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Other Nations: A Naturalist’s Blog about Buffalo Bayou
by Alisa Kline

Posts Tagged: Texas Master Naturalist

Nov 28

Ol’ Blue Eyes

Cormorants are not rare, and until I spent some time photographing this pair on Monday, I didn’t think they were particularly lovely. They were interesting but aesthetically challenged. Boy, was I wrong. Up close, they are gorgeous birds. These are Neotropic cormorants. They are a Central and South American bird; the only places in the… Read more »

Nov 20

Our Park is getting seedy!

There is an eye-catching plant in our Park right now. Usually, when I post about an eye-catching plant, it is in glorious bloom. But in this case, the plant is in glorious seed. It bloomed months ago and I have to admit, I didn’t even notice. The plant is Baccharis halimifolia, its common names include… Read more »

Nov 14

Tasty/Deadly

First, the tasty. Knotweed (also known as smartweed) is blooming in our Park right now. It is fairly insignificant looking but it packs a heck of a punch! It is spicy. Peppery hot. Indigenous people and early European settlers used it to flavor their stews and salads. When  you chew a leaf (only a bit,… Read more »

Nov 09

The Queen Erupts!

I am seeing queen butterflies all over the park. I cannot stress how unusual this is. iNaturalist records 331 reports of queen butterflies in Texas last year between October 1 and November 6. This year, for the same period, we have had 1036 reports, a more than 300% increase.  Inside the Loop Houston had zero… Read more »

Oct 31

Autumn on the Prairie

Our Park is part of a prairie restoration project that aims to show off the native coastal prairie ecosystem that was present in this part of Texas for the last 23,000 years. The silt from Hurricane Harvey dealt this project a setback, but there is a stunning patch of prairie plants going strong just to… Read more »

Oct 29

Naturalist vacation

I am in Georgetown this week for the Texas Master Naturalist state conference so no Park blog post, but I did see an amazing Tricolored bat at Longhorn Cavern. It is called a Tricolored bat because each hair goes from black at the base to yellow in the middle to brown at the tip. Tricolored… Read more »

Oct 18

In which a Cuban anole sheds and eats his skin!

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 »

Oct 11

The return of Bidens alba

When I was contemplating this blog, I knew there were a few topics that I would cover early and possibly often. One of the first was any lasting effect Harvey might have on the ecosystem of the Park. Another was one of my favorite flowers, Bidens alba.  Funny thing – topic A, seems to have… Read more »

Oct 03

Bees and Pollen

We have been taught to think of bees as European honey bees. I don’t have to tell you about them, you learned it in grade school. They make hives. They have a queen. They dance.  But, not all bees are European honey bees. We have 600 species of native bees in Texas and not one… Read more »

Sep 26

Secret Garden

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 »

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“[Animals] are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.”

—Henry Beston, The Outermost House

 

For sightings, questions or comments email blog@alisakline.com.

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