March 2022 – Page 3 – Nature Along the El Camino Real

Sandhill Cranes: Wonderful Sign of Spring

March 10, 2022March 10, 2022 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall1 Comment

by Sue Ann Kendall

Last weekend I was at a horsemanship clinic when I heard a familiar sound. I pointed up and said, “Listen!” The ten-year-old girl who was in my group asked me what in the world that was. I said it was the sandhill cranes migrating north. It made my day to see how excited she was about it. She promised to keep her ears open this year and from now on.

The sandhill crane, Antigone canadensis, comes by twice a year, heading up north and heading back south. They aren’t endangered or anything, but they are endearing to me. I can remember when my children were small, I’d hear them from inside my car, pull over, and make my sons watch them flying over, clacking and honking as hard as they could. That was in Williamson County.

Of course, they fly over Milam County as well. Friends report that they touch down in some of our larger lakes, like over by the old Alcoa property, to rest as they go by. They’ve never stopped by our little ponds, but sometimes they are close enough to see the colors on their heads with binoculars.

I ran outside today when I heard them from inside my house, and got a recording and took a few photos. They aren’t great, but that’s okay. I like to document when different birds migrate through each year to see how it differs. Last year they were a little later than this year. Hey, I’m a naturalist.

I’m glad I got the recording, so my iNat identification will be easier. Since I was on my property, I can’t get any credit for the observations, but so what? I got the thrill of listening to my favorite signs of spring as they head up to get some nice fresh food. Learning to observe the rhythms of nature is one of the best things about our training.

This took me forever to convert from one format to another, so truly, enjoy the sounds!

Signs of Spring: Northern Milam Edition

March 9, 2022March 8, 2022 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall3 Comments

by Sue Ann Kendall

Like many of our Chapter members, I always get excited when there are indications that maybe we’ll stop getting frozen participation, then heat, then cold, and over and over. Spring flowers give me hope. In the past couple of days, both Donna Lewis and Linda Jo Conn have shared flowers from different parts of Milam County. I’d already been thinking of writing a similar post, but they got there ahead of me. Or did they? We can all get into the search for spring!

It might be interesting to see what kinds of flowers are blooming just a bit north of where they observed (near Gause, and in Cameron). Plus, I needed to get outside for my nature fix.

I’ve always found henbit deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule) pretty. Here it’s encouraging the other flowers, like the field madder, to get blooming.

I had intended to spend 20 minutes outside taking photos, but I ended up wandering around for an hour. It had been raining, so some of my specimens didn’t look too great. All the storksbills were bedraggled, the anemones were missing petals, and the crow poison had their blossoms firmly shut. So, a couple of these photos are actually from last week. But the plants ARE blooming now!

Happy crowpoison (*Nothoscordum bivalve*)

I’m fond of the showy blossoms that eventually show up each year, but my secret love are the little bitty flowers. Tiny bluets make me especially happy, and this is a great year for them out in my horse pasture.

Of course, everyone is out looking for their first bluebonnets, which are already up in Austin, from what I hear. In northern Milam County, they are usually a bit later than in many places, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a bumper crop of them! This year will be no exception. I found beautiful leaf clusters holding raindrops in their centers, a few buds, and one just starting to bloom. I predict some great smells in the upcoming weeks!

Three views of Texas bluebonnets (*Lupinus texensis*)

It’s fun to see how the cold weather affects the new leaves on some of the plants, like this prickly sowthistle. I didn’t get any photos of it, but the dewberries have bright red leaves right now, too. Everything will get back to normal soon.

There are also some dandelions and field madder hiding in here with the prickly sowthistle (Sonchus asper). Notice the water droplets. I just noticed on iNat that this plant is even found in Hawaii. Those seeds stick to stuff!

I’d have a photo of my native plum tree, but it was too muddy to get to the reclusive shrubby tree. Maybe next week, if it’s still in bloom. I love those harbingers of spring, too. Some of the other plants I found were also shared by Linda Jo, but I love them so much that I can’t resist sharing.

So, fellow El Camino Real Master Naturalist Chapter members, what’s growing in your part of Milam County? No doubt that answer will be changing every day for the next few weeks. The weather will get nice one of these days, I know. Mother Nature has her own time clock.

Looking for Signs of Spring

March 8, 2022March 7, 2022 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall1 Comment

by Linda Jo Conn

Is it just me or is spring behaving erratically this year? I am so ready for some consistently warm days and swaths of colorful wildflowers brightening the roadsides!

I did find some pleasant surprises during the past week. On Monday, I had to go to Giddings, so I drove the back roads to check if the plum trees were in bloom. No, but instead, I was delighted to find a couple of Drummond’s Phlox (Phlox drummondii).

Tuesday, I observed the swelling flower buds of the volunteer Eastern Redbud trees (Cercis canadensis) near my house.

While leaving the herbarium at College Station on Wednesday, I finally spotted several specimens of Carolina Crane’s-Bill (Geranium carolinianum) I have been monitoring in the “lawn” area in bloom.

Carolina Crane’s-Bill (*Geranium carolinianum*)

Thursday evening before the new student’s class at the Episcopal Church, I did a little “belly botany” and found a large patch of Bird’s-eye Speedwell (Veronica persica) nearby.

Bird’s-eye Speedwell (*Veronica persica*)

While in Cameron on Friday helping fellow Texas Master Gardeners arrange and display the native plant offerings for the annual plant sale, I noticed non-native Redstem Stork’s-Bills (Erodium cicutarium) blooming in the cracks in the sidewalk.

Redstem Stork’s-Bills (*Erodium cicutarium*)

When I arrived home from Cameron on Saturday afternoon after the plant sale, I was elated to see my first bloom of Texas Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila phacelioides) for the year.

Texas Baby Blue Eyes (*Nemophila phacelioides*)

Sunday afternoon, I again drove to Cameron watch my eldest grandson perform at the Milam County Community Theatre. After the play, among other tiny blooms in the lawn, I found Field Madder (Sherardia arvensis).

My “Let’s Get Outside! Challenge” for last week was to enjoy the approaching spring. Despite my misgivings, I did, and am looking forward to seeing more pops of color appearing in the countryside.