Nature Along the El Camino Real
Blog of the El Camino Real Chapter, Texas Master Naturalists, Milam County, Texas
by Catherine Johnson
The first windy cooler day found a friend of the Wildscape weeding, watering and collecting seeds for the Sow and Grow seed library.
Before and after pictures show a re-landscaped bed in progress with flame acanthus and fall asters. We have many new native bushes and trees to plant.
One of the giant coneflowers is reblooming.
We are looking forward to some fun events in the garden.
By Linda Burgess
We are excited to announce our participation in the Pollinators for Texas Initiative! Our chapter’s project was selected to receive financial support to enhance native pollinator conservation in our area! Our project, Sow & Grow: Milam Seed Library, aims to expand by adding two additional locations to provide Milam County residents with free access to native seeds and to teach about the importance of pollinators through educational programming. By providing free access to native seeds in various locations, all residents of Milam County will have the opportunity to support pollinators and create their own natural habitat at home, making a lasting impact on pollinator conservation.
A big thank you to H-E-B for their generous support in this initiative and their continued partnership with the Texas Master Naturalist program. Together, we’re working to safeguard and enhance native pollinator populations across Texas. For more information about the Pollinators for Texas Initiative, visit https://txmn.tamu.edu/pollinators-for-texas/.
The two new locations for expansion will be a seed library inside the Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library (Rockdale, TX) and a free-standing seed library to be placed outside at the El Camino Real City Wildscape ( All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Cameron, TX).
Our project wants to raise awareness of pollinator decline and its threat to one-third of the U.S. food supply, offer educational programs on native pollinators and ecosystem services, and launch a Native Wildscape Yard of the Month (April – September 2027, county-wide) to inspire residents to create beautiful native landscapes, dispel the “messy garden” stigma and encourage seed donation back to our libraries and sustaining our seed stock while building lasting habitat improvements throughout the community.
I’d like to recognize Catherine Johnson and Patsy Coombs for all their knowledge, encouragement and expertise as they supported me. Also, Elena Berkes, the head Librarian at the Cameron Pubic Library, totally embraced our Chapter’s installation of the seed library and has continued to support our efforts. Also, many thanks to the Little River Basin Master Gardeners who have partnered with us in supplying and packaging seeds for our project.
And of course, many thanks to our El Camino Real Chapter members for supporting my idea and continuing to come monthly to package seeds!
By Pamela Neeley
I went to turn off a leaky faucet today, and found a 9-banded armadillo having a mud bath. I didn’t know they are so playful! He flipped upside down!
I walked right up to him for photos, turned off the faucet, and he continued splashing around and digging.
He was really big! And loved the mud!
He finally heard me (they have very poor sight) and scurried out to hid under a nearby rose bush.
By Linda Burgess
It was a peaceful Sunday morning and I’m watering my plants to beat the summer heat when something unusual caught my eye. I wasn’t sure what it was from a distance….just a brown mass on some weeds. But on careful inspection, I got a couple of close up pictures and discovered it was a Rabid Wolf Spider, with her newly hatched babies covering her back!
Contrary to the name, the Rabid Wolf Spider does not have rabies and it is not dangerous to humans ….. as Eric Neubauer, our member and Wolf Spider expert, has already educated our Chapter. It is famous for exceptional maternal care. The photos I captured show hundreds of newly hatched babies (spiderlings) that the mother is carrying and protecting. They ride there for a few weeks until they are ready to live on their on.
I sent my picture to a few friends. One said, “OMGOODNESS! Do not send that picture to people who don’t like spiders. That’s like a nightmare!” But you, my Master Naturalist friends, are not terrified and I’m sure you’ll find this observance quite interesting.
So enjoy!
by Catherine Johnson
When you get overwhelmed at the heat and weeds, look around and you will find little jewels all over our Wildscape. Birds, nests, pollinators, blooms, frogs and a rabbit. It is worth the visit to smell the chocolate daisies.
Nature Along the El Camino Real 