Some Fruitful Wanderings | Lagniappe
Turk’s cap ~ Malvaviscus arboreus var.drummondii Apples, cranberries, pumpkins, and pears are beguiling bakers and evoking memories of holiday treats as autumn arrives. That said, some of our…| Lagniappe
The red velvet ‘ant’ ~ fast, furry, and noisy Wandering down an unmarked path in the Big Thicket’s Solo tract, I was surprised by a flash of red and black crossing the sand ahead of me. As I tried to catch up with the creature, its speed surprised me even more; it never paused, and … Continue reading Nature’s Trickery Isn’t Always A Treat| Lagniappe
An east Texas piney woods delight ~ prairie blazing star Willing to tolerate drought and poor soils as well as summer heat and humidity, prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya) may be the most striking species in its genus. The source of the name Liatris seems to be unknown, but pycnostachya, meaning ‘crowded,’ no doubt refers … Continue reading The Little Liatris That Could| Lagniappe
Turk’s cap ~ Malvaviscus arboreus var.drummondii Apples, cranberries, pumpkins, and pears are beguiling bakers and evoking memories of holiday treats as autumn arrives. That said, some of our…| Lagniappe
An earlier post showed gayfeather flower spikes (Liatris punctata var. mucronata) in Leander on September 18th. A closer shot showed a little white snail on one of the flower spikes. I got even closer than that, as today’s two portraits confirm. In the one above, I took advantage of the strong shadow crossing the … … Continue reading →| Portraits of Wildflowers
Three years ago today at the I-20 Wildlife Preserve in Midland I came across a Baccharis that was new to me, Baccharis salcina. I wouldn’t have known the species but a sign conveniently identified it. And how about those wispy clouds? § We’re traveling, so you’ll understand if I’m slow to … … Continue reading →| Portraits of Wildflowers
From the September 20th visit to Convict Hill Quarry Neighborhood Park come these two portraits. The first shows Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum, known by a slew of names: chile pequín, chile piquín, chile tepin, chiltepin, chile petin, bird pepper, turkey pepper, cayenne pepper. (Notice how the first five of those are phonetic variants of … … Continue reading →| Portraits of Wildflowers
The lichens were on a dead Ashe juniper tree (Juniperus ashei) at Convict Hill Quarry Park on September 20th. § We’re traveling, so you’ll understand if I’m slow to reply to your comments. © 2025 Steven Schwartzman| Portraits of Wildflowers
Behold two takes on dried out Texas thistles (Cirsium texanum)with spiderwebs on them in Cedar Park two years ago today. § We’re traveling, so you’ll understand if I’m slow to reply to your comments. © 2025 Steven Schwartzman| Portraits of Wildflowers
Like those trick drawings that a viewer can interpret in two quite different ways,today’s photograph could show waves breaking on a rough sea or wispy clouds in the sky. § We’re traveling, so you’ll understand if I’m slow to reply to your comments. © 2025 Steven Schwartzman … … Continue reading →| Portraits of Wildflowers
On September 18th close to the North Fork of the San Gabriel River east of Tejas Park in Williamson County I encountered two wildflowers I didn’t recognize. I took pictures of both and hoped for the best. Later, one turned out to be from India. I had better luck with the other, which I … … Continue reading →| Portraits of Wildflowers
On the September 20th visit to Convict Hill Quarry Neighborhood Park I did a couple of takes on giant ragweed, Ambrosia trifida. The species name trifida means ‘cleft into three,’ a reference to the plant’s three-lobed lower leaves. As you see above, one of those had turned yellow, and its two side lobes were … … Continue reading →| Portraits of Wildflowers
From September 18th at Tejas Park in Williamson County come two looks at two snapdragon vine flowers (Maurandella antirrhiniflora). The straight-on view always has me imagining a grinning mo…| Portraits of Wildflowers
Hi, folks. The estimable Manuela Timofte, editor of Gobblers by Masticadores, has shared another of my nature photography images titled “Rocks & Tower at Big Spring Canyon.” Thank you, Manuela, for publishing this photograph of the high desert region of my part of the world. Very much appreciated. You can view the image and its accompanying commentary here: … Continue reading “Rocks & Tower at Big Spring Canyon” published at Gobblers by Masticadores| Silent Pariah
Rain lily ~ Zephyranthes chlorosolen Despite a bit of drought creeping into our area, rain does fall from time to time. Of course, when the forecast calls for ‘scattered showers,’ the amount of actual rain can vary substantially. Last week, a west Texas ranch manager reported inches of rain from clouds hovering just above his … Continue reading Scattered Showers, Scattered Flowers| Lagniappe
Blue sage ~ Salvia azurea Thick with ripening grasses and emerging sunflowers, the Armand Bayou prairie is lovely as ever, but much of the color from late summer flowers has faded. Still, along the…| Lagniappe
When was the last time you hugged a tree? Have you ever hugged a tree? Or maybe you’ve just stood by one and soaked up their energy. I love trees, their energy and graceful branches. This wee…| Slow Shutter Speed
From 15 years ago today comes an ant on an opening rain lily (Zephyranthes sp.). Below, from August 26th of this year, the flower-treader was a crab spider. § We’re traveling, so you’ll understand if I’m slow to reply to your comments. © 2025 Steven Schwartzman| Portraits of Wildflowers
Here’s a closer look at the showy palafoxia (Palafoxia hookeriana)we found in abundance at Bastrop State Park on September 13th. This species is conspicuously and contact…| Portraits of Wildflowers
Explore the bittersweet longing for love, travel, and summer in this heartfelt article inspired by Egidio's Lens-Artists Challenge.| P.A. Moed
Hey, everyone. Gobblers by Masticadores has published another of my nature photography images titled “Craggy Rocks & Twin Lakes.” Sincere thanks to editor Manuela Timofte for her kindness in sharing this image with her readers. You can view the image and its accompanying commentary here: Also, don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers by Masticadores, where you’ll … Continue reading “Craggy Rocks & Twin Lakes” published at Gobblers by Masticadores| Silent Pariah
Are you a budding photographer looking for a challenge? Try bird photography—it’s part technique, part timing, and a whole lot of patience.| Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
“I’d like to dream my troubles all away, on a bed of California stars.” ~ Woody Guthrie| Jane's Lens
Join me on a journey to discover peaceful moments in unexpected places, inspired by this week's Lens-Artists challenge. Reflect and share!| P.A. Moed
A stationary Swift Crab Spider Meadow pinks like those shown in my previous post are far more than pretty collections of petals. For crab spiders like the one shown above (Mecaphesa celer), flowers…| Lagniappe
We drove a couple of miles east from home this morning to Schroeter Neighborhood Park to go walking. Although Austin got a bit over half an inch of rain toward the end of last week, I wasn&#…| Portraits of Wildflowers
Meadow pink with its coiled style Sabatia campestris, a pretty pink wildflower native to many local areas, commonly is known as meadow pink; its specific epithet is derived from the Latin word mean…| Lagniappe
American white waterlily ~ Nymphaea odorata As August heat rises, a variety of white flowers provides a cooling counterpoint to the season’s discomfort. At Lake Hyatt in east Texas, white wat…| Lagniappe
I’m always on the lookout for combinations of native plants. Tens of thousands of possibilities exist for two species of native plants to grow in proximity, so there’s no danger …| Portraits of Wildflowers
Yesterday you saw seed heads of Clematis texensis. However, by far the most common of the three Clematis species in central Texas is Clematis drummondii. When July and August roll around, it’…| Portraits of Wildflowers
This was a good year for bluebells (Eustoma sp.), as a whopping eight posts in July confirmed. At this late date it occurred to me to show two last photographs that differ from the nineteen i…| Portraits of Wildflowers
I never thought about birds and how much time I’d spend watching them once I retired. In fact, bird watching as a hobby seemed silly back when I was in my 20s and 30s. In my book, it fell in …| Working on Exploring
Rattlesnake master buds developing on the Nash prairie Bearing an especially evocative name, rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) commonly grows on the tallgrass prairie, although it can be fo…| Lagniappe
A pair of bald eagles was perched in clear view of the road as I drove to work in southern Monterey County, California this week. I parked and grabbed my Canon PowerShot and waited for the moon to align between the trees, using the car as a blind. After about 20 minutes the moon was […]| Cindy McIntyre's Blog
Spring comes early in Paso Robles, California. Sometimes summer comes early, too. This year, at least, summer had the decency to wait until the Summer Solstice. Summer means 90-plus temps during the day (the coast just over the “mountains” is generally 20-30 degrees cooler). We will get streaks of 100-plus days in July or August, […]| Cindy McIntyre's Blog
“This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.” — John Muir Images from […]| Cindy McIntyre's Blog
Point Bouchon is owned by PG&E and visitors are allowed to hike there during certain times of the day. You must sign in and out. If you were allowed to hike far enough, you’d encounter the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant. There are signs all over the nearby area warning that sirens may indicate an emergency. […]| Cindy McIntyre's Blog
I’ve not been very good at keeping up my blog lately. So much to do, so little time. So I’m just going to post a gallery of photos from the beginning of this year in an attempt to catch up. These are birds from Atascadero Lake, California. Photos and text copyrighted by Cindy McIntyreFeel free to reblog […]| Cindy McIntyre's Blog
Island Fox I had two critters in mind when I visited Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands National Park in early March, 2021. The Island Fox was one. Santa Cruz Island Scrub Jay on manzanita Th…| Cindy McIntyre's Blog
In the depths of winter, I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer. Albert Camus So many challenges in life test our resilience. That’s true for all of us. For Anne’s thoug…| P.A. Moed
The best nature photographers of 2023 - winners announced - as part of the Click and Company "Best Photographers" series.| Click Magazine
