I had hoped to save this for Halloween. Because it’s creepy and gross. But, while a week ago, cold and rainy would have seemed like just the ticket to a delightful ramble in the park, turns out that cold wet feet are not a bonus, so I’m staying inside today and rolling my little friend… Read more »
I found a secret garden within shouting distance of the Jackson Hill footbridge. I would tell you exactly where except it’s gone now. I stumbled on it poking around off of the paths. That’s where the bugs, birds, lizards, snakes, and naturalists like to hang out. I crested a tiny hill and found scores of… Read more »
Usually, things are red for a reason. It’s a color that really shows up. If you want to stand out, wear red. Of course, if you are small and surrounded by larger, hungry things, red might not be your color. So, what should we make of this friend that I ran into off the trail… Read more »
I am yet again going to write about herons. Do not blame me. Blame the juvenile Tricolored Heron that was standing, almost invisible, in the run-out of the McGovern Cascade. She was so well camouflaged that I noticed her only because I wanted a better look at two turtles with whom she shared the log… Read more »
I may have to rename this blog, “What do Herons Eat?” Last week, we discussed night herons. This week we turn to Green Herons. I didn’t plan to make August heron month, but I found this bird not too far from the Buffalo Bayou Partnership offices at Allen’s Landing. It was her idea to commandeer… Read more »
I had never seen a night heron until I moved to Houston. I first noticed them when I played softball. They were the large birds wading around in the puddles beyond center field. You might imagine my proficiency at softball from the fact that I spent my time facing the wrong way. We also had… Read more »
When you take a really close look at butterflies, there’s a lot more going on than gossamer wings toting a straw from flower to flower. For example, what’s up with those eyes? Each of our eyes has a single lens and both rods and cones. Rods allow us to perceive light and dark. Cones are specialized… Read more »
Baby birds behave in unexpected ways. This is because they are idiots. I have mentioned this before in passing, but this post will be almost entirely about the incompetence of juvenile birds and referring to two in particular: a Coopers Hawk and a Great-Tailed Grackle. It is a heroic tale of peril, escape, and maternal… Read more »
Vast swathes of Buffalo Bayou Park are a banquet for butterflies. Wildflowers spread across sunny hillsides. Yet, when I visit the shady Greentree Nature Trail, I always see bunches of butterflies. This is odd because I cannot think of a good reason for them to be there. Butterflies do not waste time. Their job is… Read more »
Almost every time I walk under the bat bridge I see a Black-crowned Night Heron (BCNH) or two and they are almost always standing still. I imagined that they were waiting for a baby bat or egg, or who knows what, to fall at their feet and provide a meal. These were apparently lazy birds… Read more »