The weather people were right...SNOW

Okay, I know. It wasn't much. Not like the poor people have gotten way up north. But we did get snow last night...

Four-nerve daisy had been blooming!

Mealy sage's hoping for spring soon.


James shot some photos, too....

House guest

"What's THAT!?" James exclaimed awhile ago. He was standing in our dining room, pointing at a corner on the floor. Hmm, had to be somebody with a lot of legs...

"Aww, isn't she pretty!" I gushed. Then I ran for my camera...

Our lovely house guest is a female crab spider. (Please ignore the dust and fuzz on our floor.)

  Because it's so cold and blustery, I couldn't very well let her go outside (though I'm sure she'd survive just fine). So I deposited her in a little plate of seeds that I keep on a sunny window sill in our dining room. As you can see, she blends in quite well!

When I went back to check on her, she'd already returned to her "attack" position. That's how crab spiders hunt. They wait for a victim to happen by, then they leap onto it and administer a venomous bite.

 Welcome, House Guest!

Arctic air on the way

So I just stepped outside and trimmed some more dead blue mistflower. According to weather forecasts, a cold spell will arrive sometime tomorrow. We're due for a hard freeze, which could last several days. Which makes me wonder....should we water the Wildscape this afternoon? What do y'all think?

Lost Ladybug Project

Seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata)

While we were standing in the parking lot after church, visiting with a friend, I happened to spot this ladybug on James' car. I was hoping it'd be the elusive nine-spotted species but nope, not this time either. It's the seven-spotted ladybug. Awhile ago, I shot a photo of it, then let it fly away. Then I uploaded the pic to the Lost Ladybug Project, which is surveying ladybug species across the U.S. It's a cool project! I've been contributing to it for several years now. Check it out!

We start the pruning process

 

Ah, wonderful warm sunshine! After church and then lunch, James and I headed outside with shears and choppers. Let the pruning begin! We worked for about two hours....Let's see, we pruned the esperanza, 'Indigo Spires' salvia, 'Hot Lips' salvias, other salvias, Mexican bush sage, wedelia, American beautyberry, Copper Canyon daisy and a few other things. 

And we're not done yet! More to do another day....

Cibolo Nature Center

Patty Leslie Paszter, Paul Gates, Kip Kiphard and Delmar Cain (all photos by James)

Yesterday morning, we hiked with a group of volunteers at Cibolo Nature Center near Boerne. They were out surveying birds and butterflies. With sunny skies and warm temps, it was a perfect day to get outside. We also enjoyed our visits with everyone! Patty is a natural resource consultant, naturalist and author (Texas Trees: A Friendly Guide with Paul W. Cox). Delmar Cain is president of the Boerne Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas, Kip Kiphart is a retired heart surgeon and Paul Gates is a retired teacher. Volunteer Kimber Briggs also joined the group. 

Besides an extensive trail system, the nature center offers all kinds of educational programs. Founder and executive director Carolyn Chipman Evans has worked hard since 1988 to preserve the land and its four ecosystems–marshland, remnant tallgrass prairie, creekbed and woodlands. Years ago, I profiled her for the Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. More recently, David Martin Davies interviewed Carolyn on the PBS program, "Conversations."

 

Me on the boardwalk....

James spotted this bird nest.

The tallgrass prairie

Cibilo Creek

Dead stuff, some colors and a SURPRISE

 Awhile ago, I tried out my macro lens, and it works fine. Around our Wildscape, I found a lot of dead stuff, like the coneflowers that have gone to seed (above) and fragrant mistflower (below).

I also found the agarita very green, which was lovely....

 

 ...and the coralberry with beautiful magenta fruit!

Most surprising, though, was finding TWO Gulf fritillary caterpillars, ALIVE, munching on a wilted passionflower vine....I was amazed!