Window on a Texas Wildscape

Saturday, May 9, 2026

Garden Variety Show

Oh, how I LOVE this illustration created by Peter Donnelly of Ireland. It accompanies my essay, "Garden Variety Show," in the May 2026 issue of Texas Co-op Power magazine. A few days ago, I sent an email to him and thanked him. "Your article was a joy to illustrate," he wrote back. I especially love how Mr. Donnelly accurately depicted the orange flowers of velvetleaf mallow on the left side. And there's a checkered garter snake. Not to mention my favorite butterfly, the red admiral! So fun!

West Texas fauna

We also saw a few critters during our celebration stay in Fort Davis. Here are a few.....

A nimble clan of aoudads spotted on a mountainside along Hwy 17

Rough harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex rugosus), High Frontier

Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), High Frontier

Ornate tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus), High Frontier

Arizona sister (Adelpha eulalia), Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center

Sunburst diving beetle (Thermonectus marmoratus), Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center

Another friendly ornate tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus), High Frontier

And then there was the most interesting, outgoing, FLUFFY critter of all .... Ms. Stubbs! She lives at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center. She latched onto us during some of our Saturday visit. No, she didn't hike down to Modesto Trail with us, but –––– SHHHHHH –––– she followed us over to the bird blind. She even bird watched with us for a little bit. Don't tell her that I said this, but she was like a little dog, trotting behind and in front of us.

We learned that she acquired her name from her stump of a tail. She was feral and sick when she showed up at the center. Now she rules the place and has her own basket for napping. When we returned two mornings later to buy some more coffee, Ms. Stubbs hardly gave us the time of day. Oh, well.

"Snow" in May in West Texas?

During our four-day stay in Fort Davis, we visited the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center (which was right across the highway). On a trail loop within the botanical gardens, we came across what at first to me looked like snow on the ground. Further scrutiny revealed white leaves. LOTS of crispy white leaves. What were they? Later I learned that they're probably the remains of dwarf desert peony (Acourtia nana). It was a startling and beautiful thing to see! I wish my photos were better at sharing the leaves' stark white contrast to their brown background.

'Big Eyed' wolf spider project

You just never know what you'll find, wherever you are. Which is why I started an alternate iNaturalist account (sherylsr_edu). Good thing I did. One evening, I spotted a large wolf spider in the corner of the door frame at the High Frontier guest house where we were staying. I took some photos and then escorted him outside. On iNat, I identified him as Hogna sp. Later Russell Pfau with the Department of Biological Sciences at Tarleton State University came along and noted that my wolf was like an undescribed species that's being called "Big-eyed Hogna" for now. Then he added my photos to their iNat project called Big-eyed Wolf Spider. Awesome! But I wish I'd gotten pictures of my spider's eyes and face. As an aside, Russell and Texas Master Naturalist Eric Neubauer are getting close to publishing an official description of Hogna incognita, which I wrote about for Texas Co-op Power magazine in November 2024.

Our favorite West Texas bloom

Adonis blazingstar (Mentzelia multiflora)

On our last evening at the High Frontier, I spotted a bright yellow clump of flowers behind some water treatment tanks. Naturally, I had to go check them out. Then I sniffed the blooms. OH, MY GOODNESS, they smelled heavenly! And the flowers themselves were stunning. Just gorgeous! Wish they could've gone home with us.

Check out tall buckwheat

Here's another plant at the High Frontier that intrigued me ... tall buckwheat (Eriogonum tenellum). At first, I thought it was a big lichen. Nope, it's a plant. But there's not a lot of information about this species that I could find. Those long spindly things are the flowerheads (at the tips).

West Texas flora

We celebrated our 20th anniversay (May 2) at Fort Davis and had a great time. For something different, we stayed at the Ranch Guest House at the High Frontier. At the ranch, we hiked a lot. All the different species of plants and animals just fascinated me. So using my alternate iNaturalist account (sherylsr_edu), I took a few photos. Well, okay, a LOT.