Dec
02
Rufous Returns
The bird weighs less than a grape, has a brain smaller than a pea, and flies thousands of miles each year between the place it nests and where it chooses to winter. The bird has returned to winter in my yard on Shoal Creek, precisely where it stayed last year. I know about bird migration, and I am aware of the staggering distances they are capable of traveling. But how do we explain one of the smallest birds flying such long distances?
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Nov
04
Autumn Blooms and Butterflies
The autumn rains came after a summer of drought, and many of our native plants have responded. Engelmann sunflower, sawtooth sunflower, and Texas aster are erupting into their late fall glory. With flowers come butterflies, only accentuating the colorful palette that tints Austin this year.
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