Nature Along the El Camino Real

Celebrating New Members and Milestones

May 9, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Carolyn Henderson
photos by Sue Ann Kendall

I am excited to introduce the new members of our chapter to you. They are in order: Carolyn M., Don F., Teresa (Terri) B., Kay F., Kathleen (Kit) T., Tina D., Bill D., and Chad C. I’m sure everyone who attended the party last night now knows them, but I wanted to make sure those who couldn’t attend and our online fans also know and can say hello if they run into them. I believe they are going to be a great group for our chapter. Let me add that Terri has also received Full Certification and her first pin and name tag, too.

I also want to send out some thank yous to everyone that helped get this class through. We kept eight out of ten who registered. Eighty percent retention is a feat worth noting. Alan R. and Debra S. worked extra hard to train this group and get them to the end. Michelle Lopez attended every training session to make sure all the information was presented as intended by the speakers. Ellen L. also kept the potlucks organized with the help of Ann C. and Jackie T. According to Chad, it was a motivating factor. Several members attended most of the sessions to mentor the new members. Making contact goes a long way.

Many thanks go out to Liz L. for co-organizing the party last night. She also bought flashlights for the new members that will show the unusual colors on some lichen that Chad taught us about. Patsy C. made some very nice certificates and also kept the class on their toes about their hours. Pamela N. made the official ceramic frog magnets for each member and the trainers. Several members contributed to the very good bar-b-que we had last night with potato salads and deserts.

*New Members told stories and declared their favorite bird at the ceremony.*

It just goes to prove that it really does take a village to get things done.

Last but not least, you may want to send a big congratulations to Debbi H. on achieving 4,000 volunteer hours in TMN. We are waiting on the Presidential citation and pin to arrive for her. Ellen L also achieved 250 hours – a great deal of those hours occured being our hostess director.

The Railroad Down Under

May 9, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Eric Neubauer

I saw many things during my expedition around the lower half of the Texas Panhandle. Too many in fact to even summarize. So here is one thing I particularly noticed. I spent some time at Big Spring State Park after sunset.

The land was dry, and the spiders were scarce. Finally, I found a nice adult female Big-eyed Wolf Spider at the edge of the road near the entrance. This is only one of a growing number of fairly large
unnamed wolf spiders in the pipeline.

While preparing photos for iNaturalist, I was struck (not for the first time) by the rainbow colors on the chelicerae of this species. The chelicerae are analogous to human lips or jaws except for housing venomous spines at the ends and separating in a vertical plane. Wolf spiders often have bold or complex patterns, but here is something extremely delicate.

Starting earlier this year I added face shots to my routine. After all, this is what spiders see when they meet each other. In this case it captures a colorful detail that would have been missed and shows how big the eyes of the Big-eyed Wolf Spider really are. The white circles in six of the eyes are artifacts, reflections of the dedicated light ring that is part of my setup.

Messy Can Be Good at a Wildscape

May 1, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Catherine Johnson

Kim and I ventured to the Wildscape during the recent tornado alert but only experienced high wind.

We planted Texas Betony and still to be planted include Texas Sedge, Pine Muhly, Skull Cap, Chocolate Daisy and Gregg’s Mist.

Many plants are thriving and starting to bloom. The Mexican Plum is especially robust. Many Belly Botany wildflowers are attracting pollinators.

In a recent video, Craig Hensley suggested leaving your garden a little messy; that is our Wildscape now, but what a beauty.

Go visit before it gets manicured, and bring your camera.

Earth Day Greetings from the Seed Library

April 23, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

By Linda Burgess

(This was posted on Facebook yesterday)

It’s Earth Day! …. and a beautiful day to get outside and plant some wildflowers!

The El Camino Real Texas Master Naturalists and the Little River Basin Master Gardeners, with the help of the Cameron Public Library, have created a free Seed Library for the public.

We have lots of native wildflowers, adapted plants, and some herbs. We are always adding new varieties, so come by and get a few packets of free seeds. We can’t wait to see our community become even more beautiful …and it’s a huge benefit to our environment. You’ll also feel joy from being outside and watching your seeds grow!

Thanks to the Cameron Public Library for hosting the seed library.

We had our monthly seed packaging at the Library on Earth Day. With Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners combined, we had 21 volunteers! We’re grateful to them all.

An Earth Day Gift for You

April 22, 2025April 22, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

Happy Earth Day!

by Sue Ann Kendall

*First page of the brochure. Download the PDF to see it full size.*

As Master Naturalists, we think every day is Earth Day, but today is the official day to honor and celebrate the planet where we and all the myriad lifeforms we share the planet with live. Please go out and do something to honor Mother Earth. Plant a plant, clean up some debris along a roadside, donate to your favorite environmental charity…something!

For Earth Day, the El Camino Real chapter has a gift for you. It will be helpful for those living in or visiting Milam County and the surrounding area, but works for most of Texas, too. It’s our Common Milam County Birds brochure! It features pictures of 35 of the birds you’re most likely to see in Milam County. We did our best to include photos you can use to identify birds you see, and are grateful to all who share their photos for nonprofit use on iNaturalist, because that’s where we got them. You can download the brochure and print as many copies as you’d like to share with friends, hand out at events, or display in your business.

We will have copies available at the Wild Wings Bird Sanctuary and any outreach events we hold, starting in May when the author gets back to Texas.

Female hummingbird on red yucca at the Hermits’ Rest Ranch in Milam County.

We would appreciate your feedback and ideas for improving the brochure.

By the way, we also have a checklist of all birds seen in Milam County (as identified in eBird and iNaturalist) that you can download and check off the birds you see.

Happy birding in our county!