Needlegrass rush ~ Juncus roemerianus Sedges, cattails, and reeds abound at the Brazoria Wildlife Refuge, as do rushes: thick stands of slender green that line the freshwater ponds. In one of those ponds, a collection of rushes well away from the shoreline provides shelter for a multitude of birds, including Common Moorhens, Purple Gallinules, and … Continue reading The Rush Walker| Lagniappe
Common sunflowers still decorating the roadsides The equinox may be a single point in time, but the seasons it divides are less easily defined. Caught between summer’s heat and autumn’s inevitable decline, September in Texas mixes blooms, buds, and seeds: determined, perhaps, to confound human expectations about what her offerings should be. While common sunflowers … Continue reading September’s Sweet Confusion| Lagniappe
Click the image for a sharper and larger view of the moon, Venus, and Regulus Morning coffee in hand, I had intended to settle in at the computer when a brilliant flash of light caught my eye. Seemingly nestled high in the trees, bright as a flashlight and brighter than a yard lamp, it demanded … Continue reading A Celestial Conjunction| Lagniappe
Berlandier’s yellow flax definitely isn’t blue with purple accents! From time to time, websites and apps utilizing AI provide as much amusement as edification. While preparing this post, details in two sources which acknowledged their use of AI caught my attention. One noted that “Berlandier’s yellow flax is a perennial herb known for its slender … Continue reading Two Flaxen Flowers| Lagniappe
Only the first of many A few days before a multitude of metallic sweat bees gathered at still-blooming blue water lilies at the Brazoria refuge, yellow water lilies (Nymphaea mexicana) were puttin…| Lagniappe
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
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
Golden wave tickseed (Coreopsis basalis) at Galveston’s Broadway cemeteries A few years ago, when I announced my intention to spend a two-week vacation primarily in Kansas, more than a few fr…| Lagniappe
Hooker’s eryngo ~ Eryngium hookeri Despite belonging to the same genus as the rattlesnake master shown in my previous post, the appearance of Hooker’s eryngo differs somewhat. Its flowe…| Lagniappe
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
Purple leatherflower ~ Clematis pitcheri A delightful aspect of Brazos Bend State Park is the variety of environments it contains. Lakes, prairie, woods, swampy areas, and even the Brazos River its…| Lagniappe
Common buckeye ~ Junonia coenia Decades ago, while still living in Big Ten football country, I knew Buckeyes only as the team associated with Ohio State. Years later, I met the confection known as …| Lagniappe
