Cicada reveals fresh wings

Oh no, I thought, this one didn't make it.

I found the cicada emerging from its old skin on the ground. I thought it was dead so I picked it up to snap a pic with my iPhone.

But it wasn't dead. It started moving and completed the molting in my hand.

 When it started crawling up my arm, I put it back on the ground.

It continued crawling. But it seemed so vulnerable. I decided to place it on a tree.

I guess that's where the cicada wanted to be. Clinging to the bark, the cicada became very still while it unfurled its wings and stretched out its abdomen.

Such pretty wings.

Good luck, cicada. Sorry I so rudely interrupted your emergence.

Sulphur butterflies are quick, quick, quick

Note the long front legs, which make walking easier.

Here, there and over there.

It would be smarter to shoot video of the Sulphur butterfly than try to get a good still with a camera.

These little yellow fliers are so quick.

The rapid flights are mostly males looking for mates, according to Butterflies and Moths of North America.

The Sulphur family is a big group of yellow butterflies. There are Clouded Sulphurs and Cloudless Sulphurs.

A common one in Texas is the Cloudless Sulphur. And don't forget the Orange Sulphur.

They are about the size of a quarter.

Smallest butterfly of North America is easily overlooked

The smallest butterfly of North America loves the glasswort that lines the road leading to the Brownwood Pavilion at Baytown Nature Center.

The Western Pygmy Blue butterflies are looking for places to lay eggs and checking out the wildflowers.

Walk along the road and the little butterflies about the size of your smallest fingernail will flutter along.

Western Pygmy Blues are weak fliers that stay close to the ground. Once they land, their coppery wings are hard to spot.

The little Western Pygmy Blues are abundant. Most people just don't notice them.

Peek-a-boo with a flighty subject.

The flower pose by a notched-wing tiny Texas butterfly.

Visiting box turtle has shell and leg scars

A box turtle showed up in our yard. A dent in its shell looked like a wound caused by a mower.

Freddie the dog inspects the visitor.

When it finally came out of its shell, you could see that its front leg was missing toes.

Scars didn't slow this turtle with a seriously cute face.

Before I took the box turtle to a woody area behind our house safe from mowers, I looked online to check the turtle's ID and discovered that TPWD is conducting a Box Turtle Survey Project.

It looks like an Eastern (Three-Toed) Box Turtle. Growing up in West Texas, we called them terrapins.

I logged our visitor into the the survey. Maybe this Slap Out Gully turtle will contribute something to the citizen science project. Or I would like to think maybe it will be found 50 years from now, perhaps 500 miles away, continuing its journey.

Curious snake surveys the action

A little snake peeked up between the pots of Spider Lily in the grow-out ponds at Sheldon Lake as we prepared for a Wetlands Wednesday workday.

It was so hot -- around 90 -- that after an hour of pulling the cart and emptying pots of dirt, I was a red-faced sweaty mess. I blame my heat-intolerance on my blood pressure meds not my aging body.

Anyway I spent the next hour indoors working with the seed crew in air-conditioned comfort.

Self-propelled flowers: swallowtail and skipper

Here are a couple more butterfly beauties spotted this season.

I love the showy Black Swallowtails.

This swallowtail took off to frolic above the flowers with a flutter buddy.

While trying to ID this specimen, I got bogged down in the differences among the Common Checkered Skipper, White Checkered Skipper and Tropical Checkered Skipper. I think this is a common, although it deserves a more uncommon name.

Lunch with a heron is a regurgitation delight

Hello Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. What looks good on the menu today?

No, you don't need to show me. Ack.

OK, if you insist on regurgitating your meal right here, I won't complain to the management.

I see, yes, that looks yummy. I'll ask the waiter to bring me a double portion. Cheers!