My husband and I are taking a long weekend in the Texas Hill Country, northwest of San Antonio. Just the other day at home, we had 2 inches of snow. Here the wildflowers are in bloom. I haven’t been able to really stop and examine many, or take any photos yet, but there are bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, showy primrose, blanket flowers, some crimson clover, and winecups (for a good one-stop site on them, click here).
It’s warm and humid, and flowers = butterflies. We hired a guide to take us on the Halff Brothers Ranch in Bexar Co., and saw about 20 species, plus a few new odes. Our goal was Rufous-capped Warbler, but the one wintering there along the Frio River has apparently moved on. We are now in Kerrville, and tomorrow we’ll look for the two endangered Hill Country specialties, Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo. The best bird so far is a species I never get tired of looking at: Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.
I have been to south Texas quite a few times (the last time a few weeks ago, in fact) and also to west Texas. This area sort of reminds me of west Texas. Lots of ranches and private property, and more cattle than people (not to mention a fair number of exotic antelope and other non-native game. It reminded my husband of a bumper sticker he saw recently: "There is room for all of God’s creatures…on my plate next to the mashed potatoes.").
And no, I’m not stressed out. Kady was much better before we left. I expect her to be back to normal (for her) when we return.