Red Harvester Ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) clear out the vegetation from circles of about a meter. You can see the circles on googlemaps. Unlike fire ants, this native species is good for the environment, providing food for Texas horned lizards, quail, and other birds. They also loosen and fertilize the soil. Here’s what they look like up close and personal.Knotroot bristlegrass (Setaria geniculata) grows along the wetland area of the prairie. Its glistening plume lights up the winter landscape.The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) and the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) are two of our most common neighbors. It’s fun to see them here enjoying each other’s company.Yellow indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) has long lost its glory, but the seeds still hang on to feed the sparrow and maybe start new plants next year.The Lincoln sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) is a streaky little fellow over his buffy chest and side. Sitting on this colorful woodpile, he looks particularly enchanting.The color of this lone black jack oak (Quercus marilandica Muenchh) leaf drew my attention.These feathers represent the leftovers from somebody’s meal.We probably have a little too much Camphor weed (Heterotheca subaxillaris) in the prairie right now, but the birds and pollinators like it, and it makes these lovely little flowers that show off even in the winter.Aptly named Christmas Cholla (Cylindropuntia leptocaulis) brightens up the hedgerow.Eastern gamma grass (Tripsacum dactyloides), which has a beautiful show of blooms at other times, still looks pretty in the winter.Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) shows off in the winter, turning a rusty red.The evergreen live oak tree (Quercus virginiana), an integral part of the oak savanna, stands out in silhouette in the prairie landscape.The spines on this Texas prickly pear cactus (Opuntia engelmannii) are vibrant.Flatsedge (Cyperus eragrostis) has a pretty seedhead in the winter.Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) has a lovely profile against the winter prairie.Sand lovegrass (Eragrostis trichodes) is beautiful and delicate even in the winter.Sandyland Bluebonnets (Lupinus subcarnosus) fill the trails through the prairie. This variety is blue all the way to the top, without the usual white tip. They are actually indicators of disturbed land, but we love them anyway. They show up in January and sometimes in December to remind us that spring is coming.
I am sitting in the warmth and comfort of my home, looking out of my newly-converted-garage to-library window onto the prairie draped in shades of brown. The switchgrass still pokes its spindly stems above the Read more…
We had a great time at our Bexar Audubon Society Winter Bird Bioblitz, the second Saturday in January of 2023. Eight participants observed 36 species and probably 1000 birds, between 8 and 10 am. Some Read more…
It has been a devastating summer of heat and drought, but the rains have come, and we are finally seeing temperatures below 100. This Wendell Berry poem speaks about belonging to a place and finding hope there.
