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

Bats on radar!

Last night around 9 o'clock, I observed these "clouds" rippling outward on weather radar. They were bats emerging from a cave somewhere between Leakey and Uvalde. Cool!

Naturalist visitors

 

What a treat! Three naturalists from San Antonio spent the morning, exploring our native plant gardens and photographing wildlife. Thank you, Jerry Morrisey, Claire Carter (above) and Tami Reed, for taking the time to come up. They even saw some new species, like purple milkweed vine and a planthopper (photo below).  

 

Claire, me, Jerry and Prima taking a break.

Tami knew my uncle Dudley R. Dobie Jr. 20 years ago MD Anderson!

Possibly Thionia sp.

James photographs the back yard....

In the past few weeks, Mother Nature has blessed us with nearly five inches of rain (then we got another inch this morning). Yesterday morning, James wandered around our back yard and took photos of our (mostly) native plant friends. So beautiful and GREEN ...