Let's talk about spiders!

James and I spent the morning at Blanco State Park, where I visited with campers about spiders. My main message is always Please don't stomp on spiders! For Ms. Sheryl, at least. Altogether, we had 13 kids and 22 adults stop by and chit chat. It was a bit breezy so we had to hold onto the boards so they wouldn't topple over (which they did once). 

One boy shared his favorite spider book with me. He was VERY in the know about spiders! I think I'm going to get me my own copy. 

Javier, who was at camping with his wife and son (they live in San Antonio), shared his photo with me of a bold jumping spider that he photographed at McKinney Falls State Park. What struck me was the color of the spider's chelicerae (jaws). I don't think I've seen one with this really blue color before. They're usually green or greenish blue. Beautiful!

This was a spiderling that one of the boys from the campgrounds helped me catch at our spider table. I believe she's a juvenile running crab spider. 

Day in the Park 2026

Yesterday James and I – along with other Texas Master Naturalistss from the Highland Lakes chapter – volunteered at the annual Day in the Park for Blanco third graders at Blanco State Park. Altogether we hosted 73 kids, five teachers and more than 10 parents/adults. During the day, the kids rotated through six stations that included honeybees, bats, bird nesting, fish/habitats, monarchs vetebrates and – of course – SPIDERS. At our station, we had Matt Jary helping out, too. It was a great day! 

 

And, oh, I gave my spider presentation to Blanco fifth-graders Wednesday! A lot of them remembered me from Day in the Park two  years earlier. My cool (old) spider T-shirt helps in that department.  

Photo by Al Lillis

Photo by Katy Tiedemann

Photo by Katy Tiedemann

Me at the very end of the day. 

We got into the car to leave and guess what I found in my hat?! Why, a tiny spider, of course. If any of the third graders had been there to see it, they would have told me it was a crab spider. Which was right! They were so smart and listened well to my chitchat about spiders. 

Notes to myself

Last week, a fellow Master Naturalist brought bearded iris rhizomes to share at our meeting. I grabbed a couple of bags. Yesterday we planted them in a front bed. We used to have a lot of irises, many of which were here before I moved into the house back in 2002. But our darn neighborhood white-tailed deer (which number a LOT these days) have gnawed them away. Thanks to "smart" people who've brought  exotic species to Texas, we also have a large herd of axis that live in and wander through our neighborhood. (Thanks for letting me vent.)

 

Another Master Naturalist couple brought me cowpen daisies (Verbesina encelioides) ready to plant. I put them in another front-yard bed and hope that they reseed. We've planted them before, and they reseeded a season or two. Then they pooped out. 

What a spring!

Spring 2026 has been phenomenal! In February, I was about as downcast as our native gardens looked. Then a few rains came. Wow, the plants rejoiced and responded in a huge way! As for me, I feel better, too. Here are a few sample photos of our front and back yards....

Engelmann daisies are prolific.

Narrowleaf coneflower looks the best it ever has!

And the velvetleaf mallows (right) are GIANTS!

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.