Nature Along the El Camino Real

The spider show that didn’t happen and came back as blog fodder

July 10, 2025July 10, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall1 Comment

by Eric Neubauer

I noticed I hadn’t taken a wolf spider photo at all in June. It wasn’t as if I didn’t have spiders on the brain. We were working on a species group that’s prevalent in South Texas. Still, I thought I’d like to do something with live spiders, and I thought it would be nice to find several big ones and bring them in to the El Camino Real Texas Master Naturalist booth on the 4th of July for show and tell.

Before the sun was up, I was out looking and found two out of the three I hoped for. By early afternoon those of us at the west end of the county could see the impending storm looming over us but we had no way of knowing it was about to stall. So I decided not to drive into Cameron.

As the day ended, I photographed the two spiders and then released them. The first was a mellow and self assured adult male Rabidosa rabida with black forelegs. His leg span was nearly 3″, and he required special treatment, because he easily climbed out of containers that work for most wolf spiders.

The second was a cautious adult female Hogna antelucana who gave me no trouble at all except for fidgeting during her face shots.

Wildscape Wildness!

June 29, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Catherine Johnson

It looks like a tornado hit the Wildscape, as work will continue all summer to revamp the garden for minimal maintenance and user-friendly spaces.

*Liatris* sp. also known as blazing star

New members Bill and Tina tackled overdue chores.

Texas natives to be planted are fall blooming, drought tolerant, and provide seeds or nectar for pollinators.

Liatris – of special interest to native bees
Blue Grama – Host plant for Skippers
Black Dalea – Host plant for Dogface butterfly
Blackfoot Daisy – attracts pollinators, honey scented

Come to the Wildscape and visit the pollinators!

Anole Argument

June 27, 2025June 27, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Donna Lewis

So, this week, I was out in my garden filling up all the water sources and I came face to face with two male Anoles having what I guess was a territorial fight.

I was about 10 inches from them when I saw this! Boy was I surprised. And if you knew me, you would know, I am not very tech savvy. I was fumbling with my phone trying to remember where the camera button was. It took me a few minutes to open the camera. I was afraid I would miss all the action. I just cracked up over this display.

I also forgot that my voice is on the video, so I am just as funny.

This was great!! I have never seen the Anoles fight before. Usually they are going after the ladies or catching an insect. No animals were harmed during the filming of this video!!

About Anoles

There are more than 250 species of Anoles: Family Polychride, the largest genus of lizards in the world. Only the Green Anole is native to the continental United States.

This lizard has the ability to change its color as a result of the movement of pigment granules within the cells of the skin. This can happen in response to stimuli such as temperature, humidity, emotion and activity. The colors can be gray, brown or green.

The Green Anole is arboreal, prefering to be up on a fence, tree, plant or higher than ground level. I see them among vines especially. Their diet is insects and spiders.

So, as I always say, you need to look around at nature. There is always something really new and exciting to see. But you need to look.

And always remember who you are gardening for.

Also give our expert Blog Master an “atta girl” for knowing how to transfer this video to the computer for me.

(Thanks, Donna)

June in the Wildscape

June 18, 2025June 19, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Catherine Johnson

The garden is undergoing major alterations, so hosting programs will be easier and with more room.

Weston and his brother are new helpers who are eliminating massive overgrowth.

Some aggressive natives in the space are Passionflower vine and Climbing Cypress.

Most all plants are doing fine since the rains. However, as it dries out, it is always helpful for members or visitors to pick up a hose and water a plant in stress.

The native trees are tall, including Texas kidneywood, wax myrtle, elbow bush, and button bush.

Seeds are becoming available for the seed library, too. We will have seeds available at the Wildscape very soon.

If you would like to volunteer for chores, email me at cpc69earth@gmail.com. Or, just go see what is going on in June.

Red Mountain Preparation Visit

June 17, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Michelle Lopez

Here are some pictures from our trip to Red Mountain, where we prepped for the Tonkawa Powwow and did some trash pickup. What a spot!

None of us had climbed the mountain before, but when we spotted some ribbons on trees, we figured that was our cue to start climbing.

Let’s just say it was more of a challenge than we bargained for, but we all reached the summit. The kicker? Those ribbons were actually indicating where a trail was supposed to go. Who knew?

Anyway, our detour led to some neat discoveries, like some clay handles that could’ve been part of ancient clay pots. I took some photos and left the artifacts in place for the ongoing archaeological dig.