Wilder Good

Blue Catfish – It’s always good to be out fishing for catfish, especially after a big rain.  During a rain the water gets stirred up and food comes along with the flooding.  The bite is “on”, we say.  Catfish use their cat-like whiskers to search the bottom

Coachwhip – Speed and quickness are everything for some animals.  Coachwhips have to be quick.  Their main predators are hawks and owls striking from above.  To survive these attacks, coachwhips bolt at the first hint of a threat from either land or sky.  They can disappear in

Winterkill – You can find bones anytime, but it seems like I see more after winter, when things begin to thaw.  These are deer bones; a pelvis and ribcage and leg.  I don’t know what killed the deer, but I know coyotes have worked it over and

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