Liberal Ladies

What fun today! The Liberal Ladies came by to tour our gardens this morning. Then they had me join them for their monthly potluck and meeting. After lunch, I read excerpts from my middle grade novel, Charnell, and they loved it! They gifted me with their enthusiasm and encouragement for the book. I am honored. Thank you, ladies (and one husband who came for the garden tour)!

New tumbling flower beetle species

Yesterday this teeny tiny critter caught my eye on a Mexican buckeye leaf. I snapped some photos for iNaturalist and discovered that it's a tumbling flower beetle by the scientific name of Paramordellaria carinata. It's a new species for my list. It also ups my tumbling flower beetle species to seven in our yard. 

 

Entomologist Mike Quinn noted that it's a first for Blanco County on iNaturalist. (So was my recent Mecas marginella, a flat-faced longhorn beetle). I'm always excited to get a "first" in our county! 

Cool Christoval critters

While I was visiting with Cathy Brown at the Hummer House, James sent me a text. When I saw the tarantula photo, I excused myself for a few minutes and RAN out to see him. Naturally, I had to get a photo of this handsome fellow crawling on an outside window of her home. He's likely a Texas brown (Aphonopelma hentzi) but hard to know for sure.

This giant mayfly (Hexagenia limbata) landed on my arm. And below is a firefly (Pleotomus pallens) that I found outside our cottage door. 

Hummingbird nesting material

We spent a night this past week at the Hummer House in Christoval. More on that wonderful visit another time. From the gift shop, we bought this Hummer Helper Nesting Material kit and a refill. Dan and Cathy Brown put this out during breeding season at their place. We saw hummers and a few other bird species pull from the cottony fluff. If you look at the label, you'll read that this was tested at the Hummer House. We're going to try it!

Jagged ambush bug

Meet a jagged ambush bug (Phymata americana). You gotta look hard to find these guys. They measure about a quarter of an inch long. I found this one on a Texas kidneywood blossom, waiting for a meal (insect) to show up. 

 

When I spotted my first one in 2018, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. So prehistoric looking! On my iNaturalist list, I've got nine observations of jagged ambush bugs. As their common name implies, they lurk on vegetation and ambush their victims. 

A new name, and a new sign

First there was The Meadow. Now there's The Pasture! After we had the new cedar fence built last month, neighbor Michael Green stopped by while he was out walking his dogs.

"So," he said, "what ya gonna put in your pasture?"

I laughed and said, oh, not much. Later I relayed the story to James, and we both laughed. Then I suggested why not? Why not order a sign, like we did for The Meadow? Well, THE PASTURE sign arrived today, and James hung it up. Then we invited Michael to drop by because we had something to show him. He laughed, too. We love our new sign! Plus, now we have a name for the other part of our property. 

Spectacular masterpiece

Last week, James and I visited Mason for fun and business. Along the way, we stopped by the Mason County M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library. I popped my head into the Stribling Room and by chance saw a truly wondrous sight hanging on a wall. This 3.5-foot-by-7-foot masterpiece (thank you for measuring, librarian Cristi Slocum) showcases 47 Texas wildflowers embroidered by the late Mytle Willman Wade of Mason. Since I’ve embroidered in my past, I can especially appreciate and admire the many hours that Mrs. Wade worked, meticulously stitching on this spectacular piece. 

MWade 1993

One of my favorite species