Nature Along the El Camino Real

Lots of Gratitude and Laughs at our December Meeting

December 14, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall1 Comment

by Sue Ann Kendall

Every year we combine our December Chapter meeting with a celebration, and this year we were grateful to have a lovely venue, the Yards of Cameron, and some truly delicious food courtesy of Barbara Dominguez. The decorations featured native yaupon holly that added a festive Texas touch. No wonder everyone was so full of gratitude and cheer!

Our Chapter Meeting was poignant, because it featured fond farewells to our President and Vice President for the last four years, Carolyn Henderson and Liz Lewis. These women helped move our chapter forward after some challenging years thanks to their positive attitudes and encouragement. Leading a chapter is not easy, but Carolyn made it look so, even when we were occasionally unruly. She came up with some great activities and encouraged us all to participate in our great new projects. And Liz found us some speakers who increased our knowledge and inspired us to do new things.

Carolyn and Liz kindly gave some of the chapter members who helped her over the years lovely certificates and hugs. Most of them took it seriously, but I just HAD to make a goofy face.

All the directors kept us cheerful by sharing their love and gratitude, as well. We welcomed Chad Cryer as our final 2025 class member to achieve their certification and coveted roadrunner pin, and we were thrilled to see our chapter friend, Rosie Johnson, receive her own honorary pin. She’s really helped us over the years at the Wildscape and with her donated plants.

Special recognition went to our top three iNaturalist contributors for 2025: Linda Jo Conn, Michelle Lopez, and Eric Neubauer. Keep it up, y’all!

We are also very grateful to welcome our new President, Marian Buegeler, and a former President as Vice President, Phyllis Shuffield. We’re in good hands!

Our yearly white elephant gift exchange went so well this year that I forgot to take pictures. We had just enough coveted presents to exchange multiple beauties three times, so the final recipient got to keep them. Bird houses that looked like buildings and gifts with bonus peanut brittle were especially popular. Next year, let’s not break into the brittle until the gift is actually yours! (No, really, that was a lot of fun.)

Slightly used container of peanut brittle.

Speaking for me, your faithful blogger, I just want to thank all the El Camino Real Master Naturalist chapter members for their kindness to each other and ability to welcome all into their group with open arms. I just love how there’s something for everyone to contribute to and help promote the wildness of little Milam County and the rest of Texas. Enjoy some more party photos!

First Quarter Grant Update

December 10, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Dorothy Mayer

This November we finished the first phase of the H-E-B Pollinators for Texas Project at our Milam Wildscspe.

A large number of our members volunteered many hours. Progress included new pathways, seating areas, native Texas redbuds, grasses and groundcovers.

In 2026 we will focus on identification of target pollinators and conclude the project with April and May Community tours.

The Pollinators for Texas project is a collaborative effort with H-E-B and the Texas Master Naturalist (TMN) Program focused on enhancing native pollinator conservation across the state by promoting awareness, conservation efforts and creating sustainable pollinator environments. The initiative aims to engage communities in supporting pollinator-friendly practices through funding TMN chapter-led projects and programs.

City Wildscape Gets an Upgrade

December 7, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Carolyn Henderson

The mini wildscape at All Saints Episcopal Church in Cameron got some new plants and grooming, and the fight against the persimmons continues.

Chad Cryer, Liz Lewis, Alan Rudd, and Carolyn Henderson planted six new Mexican Sage bushes, pruned back what was still blooming and scraggly, and took out a few more persimmons trying to pop up. Alan was gone by the time we thought to take photos.

The wildscape is still supplying food to butterflies, bees, and Texas Spiny Lizards which all showed themselves once it started to warm up.

Grass pulling comes next.

Lots of Bird Action at Wild Wings

November 24, 2025 Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

By Sue Ann Kendall

I’ve been making up for lost time at our Chapter’s little bird sanctuary, Wild Wings. Fall and winter are the best times to visit, anyway, since winter visitors may appear. I brought all my birding equipment for the past few weeks, so I could see all the little guys flitting around with my better-quality binoculars.

I also brought my real camera and telephoto lens, so here come the bird photos!

I got to watch a Red-shouldered Hawk and multiple Red-bellied Woodpeckers last week, but didn’t get many photos. I also enjoyed checking out the plants Gene has put in the beds, too.

Non-native tropical milkweed will be beautiful next spring and summer.

This week, Kit and I spent time at the sanctuary listening to the birds—we have heard 17 species via Merlin Bird ID this week, plus additional ones last week, so this will be a good month for our totals, which have been missing for a while due to our volunteers and their issues/schedules (I mean me).

This Tufted Titmouse on the rain chain did not judge me.

Sitting quietly in the sanctuary with all the feeders filled to the brim by our caretaker, Gene, lets you get some fine photos of whatever birds come to feeders, which means Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice, and one Eastern Phoebe.

The sanctuary also is home to many bees, as it’s near an apiary. The bees love the rain chain that drips into the bird bath. Look at all the bees!

We encourage visitors to the Wildscape to come on down for some peace, quiet, and birdsong.

Planting Native Grasses at the Wildscape

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

By Sue Ann Kendall

All the preparations have paid off for our pollinator project at the Milam Wildscape. Our grant from the H-E-B Pollinators for Texas is going a long way toward creating just what our target species need.

The pollinators are waiting patiently for their new nectar and pollen sources.

Starting early on Saturday morning, volunteers got their hands dirty and planted many interesting native grasses and ground covers in the new prairie area.