Biodiversity…I Spy…Old Favorites
There are some animals that I never get tired of.
Barn Swallows.
Belted Kingfisher.
Great Blue Heron.
Southern Leopard Frog.
I don’t know all the dragonfly species that live here, but Dragonflies of Texas by John C. Abbott is helping me to learn them. This one is a Widow Skimmer female.
Blue Corporal Dragonfly, juvenile male.
I forgot to put it in yesterday’s post, but this is in response to Just Another Nature Enthusiast’s biodiversity challenge.
I find endless inspiration in nature. If I had unlimited time I could make so many art quilts and paintings based on what I see around me, but for now I feel that it’s more important just to get them documented and identified.Β In future years, I want people to be able to look back and see what we had here, to be able to tell how long their own favorites have lived or visited here.
I love the pictures.
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Thank you. I hope that goofy blue heron made you smile as much as it did me! π
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Yes. He did.
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Such beautiful photos, and such amazing wildlife! I am ashamed to be one ignoramus of an Englishwoman who did not know Texas included such amazing habitats as the Piney Woods – I’ve been reading it up on Wikipedia (inspired by your blog) and have learned so much. thank you!
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Don’t feel bad about that! Most Americans think all of Texas looks like the settings in old John Wayne movies, which were filmed in Monument Valley in Arizona. And I myself am just beginning to appreciate all the biodiversity of this area.
And I don’t know anything about the different regions of the UK, either. There is so much to learn about this world, and then we’re lucky if we remember any of it. π
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Texas seems a world away, but I am always amazed that we (Missouri and Texas) share so many of the same plants and animals. I see my favorites in your lists, too. Often, if I am trying to identify something (today, it was a tree), I use ID guides from Texas resources. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center site has been a favorite for a long time. Love your I Spy series. π
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Since I have been blogging, I have been surprised at how the different plants and birds show up at different latitudes at about the same time in spring, too. I always had this idea that the South had spring first and then it slowly traveled north, but it seems I read posts that “the robins arrived today” on the same day whether I am reading something from Georgia or Ohio. Very interesting, always something to learn.
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These are beautiful photos. You are dispelling false stereo-type impressions of Texas’ biodiversity. I appreciate your ambition to identify and document species … that’s also the motivation behind my expanding connections to our wetland property.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm in the Biodiversity challenge, Textile Ranger π
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I am always glad to show Texas in a good light! I think we are very lucky here with biodiversity – a few times I have gone to “birding hot spots” in other states, and seen a display that said, “All these birds are routinely found on the Texas Gulf Coast,” or something similar, and I have thought, “I just need to stick closer to home!” π
I had a lot of fun with the challenge and I appreciate all the effort you are putting into spreading environmental knowledge and awareness!
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