Nature Along the El Camino Real
Blog of the El Camino Real Chapter, Texas Master Naturalists, Milam County, Texas
by Catherine Johnson
One thing we learned at a recent visit to Walker Honey Farm is that Mead is a mixture of honey, water, and yeast. Many factors affect the taste, including the type of wildflowers bees visit.
We also learned that bees dance on the surface of the honey comb, which directs other bees to within 10 feet of sweet sources, which can cover a 16 square mile area.
by Catherine Johnson
Our Let’s Get Outside project took us to Cameron City Park, 12 Street Park, Cameron and Airport Park, and O. J. Thomas Park.
At Cameron City Park we saw natives, mushrooms , and former swimming pool.
12 St. Park has beautiful trees and a nice pond.
Cameron Park has a fun pool and Airport Park great baseball fields.
O. J. Thomas Park has swings and basketball hoops. All were very well maintained and offer quiet, pretty places for recreation, walking, picnics, or observing nature.
I focused on three small yellow wildflowers in order to learn to distinguish them–Bitterweed, Camphor weed, and Straggler Daisy. The leaves are very different.
You will be amazed at how much you will know in a few years if you learn in small steps. Attending these latest walks were Linda Jo, Donna, Scott, Debra, Jackie T. , Connie, Pamela and Ruby, Kim and Catherine (me). Most fun–eating together at Dairy Queen and listening to Connie’s (who was mayor of Cameron for many years) tales of the city’s history.
by Catherine Johnson
Next year we will continue our Milkweed/Monarch project and create a network for sharing milkweed, info and habitats. A recent Monarch seminar taught us how to raise milkweed from seed. We’ll create here a walk-in enclosure in the Milam Wildscape for the project.
To follow up on Lisa’s post yesterday, it turns out that 10% of caterpillars make it to butterflies and 10% of those survive full adulthood. Two of my butterflies were born with wrinkled wings, so I fed them sugar water, took them for outside trips, and after a couple of weeks they passed peacefully. Other
options were to euthanize or leave outside. This way they had a good life.
We are watching Gulf Fritillary chrysalises now. They look like leaves to fool predators.
by Catherine Johnson
Linda Jo Conn’s Let’s Get Outside activity for our Chapter is a respite for some — more to get away than to get outside.
We recently met at the Master Gardeners’ demonstration garden in Cameron and identified plants and wildlife.
The garden is kept up very nicely, and there were lots of butterflies and hummingbirds.
Under the gazebo we made plans for future events and learned more of the world around us.
Then it got hot. Kim and I said goodbye to Linda Jo, Pamela, and Jackie T. and finished our big day relaxing in the air conditioning at Texas Burger.
by Catherine Johnson
The baby monarch caterpillar I found is now a chrysalis, along with the Wildscape guys.
When they emerge, they may be the last monarchs to migrate.
They are hanging on to a silk web by a Cremaster-hook.
I gently moved the first chrysalises and repositioned them. They must be hanging upside down and with enough space to fully open their wings. If they dry with wrinkled wings, they do not survive.
