrees when you get inside the canyon.

The view from just inside Closed Canyon, which may look familiar if you saw the last scene of Boyhood.

A few feet along the Cerro de las Burras Loop, you can see a rock formation that looks like a skeleton head. It is easily accessible.

Yep, there are lots of rocks. This one was along the Hoodoos trail.

The wildflowers were blooming in mid April.

And the cactus flowers were an extra treat.

Butterflies along Big Bend's Lost Mine Trail

The trail is listed as "intermediate" and should be a three-hour roundtrip. It took us 4.5 hours.

Going up the Lost Mine Trail in Big Bend in the crisp morning air in April, we didn't see many butterflies.

But coming down around lunchtime, they were active. A big orange butterfly buzzed us a couple of times, but I wasn't able to identify it.

Common Streaky-Skipper or Scarce Streaky-Skipper? Only a specialist can be sure.

Dainty sulphur

Reakirt's Blue is on the West Texas butterfly checklist. Could this be one?

Something took a bite out of the back of this Gray Hairstreak.