Archive for the Nature Category

Evergreens – Evergreen trees are pretty self-explanatory.  They stay green year-round and most have needles for leaves.  Ponderosa pines are one example, and they grow in the high mountains.  Deciduous broadleaf trees can grow in cold climates too, like aspens and cottonwoods and fruit trees, but they

Osage Orange Tree – Osage orange trees have an interesting history and name.  But most people in Texas just call them bodarks. Bois d’arc (bodark) is French and means “wood of the bow”.  Early explorers named the tree when they witnessed American Indians using it for their bows. 

Golden-fronted Woodpecker Woodpeckers can be heard in the woods in almost any state.  The golden-fronted species that lives off the caprock in Texas has the main characteristics of all woodpeckers – a red head and a black and white back. The male and female have bright gold

Bumble Bee and Blazing Star – Whenever you see a honey bee you think of honey and where they have it stored.  But with bumblebees that’s not the case – bumblebees don’t make honey.  They just collect nectar and pollen.  Then they take it to their nectar

Baby Rattlesnake – Here’s a baby you don’t want to cuddle. That being said, people misunderstand rattlesnakes.  They mistake them for mean, aggressive snakes.  But really they only bite if you are a threat, or about to step on them.  A rattlesnake would never come after you

Fall Rains – Rain is always good.  But fall rain is special.  It’s kind of like a mother.  The ‘mother rain’ is the rain that germinates all the little wildflower seeds like Texas bluebonnets, Indian blankets, and Queen Anne’s lace.  That’s why wildflowers are the first ones